Agent
Autonomous agent that uses tools to accomplish goals.
Destructive action
An Agent enabled with high-blast-radius tools (Run Script, Write File, Apple Notes write, Apple Reminders write) decides for itself when to invoke them based on the goal and incoming payload — including indirect prompt injection through templated inputs. Enable destructive tools only when the goal genuinely requires them. Workflows that enable any destructive agent tool prompt for confirmation on every arm.
Description
The Agent node goes beyond simple prompting — it creates an autonomous agent that reasons, plans, and uses tools iteratively to accomplish complex goals. The agent loops through thinking, tool use, and observation cycles until it reaches a solution or hits its configured limits.
Use it for tasks that require multiple steps, external data gathering, or adaptive decision-making that a single prompt cannot handle.
How It Works
-
1
Think — The agent analyzes the goal and current context, deciding what action to take next.
-
2
Act — The agent calls a tool (run a script, make an API request, read a file, etc.).
-
3
Observe — The agent reads the tool output and incorporates it into its reasoning.
-
4
Repeat — Steps 1–3 continue until the goal is achieved or limits are reached.
-
5
Verify — If enabled, the agent reviews its own result before completing.
Ports
Configuration
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
goal |
textarea | — | Task description with {{variable}} references to payload data. |
systemPrompt |
textarea | — | Agent persona and constraints. Optional. |
provider |
provider picker | — | AI provider to use (configured in Settings). |
model |
model picker | — | Model selection. Available models depend on the selected provider. |
temperature |
number | 0.7 |
Controls response randomness. |
maxIterations |
number | 10 |
Maximum number of think/act/observe reasoning iterations. |
tokenBudget |
number | 0 |
Maximum total tokens across all iterations. Set to 0 for unlimited. |
verify |
boolean | true |
When enabled, the agent verifies its result before completing. |
verificationPrompt |
textarea | — | Custom verification prompt. Visible when verify is enabled. Optional. |
Output Payload
The Agent node adds the following variables to the payload:
{
"result": "The agent's final answer or output",
"steps": 4,
"tokens_used": 3842,
"tools_called": ["run_script", "api_request"],
"trace": [
{ "type": "think", "content": "I need to fetch the latest posts..." },
{ "type": "tool", "name": "api_request", "input": "..." },
{ "type": "observe", "content": "Got 30 posts from the API..." },
{ "type": "result", "content": "Here are the top 3 posts..." }
]
}
Example Workflow
A scheduled workflow that uses an agent to gather and summarize information, then saves the result to a file:
The Schedule trigger fires daily. The Agent receives the goal and autonomously fetches data, analyzes it, and produces a summary. The Write File action saves the result.
Tips
-
Use the
systemPromptto constrain the agent's behavior and focus its tool use on relevant actions. -
Set a
tokenBudgetto prevent runaway costs when using cloud providers. -
Keep
verifyenabled for important workflows — it catches cases where the agent thinks it succeeded but the result is incomplete. -
The
traceoutput is useful for debugging agent behavior and understanding its reasoning process.