Two ways to build an agent
Start from the + New agent button at the top of the AI Agents page. You’ll choose one of two paths:AI SDR Builder
A guided seven-step wizard. Name your SDR, define her audience, set her voice and channels, pick a playbook, configure guardrails, and launch — Sally writes and sends on your behalf.
Automation Builder
Full manual control. Design any cadence in Plain English or Flow mode with per-step prompts, condition branches, delays, and persona-level customization.
How to create a new agent
1
Open AI Agents
From the sidebar, navigate to AI Agents. Your full agent grid loads, showing every agent your team has built.
2
Click + New agent
Click the + New agent button in the top-right corner of the page. If you haven’t built anything yet, you’ll also see a shortcut in the empty-state card.
3
Pick your builder
Choose AI SDR to open the guided wizard, or Automation to open the manual cadence editor.
4
Build and launch
Complete the builder steps and click Launch (AI SDR) or Activate (Automation). Your new agent appears on the AI Agents grid immediately, ready to start.
If the grid is empty and you haven’t built any agents yet, you’ll see a “No agents yet” card with a direct shortcut to create your first one. If you have agents but a filter is hiding them, you’ll see “No agents match your filters” alongside a Clear filters button.
Understanding agent cards
Each agent appears as a card showing everything you need at a glance. Here’s what each element means:Status badges
Active — the agent is running
Active — the agent is running
The agent is live and working through its cadence. It’s actively enrolling leads, sending messages, and advancing prospects through steps according to its schedule.
Paused — temporarily stopped
Paused — temporarily stopped
The agent has been paused. No leads advance and no messages are sent, but all enrolled prospects and progress are preserved. Resume any time to pick up exactly where it left off.
Draft — built but not yet launched
Draft — built but not yet launched
The agent was saved without being activated. Nothing has been sent. Open the Builder to finish configuring it, then launch when ready.
Completed — the run is finished
Completed — the run is finished
The agent has finished working through all enrolled prospects and their cadence steps. Review its results in the Overview tab.
Failed — an error stopped the run
Failed — an error stopped the run
The agent hit an error it couldn’t recover from. Open the agent’s Activity tab for the full log, address the issue, and restart.
Type badges
Outbound — proactive campaigns
Outbound — proactive campaigns
The agent initiates contact. AI SDRs, email and LinkedIn cadences, and prospector-sourced sequences are all Outbound. Salestools detects this type automatically based on how the agent is configured.
Inbound — reply and response handling
Inbound — reply and response handling
The agent responds to incoming messages and replies. Inbound agents handle conversations triggered by a prospect reaching out first.
Event — signal-triggered outreach
Event — signal-triggered outreach
The agent fires when a real-world signal occurs — a website visit, an intent spike, a hiring event, or a news mention. Event agents only reach out when triggered, not on a fixed schedule.
Run modes
Every agent operates in one of three modes, set when you build it:Filtering and finding agents
Use the controls at the top of the AI Agents grid to narrow the list:- Status toggles — filter by All, Active, Paused, or Draft, each showing a live count.
- Type toggles — filter by All types, Outbound, Inbound, or Event.
- Search — type an agent name to find it instantly.
- Sort — order by Recently updated, Name (A–Z), or Status.
Related
AI SDR Builder
Set up a persona, voice, channels, and playbook so Sally can write and send for you.
Automation Builder
Design a custom cadence with per-step prompts, personas, delays, and condition branches.
Managing Agents
Start, pause, edit, and monitor your agents and their enrolled leads.