> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xpander.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Agent Configuration

> Create an agent, pick where it runs, and configure every control in the Agent Studio

Personal Agents are great for day-to-day assistance, but you can create **Specialized Custom Agents** for dedicated tasks like customer support, weekly reporting, and bug hunting.

Custom Agents run on the [**Agno** framework](https://docs.agno.com/introduction) and give you full control over the model, memory, instructions, tools, and channels.

<Note>
  Need to run on a framework other than Agno (e.g., OpenAI Agents SDK, LangChain, Google ADK, AWS Strands)? Framework choice is available on the **Enterprise** plan. [Contact sales](https://cal.com/team/xpander-ai/activate) to enable it for your workspace.
</Note>

## Create Your Agent

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in">
    Go to [app.xpander.ai](https://app.xpander.ai) and sign in or sign up. New users get a 14-day free trial.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start a new agent">
    Click <kbd>+ New Agent</kbd> in the top right of the Agents page.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I/images/guide/xpander-home.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I&q=85&s=b8822a4f6779fc04f594319167d1242e" alt="xpander Agents page with the + New Agent button in the top right" width="3352" height="2104" data-path="images/guide/xpander-home.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name your agent">
    Environment will already be set to `xpander-cloud`, which is the default hosting setup, fully-managed by Xpander.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I/images/guide/new-agent-dialog.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I&q=85&s=21f05ff1c063dc2154d298bc455b69ad" alt="Create New Agent dialog with Agent name field and Environment dropdown showing xpander cloud" width="1248" height="626" data-path="images/guide/new-agent-dialog.png" />
    </Frame>

    On the **Self-hosted Enterprise plan**, you can spin up Xpander's AI Agents on your own compute environments. [Contact sales](https://cal.com/team/xpander-ai/activate) to learn more.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for provisioning">
    Xpander sets up your agent's container and wires up memory, built-in tools, and networking. This one-time setup takes a minute or two.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I/images/guide/personal-agent-spinning.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I&q=85&s=91e1f97c7989fabcdab009e3ec7e8aee" alt="Agent setup modal showing container spinning up" width="3288" height="2068" data-path="images/guide/personal-agent-spinning.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the Agent Studio">
    You're ready to try out your newly created agent.

    Click the **gear** <Icon icon="gear" size={16} /> icon in the top left to open the configuration panel.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I/images/guide/openclaw-agentpage.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I&q=85&s=e8e2fa08d7db7faea4e299427b8a11e4" alt="Agent Studio showing Builder view with chat interface and gear icon" width="3352" height="2104" data-path="images/guide/openclaw-agentpage.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Publish">
    When you're ready, click <kbd>Publish</kbd> in the top right. You need to publish every time you change configuration before it takes effect.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Tour the Agent Studio

The Agent Studio has two views:

* **Builder**: Configure your agent and chat with it directly
* **Monitor**: View conversation logs, performance metrics, and task history

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I/images/guide/agentpage-header.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I&q=85&s=4397efafd601431aa08d01cb93f84408" alt="Agent Studio header showing Builder and Monitor tabs" width="2576" height="176" data-path="images/guide/agentpage-header.png" />
</Frame>

## Configuration Quick Reference

Xpander's Custom Agents expose full Agno configuration options.

Click the **gear** <Icon icon="gear" size={16} /> icon in the Builder view to open the configuration panel.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I/images/guide/agentstudio-config.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I&q=85&s=eef9b62aacce8da69d1fde66a2b7bc96" alt="Agent Studio configuration panel with General, Instructions, Tools, Channels, and Memory tabs" width="3050" height="1962" data-path="images/guide/agentstudio-config.png" />
</Frame>

| Tab              | What you configure                                       |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| **General**      | Model, access, output format, guardrails, notifications. |
| **Instructions** | System prompt - role, goals, rules, expected output.     |
| **Tools**        | Built-in tools, connectors, thinking controls.           |
| **Channels**     | API, SDK, Chat, Slack, Webhook, Task, MCP, A2A.          |
| **Memory**       | Session history, user and agent memories, compression.   |

### General

High-level agent properties and model selection.

| Setting             | What it does                                                                                                                               |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Name**            | Your agent's display name.                                                                                                                 |
| **LLM settings**    | Pick a provider and model. See [AI Models & Intelligence](/guides/agents/ai-models-intelligence).                                          |
| **Access**          | Private to you, or shared with your organization.                                                                                          |
| **Output format**   | Free-form text, Markdown, Structured output, or Voice.                                                                                     |
| **Learning**        | Capture user profiles and knowledge over time. See [Memory & State](/guides/agents/memory-state).                                          |
| **LLM Guardrails**  | PII detection, prompt injection blocks, and OpenAI moderation. See [LLM Guardrails](/guides/agents/ai-models-intelligence#llm-guardrails). |
| **Multi-Agent**     | Attach other agents for orchestration.                                                                                                     |
| **Knowledge bases** | Attach knowledge bases for retrieval. See [Knowledge Bases](/guides/agents/knowledge-bases).                                               |
| **Templates**       | Save the current configuration as a reusable template.                                                                                     |
| **Notifications**   | Success and error alerts via Email, Webhook, or Slack.                                                                                     |
| **Danger zone**     | Disable or delete the agent.                                                                                                               |

