Understanding custom agents and turning on the agent builder (EAP)

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">Custom agents are AI agents that work behind the scenes to automate complex, multi-system tasks and help resolve customer issues. Admins can use the agent builder to define custom agents with specific procedures and specify what inputs, outputs, articles, and tools are available to the agent.</p>
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<p id="docs-ai-summary-toggle">Summary: <span id="up-triangle">◀</span><span id="down-triangle">▼</span></p>
<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">Custom agents automate complex tasks and customer issue resolution by using admin-defined workflows and approved resources. You can create up to 100 custom agents, control their access to articles, tools, and actions, and trigger them via action flows. Custom agents handle multi-system tasks without consuming action credits and use intelligent retry logic for errors. Participation requires joining the early access program and agreeing to terms.</p>
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<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Custom agents are currently in an early access program (EAP). To participate, see
<a class="xref" href="#topic_xk1_rcp_fjc">Joining the Custom Agents EAP</a>.</div>
<p class="p">Custom agents are AI agents that work behind the scenes to automate complex, multi-system
tasks and help resolve customer issues. Admins can use the agent builder to define
custom agents with specific procedures and specify what inputs, outputs, articles, and
tools are available to the agent.</p>
<div class="p">This article contains the following topics:<ul class="ul" id="topic_z1t_4x3_2jc__ul_klh_25k_2jc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_gtm_25k_2jc">Essential facts about the agent builder and custom agents</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_xk1_rcp_fjc">Joining the Custom Agents EAP</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_gtm_25k_2jc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Essential facts about the agent builder and custom agents</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">It's important to understand the following key terminology related to custom
agents:<ul class="ul" id="topic_gtm_25k_2jc__ul_bfz_3dp_fjc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Agent builder</strong>: The tool within Zendesk that admins use to create
custom agents.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Custom agent</strong>: Admin-defined AI agents that are tailored to your
business and able to handle complex, multi-system tasks and customer issues. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Action flow</strong>: Custom workflows capable of performing actions in
Zendesk and connected external systems. <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8855513857306" target="_blank">Action flows</a> are created by admins
in the visual workflow builder called <em class="ph i">action builder</em> and can be
initiated automatically based on specified criteria or by human agents.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="p">Consider the following information when turning on the agent builder and creating
custom agents:<ul class="ul" id="topic_gtm_25k_2jc__ul_zdv_ddp_fjc">
<li class="li">The agent builder is a tool to help you build custom agents.</li>
<li class="li">Your account can have up to 100 custom agents.</li>
<li class="li">Custom agents must be initiated through action flow triggers and must have
at least a <code class="ph codeph">ticket_id</code> as input. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10724438136858#topic_yjb_rtb_lkc" target="_blank">Running custom agents</a>.</li>
<li class="li">All services that are connected to the action builder are also available to
be added to custom agents.</li>
<li class="li">When defining custom agents, admins must add approved articles, tools, and
actions explicitly. By default, custom agents have no access to articles,
tools, or actions.</li>
<li class="li">When giving a custom agent access to tools, admins must specify what the
tool should be used to do, what it can read versus write, and its inputs and
outputs.</li>
<li class="li">Custom agents prioritize the approved articles for policy and processes over
general reasoning.</li>
<li class="li">No action credits are consumed by the <em class="ph i">Handoff to custom agent</em> step or
actions performed by custom agents.</li>
<li class="li">When errors occur, custom agents use intelligent retry logic and smart
timeouts to ensure the custom agent behaviors in the most efficient way
possible.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_xk1_rcp_fjc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Joining the Custom Agents EAP</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Custom agents and the agent builder are available as part of an early access program
(EAP). To participate, you must join the EAP and agree to the terms and
conditions.</p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To join the Custom Agents EAP</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_xk1_rcp_fjc__ol_nr1_tfp_fjc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_xk1_rcp_fjc__image_cl2_lg1_s2c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_ai.png">
<strong class="ph b">AI</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Agent builder &gt; Custom agents</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Sign up for early access</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Review the terms and conditions and click <strong class="ph b">I agree</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Submit</strong>.<p class="p">After you join the EAP, you can start <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10724438136858" target="_blank">creating custom
agents</a>.</p>
</li>
</ol>
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<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested1" id="topic_kvj_gtb_lkc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Custom agent resources</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">The following articles are available to help you get up and running with custom
agents:<ul class="ul" id="topic_kvj_gtb_lkc__ul_bdy_htb_lkc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10724438136858" target="_blank">Creating and using custom agents in
Zendesk</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/11198435677210" target="_blank">Editing and managing custom
agents</a></li>
</ul>
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