Agent to Agent Configuration
Agent to Agent configuration is a powerful capability within Workforce that enables you to create sophisticated multi-agent systems where agents can collaborate, delegate tasks, and work together to solve complex problems.
How Agent to Agent Configuration Works
When you connect one agent to another in your workforce, you’re establishing a relationship that determines how these agents will interact. This connection creates a pathway for information to flow from one agent to another, allowing for specialized handling of different aspects of a task.
Setting Up Agent to Agent Connections
To create an Agent to Agent connection in your workforce:
- Navigate to the “Build” section of your workforce
- Ensure you have at least two agents added to your workspace
- Click and drag from the output node of the first agent to the input node of the second agent
- A connection line will appear, and the edge settings panel will open
Communication Style Options
When configuring Agent to Agent connections, you have two primary communication style options:
Let Agent Decide
This option gives the first agent autonomy to determine when it should involve the second agent. The agent uses natural language understanding to follow your instructions about when to delegate.
To configure this option:
- Select “Let agent decide” in the edge settings
- Complete the “When to call this agent” field with clear instructions
- For example: “Call this agent when you need specialized knowledge about financial regulations” or “Delegate to this agent when the customer asks about technical product specifications”
Behavior Settings
When using “Let agent decide,” you can further refine the behavior:
- Auto run: The second agent will automatically execute its task without approval
- Approval required: The second agent will draft its response but wait for human approval before proceeding
- Let agent decide: The second agent will determine whether it has sufficient context to proceed or needs human input
You can also set Max auto runs as a guardrail to limit automatic executions.
Forced Handover
This option creates a mandatory transition from one agent to another. When the first agent completes its work, it will always pass control to the second agent.
To configure this option:
- Select “Forced handover” in the edge settings
- Choose between “Always start a new task” or “Always continue with one task”
Task Continuity Options
For both communication styles, you can specify how the task should be handled:
- Always start a new task: The second agent begins a fresh task with its own context
- Always continue with one task: The second agent continues within the same task, maintaining context and history
Best Practices for Agent to Agent Configuration
When to Use “Let Agent Decide”
- For complex workflows where conditional routing is needed
- When you want the first agent to make intelligent decisions about escalation
- In scenarios where not every interaction requires the specialized knowledge of the second agent
When to Use “Forced Handover”
- For linear workflows with clear handoff points
- When you want to ensure every interaction passes through a specific sequence of agents
- For quality control processes where a second agent should always review the work
Creating Effective Agent Instructions
When using “Let agent decide,” the quality of your instructions in the “When to call this agent” field is crucial:
- Be specific about the conditions that should trigger delegation
- Include examples of scenarios where the second agent should be involved
- Define clear boundaries of responsibility between agents
Limitations
- Currently, only one-way communication is supported between agents
- Bidirectional communication (where agents can have back-and-forth conversations) is not yet available
Example Use Cases
Customer Support Triage
Connect a general support agent to specialized agents for technical, billing, or account issues. The first agent handles basic inquiries and delegates complex issues to specialists.
Content Creation Pipeline
Connect a content planning agent to a content writing agent, and then to a content editing agent, creating a streamlined production workflow.
Research and Analysis
Connect a data collection agent to an analysis agent, where the first agent gathers information and the second performs in-depth analysis of the collected data.
Troubleshooting
If your Agent to Agent configuration isn’t working as expected:
- Verify that the connection line is properly established between agents
- Check that your “When to call this agent” instructions are clear and specific
- Ensure that both agents have the necessary tools and permissions to complete their tasks
- Review the task history in the Workforce Task View to identify where the workflow might be breaking down
By effectively configuring Agent to Agent connections, you can create sophisticated AI workflows that leverage the specialized capabilities of different agents, resulting in more powerful and flexible automation solutions.