Instructions
Instructions are the prompt that shapes how your agent behaves and what it produces. Write them in plain language, Focus on outcomes rather than steps. Describe what a good result looks like — not every action the agent should take to get there. Example:Every Monday, summarize new data added to the Support channel over the past week. Group findings by theme, lead with the most urgent issue, and include a direct quote for each theme.
Persona
Add an optional persona to shape tone and style — for example, “Concise analyst” or “Friendly researcher.” It’s a short phrase that gets added to the agent’s system prompt. It doesn’t change what the agent does, only how it communicates.Skills
Skills are Dovetail docs or insights you attach to an agent to give it knowledge it can’t derive from instructions alone. When the agent runs, the full content of each linked skill is injected into its context. How teams use this:- Templates—a standard format the agent should follow when writing summaries or reports
- Reference data—a tag taxonomy, list of product areas, or internal glossary
- Examples—sample outputs that show the quality and style you expect
- Background context—information about your product, team, or a specific initiative the agent needs to understand
Triggers
A trigger defines when your agent runs. Choose the mode that fits how the work actually happens.| Trigger | When the agent runs |
|---|---|
| On-demand | Only when you manually trigger it from the agent page |
| Scheduled | On a recurring cadence |
| Dovetail events | Specific Dovetail events trigger an agent |
| External events | When an event arrives from a connected external system via webhook |
| Digital twin | Continuously, as a listener that responds to interactions directed at it through chat |
Dovetail tools
Dovetail tools are the actions an agent can perform inside your workspace. All tools are enabled by default — you can disable individual tools or entire categories to limit what any given agent can do.| Category | Available actions |
|---|---|
| Projects | Create, rename, and delete projects; add data; create highlights; attach audio or video; add utterances to transcripts; create tags |
| Docs | Create, update, and delete docs; add and resolve comments |
| Channels | Create and delete channels; create and update topics; add data points |
| Workspace | Create, rename, and delete folders; create, update, and delete contacts and fields |
| Agents | Create new agents programmatically during a run |
External connectors
External connectors give agents access to tools outside Dovetail using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Once a service is connected, an agent can read from and write to it during a run or when invoked in chat.Supported connectors
Connectors are configured per agent.Web search
Toggle web search on to let your agent query the public web during a run. Useful when the agent needs current information that isn’t in your Dovetail workspace — competitor releases, industry benchmarks, or recent coverage tied to a trend in your data.Connecting a service
- Go to the Connectors section on your agent.
- Select the service you want to add.
- Complete the authorization flow.
Get started
- Open Agents from your sidebar and select Create agent.
- Give the agent a name and write its instructions. Add a persona if you want to shape its tone.
- Attach skills—any doc or insight that gives the agent useful context or a template to follow.
- Set an agent type: Digital twin, on-demand, scheduled, Dovetail event, external webhook.
- Enable external connectors if the agent needs to reach outside Dovetail.
- Review Dovetail tools and disable any the agent doesn’t need.
- Click run now to trigger the agent and commence the configuration and flow.
- Save the configuration.