# Get started with the Visual Agent Builder (/visual-builder/sub-agents)

Create Agents with a No-Code Visual Agent Builder



## Overview

An Agent is the top-level entity you can chat and interact with in the Visual Builder.

An Agent is made up of one or more Sub Agents. The Sub Agents that make up an Agent can delegate or transfer control to each other, share context, or use tools to respond to a user or complete a task.

You can use the Visual Builder to add Sub Agents to an Agent, give Sub Agents tools, and connect Sub Agents with each other to establish their relationships.

## Creating your first Agent

<Video src="/videos/create-an-agent.mp4" />

1. Go to the Agents tab in the left sidebar. Then select "Create Agent".

2. Provide a name, prompt, and description.

### Agent Prompt

You can configure an Agent-level prompt that gets automatically added to all Sub Agents that make up the Agent. This provides consistent context and behavior guidelines so Sub Agents respond and act as one cohesive unit.

**Example uses:**

* Company-wide policies and tone guidelines
* Domain-specific context that applies to all sub-agents
* Consistent behavior rules across the sub-agent network

Once an Agent is created, you can always edit the prompt by:

1. Clicking on the **Agent Settings** button next to **Try it**
2. Modify your prompt in the "Agent Prompt" field
3. Click **Save**

## Default Sub Agent

When you create an Agent, it'll have a **Default Sub Agent** by default. This is the Sub Agent that first receives and processes a user message.

Configure its name and prompt, then click **Save**.

## Trying the Agent

To try the Agent, ensure it has at least one Sub Agent, then save the Agent by clicking the "Save changes" button in the top right corner.

Then, click the **Try it** button in the top right corner and type into the chat input.

<Video src="/videos/try-an-agent.mp4" />

## Adding tools

Tools are used to perform actions in the Agent. You can register MCP tools in the Visual Builder. See the [MCP Servers](/visual-builder/tools/mcp-servers) page to get started.

Once you have an MCP Server registered, you can add it to a Sub Agent by dragging and dropping the **MCP** block from the top left onto the Canvas.

To connect the tool to the Sub Agent, click the "+" icon at the top of the MCP block, then drag the connector to the Sub Agent. A line will appear, indicating that the tool is connected to the Sub Agent.

<Video src="/videos/add-tool-vb.mp4" />

<Note>
  To delete a tool, click on the tool box and then hit the backspace key.
</Note>

## Add other Sub Agents

When you have tasks that get more complex, you'll likely want to create more Sub Agents that are specialized in narrow tasks and have prompts and tools focused on their roles.

To create more Sub Agents:

1. Drag and drop a **Sub Agent** block from the top left toolbar onto the canvas.
2. Configure the Sub Agent with its own prompt and settings
3. Connect it to the parent Sub Agent by clicking the connector at the top of the Sub Agent box and dragging it to the main Sub Agent

When connected, a line will appear showing the relationship between the Sub Agents.

A few notes:

* To delete a Sub Agent, click on the Sub Agent box and then hit the backspace key.
* An Agent must have at least one Sub Agent. If you delete the default Sub Agent, add a new one before trying the Agent.

<Video src="/videos/add-sub-agent-vb.mp4" />

### Sub Agent configuration

The following are configurable options for the Sub Agent through the Visual Builder:

| Parameter             | Type   | Required | Description                                                                                                                                   |
| --------------------- | ------ | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `name`                | string | Yes      | Human-readable name for the Sub Agent                                                                                                         |
| `description`         | string | No       | Brief description of the Sub Agent's purpose and capabilities                                                                                 |
| `prompt`              | string | Yes      | Detailed behavior guidelines and system prompt for the Sub Agent                                                                              |
| `model`               | string | No       | AI model identifier (e.g., "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514"). Choose a model that you prefer                                              |
| `providerOptions`     | object | No       | Model-specific configuration options (temperature, maxOutputTokens, etc.)                                                                     |
| `Data components`     | object | No       | Data components that the Sub Agent can use. See [Data Components](/visual-builder/structured-outputs/data-components) for details             |
| `Artifact components` | array  | No       | Artifact components that the Sub Agent can use. See [Artifact Components](/visual-builder/structured-outputs/artifact-components) for details |

## Adding data components

Data components are used to render rich UI components directly in the chat. Before adding a data component, you will first need to create a data component. See the [Data Components](/visual-builder/structured-outputs/data-components) page for more information.

Then, add the data component to your Sub Agent by clicking the Sub Agent box and then selecting which data components you want to add.

## Adding artifact components

To create artifact components, see the [Artifact Components](/visual-builder/structured-outputs/artifact-components) page for details.

Add the artifact component to your Sub Agent by clicking on the Sub Agent box in the Agent, then selecting which artifact components you want to add.

When the Sub Agent uses tools or delegates to other Sub Agents, artifacts will be automatically created according to your defined schema, capturing the source and content of each interaction.

## Adding team agents

Team agents are agents that are part of the same project. You can add team agents to your Agent by dragging and dropping the **Team Agent** block from the top left onto the Canvas.
You can configure custom headers to send on every request to the team agent by clicking on the team agent box and then populating the **Headers** field with your custom headers.

## Adding external agents

External agents let you integrate agents built outside of Inkeep (using other frameworks or platforms) into your Agent.
You can add an external agent to your Agent by dragging and dropping the **External Agent** block from the top left onto the Canvas.

You can configure custom headers to send on every request to the external agent by clicking on the external agent box and then populating the **Headers** field with your custom headers.