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Agent Builder - Basic Configuration

Essential configuration steps to get your AI agent up and running quickly.

Overview

This guide covers the minimum required configurations to create a functional AI agent. You can complete these steps in 10-15 minutes to have a working agent.

For advanced features like voice processing, custom tools, and personality traits, see Agent Builder - Advanced Configuration.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

Quick Start: 4 Essential Steps

To create a functional agent, you need to configure:

  1. Agent Info - Name, type, and where it will be used
  2. Instructions - What your agent does and how it behaves
  3. Models - Which AI model powers your agent
  4. Context Processing - How your agent handles large conversations

That's it! These four configurations are sufficient to launch a working agent.

1. Agent Info Configuration

When to use

Configure these settings when creating any new agent. This defines your agent's identity and where users can access it.

Overview

The Agent Info section defines the basic properties and deployment channels for your agent.

Agent Info Section Agent Info configuration section

Required Fields

Name:

  • Internal agent identifier
  • Used in platform, logs, and management
  • Example: "Customer Support Agent", "Product Knowledge Bot"

AI Name:

  • Display name shown to end-users
  • Character limit: 10 characters
  • Example: "Alex", "JiaAI", "Aly"

Description:

  • Agent's purpose and capabilities
  • Helps team members understand the agent
  • Example: "Helps customers troubleshoot common product issues"

Agent Icon:

  • Visual representation of your agent
  • Select from available icon options

Agent Type Selection

When to use

  • Choose Chat Agent for conversational support, Q&A, and multi-turn dialogues
  • Choose Search Agent for knowledge base queries and information retrieval

Agent Type Selection Select between Chat Agent and Search Agent

Chat Agent:

  • Interactive conversational agent
  • Maintains conversation history
  • Best for: Customer support, assistance, Q&A

Search Agent:

  • Optimized for information retrieval
  • Returns search-style results
  • Best for: Knowledge base queries, documentation search

Modalities

When to use

Select the channels where users will interact with your agent. You can enable multiple modalities simultaneously.

Agent Modalities Configure agent modalities - Web App, Sidebar, Floating Widget

Available Modalities:

Web App:

  • Standalone web application
  • Full-featured chat interface
  • Access via direct URL

Sidebar:

  • Integrated sidebar for websites
  • Appears on the side of web pages
  • Best for: Documentation sites, internal portals

Floating Widget:

  • Classic website chat widget
  • Appears as floating button
  • Best for: General website visitor assistance

Security Settings

When to use

  • Use Sign-In Required for internal tools, customer portals, or when you need user attribution
  • Use Sign-In Optional for public-facing agents where authentication is optional

Web App & Sidebar Security Security configuration for Web App and Sidebar modalities

Sign-In Required:

  • Users must authenticate before using the agent
  • Provides user attribution and conversation tracking

Sign-In Optional:

  • Agent accessible without authentication
  • Optional login for enhanced features

2. Instructions

When to use

Instructions are required for every agent. They define your agent's role, behavior, and response style.

Overview

Instructions define the core behavior, role, and operating principles of your AI agent. This is the most critical section that shapes how your agent responds and behaves.

Agent Instructions GIF Configuring agent instructions

What to Include

Role Definition: 

You are a customer support agent for fifthelement.ai, specializing in
helping users understand our AI platform features.

Responsibilities: 

Your responsibilities include:
- Answering questions about platform features
- Helping users troubleshoot configuration issues
- Providing step-by-step guidance for agent setup
- Escalating complex technical issues when necessary

Behavior Guidelines: 

Communication Style:
- Professional yet friendly tone
- Concise and action-oriented responses
- Use bullet points for clarity
- Provide examples when explaining concepts

Constraints: 

Limitations:
- Do not provide information about pricing (direct to sales team)
- Do not make promises about future features
- Admit when you don't know something rather than guessing

Response Format: 

When answering questions:
1. Provide a direct answer first
2. Add context or explanation if needed
3. Offer related resources or next steps
4. Ask if the user needs further clarification

3. Models

When to use

Every agent needs at least one language model configured. Choose based on your use case complexity and performance requirements.

Overview

Select the language models that power your agent's intelligence and reasoning capabilities.

Models Section Models configuration section

Language Model Configuration GIF Selecting and configuring language models

Adding Language Models

Steps:

  1. Click "Add Language Model" button
  2. Click the "Select Language Model" dropdown
  3. Choose from available models:
  4. Azure GPT 4.1 Mini
  5. Gemini 2.5 Flash
  6. Claude 3.5 Sonnet
  7. GPT-4
  8. Click "Save" to apply

Model Selection Guide

When to use

  • Simple FAQ Agent: Use GPT 4.1 Mini (fast, cost-effective)
  • Complex Support Agent: Use Claude 3.5 Sonnet (strong reasoning)
  • Technical Documentation Agent: Use GPT-4 (high accuracy)
  • Conversational Agent: Use Gemini 2.5 Flash (balanced speed/quality)
Factor Description
Response Quality More advanced models provide better reasoning and accuracy
Speed Some models respond faster (e.g., Mini, Flash models)
Cost Different models have different pricing per token
Use Case Match model capabilities to your agent's complexity

4. Context Processing Algorithm

When to use

This setting is required before saving your agent. It controls how your agent handles conversations that exceed the model's context window.

Overview

Required Setting: You must select a Large Context Processing Algorithm before saving the agent.

Large Context Algorithm Select the Large Context Processing Algorithm

Available Algorithms

Truncate: - Cuts off context when it exceeds model limits - Fast and simple - When to use: Short conversations, simple queries, FAQ agents

Summarize: - Summarizes older context to fit within limits - Maintains conversation continuity - When to use: Long conversations with historical context, customer support

LLM Prompt Chaining: - Breaks down large contexts across multiple prompts - Handles very large contexts - When to use: Complex, multi-step tasks requiring extensive context

Embeddings: - Uses vector embeddings for context management - Efficient retrieval of relevant context - When to use: Knowledge-intensive agents with RAG capabilities

5. Save Your Agent

Save Agent Button Click Save to finalize your agent configuration

Action: Click "Save" button at the bottom of the page

What this does: - Saves all configurations - Makes the agent available for use - Deploys to selected modalities (Web App, Sidebar, Widget)

Testing Your Agent

After saving, test your agent:

  1. Navigate to the Web App URL (found in agent settings)
  2. Send a few test queries
  3. Verify responses match your instructions
  4. Check that the agent behaves as expected

Next Steps

Your agent is now functional! Consider these enhancements:

For all advanced configurations, see Agent Builder - Advanced Configuration.