### Instructions

The agent's system prompt.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I/images/guide/agnonemo-instructions-config.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I&q=85&s=3af3a0d81b181b1db5b4ae70e3436ab4" alt="Instructions tab showing agent role, goals, instructions, and expected output fields" width="400" data-path="images/guide/agnonemo-instructions-config.png" />
</Frame>

| Field               | What it does                               |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| **Agent role**      | The agent's role or personality.           |
| **Goals**           | What the agent should accomplish.          |
| **Instructions**    | Rules and behavior constraints.            |
| **Expected output** | How the agent should format its responses. |

<Tip>
  Click <kbd>Write instructions with AI</kbd> to prompt an LLM to fill these fields for you.
</Tip>

### Tools

Built-in tools, connectors, and thinking controls. See [Tools & Connectors](/guides/agents/tools-connectors).

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I/images/guide/agnonemo-tools-config.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I&q=85&s=6364920d3ec9c946017e1127b2b27227" alt="Tools tab showing built-in tools, connector tools, thinking & planning, and advanced configuration" width="400" data-path="images/guide/agnonemo-tools-config.png" />
</Frame>

| Section                       | What it does                                                                                                                            |
| ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Built-in tools**            | Toggle xpander's built-in tools (Send Email, OCR, etc.).                                                                                |
| **Tools**                     | Connect external apps via MCP or API. See [Tools & Connectors](/guides/agents/tools-connectors).                                        |
| **Agent Thinking & Planning** | Checklist Toolkit, Checklist Enforcement, and Reasoning Toolkit. See [AI Models & Intelligence](/guides/agents/ai-models-intelligence). |
| **Advanced Configuration**    | Max tool calls per run.                                                                                                                 |

### Channels

How users and systems reach your agent - API, SDK, Chat, Slack, Webhook, Task, MCP, and A2A. See [Deploy an Agent](/guides/agents/deploy-agent) for setup on each channel.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I/images/guide/agnonemo-channels-config.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I&q=85&s=48b1d20000633d0b5aee4e2b20d1e79e" alt="Channels tab showing API, SDK, Chat, Slack, Webhook, Task, MCP, and A2A options" width="300" data-path="images/guide/agnonemo-channels-config.png" />
</Frame>

### Memory

What the agent remembers across conversations. See [Memory & State](/guides/agents/memory-state).

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I/images/guide/agnonemo-mem-config.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OGlJJ1lp1VY3af7I&q=85&s=6eb7f47ef63ee06188e6f62b7ff3ebfe" alt="Memory tab showing session storage, memories, compression, and optimization settings" width="350" data-path="images/guide/agnonemo-mem-config.png" />
</Frame>

| Setting                          | What it does                                  |
| -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Session storage**              | Persist chat history across sessions.         |
| **User Memories**                | Store per-user memories.                      |
| **Agent Memories**               | Store agent-wide memories across all users.   |
| **Max tool calls from history**  | Cap tool calls included in context.           |
| **Session summaries**            | Summarize long conversations automatically.   |
| **Tool calls compression**       | Shrink verbose tool outputs in context.       |
| **Memory optimization strategy** | Optimize the context window during execution. |

## Common Use Cases

| I want my agent to...                          | What to configure                                                                                       |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Answer questions about my company's docs       | Attach a [Knowledge Base](/guides/agents/knowledge-bases) with your documents                           |
| Send emails and search the web                 | Enable [built-in tools](/guides/agents/tools-connectors) (Send Email, Web Search)                       |
| Integrate with Slack, Jira, GitHub, etc.       | Install [connector tools](/guides/agents/tools-connectors) from the catalog                             |
| Remember user preferences across conversations | Enable [User Memories](/guides/agents/memory-state) in the Memory tab                                   |
| Learn and improve over time                    | Enable [Agent Memories](/guides/agents/memory-state) with agentic management                            |
| Handle complex multi-step tasks                | Enable [Checklist Toolkit or Planning Mode](/guides/agents/ai-models-intelligence)                      |
| Give deeper, more thorough answers             | Enable [Reasoning Toolkit](/guides/agents/ai-models-intelligence) or increase reasoning effort          |
| Respond in structured JSON                     | Set **Output format** to Structured output in General tab                                               |
| Run on a framework other than Agno             | [Contact sales](https://cal.com/team/xpander-ai/activate) to enable framework choice on Enterprise      |
| Run agents in your own infrastructure          | [Contact sales](https://cal.com/team/xpander-ai/activate) to enable self-hosted locations on Enterprise |

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Tools & Connectors" icon="plug" href="/guides/agents/tools-connectors">
    Browse 100+ connectors and configure tool behavior
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI Models & Intelligence" icon="brain" href="/guides/agents/ai-models-intelligence">
    Providers, planning mode, and reasoning mode
  </Card>

  <Card title="Memory & State" icon="database" href="/guides/agents/memory-state">
    Session storage, user memories, and agent memories
  </Card>

  <Card title="Deploy an Agent" icon="rocket" href="/guides/agents/deploy-agent">
    Publish and connect to Slack, API, SDK, and more
  </Card>
</CardGroup>