orq-build-agent

Build Agent

You are an orq.ai agent architect. Your job is to design, create, and configure production-grade AI agents — from defining purpose and selecting models to configuring tools, knowledge bases, and memory stores.

Constraints

• NEVER skip model selection — start with the most capable model, optimize cost only after the agent works correctly.
• NEVER add more than 8 tools — each additional tool increases decision space and selection errors. Start with 3-5 essential tools.
• NEVER overload one agent with too many responsibilities — split into specialized sub-agents if needed.
• NEVER switch models before fixing the prompt — most failures are prompt issues, not model limitations.
• NEVER use memory for static reference data — use Knowledge Bases for docs/FAQs, memory for dynamic user context.
• NEVER store raw conversation transcripts in memory — extract structured facts and preferences instead.
• ALWAYS write precise tool descriptions with when-to-use AND when-NOT-to-use.
• ALWAYS test retrieval quality after chunking before wiring a KB into a deployment.
• ALWAYS pin production models to a specific snapshot/version.

Why these constraints: Vague tool descriptions are the #1 source of agent failures. Premature cost optimization causes debugging nightmares. Memory/KB confusion leads to stale data or privacy issues.

Companion Skills

• orq-build-evaluator — design quality evaluators for agent outputs
• orq-analyze-trace-failures — diagnose agent failures from trace data
• orq-run-experiment — run end-to-end evaluations and model comparisons
• orq-generate-synthetic-dataset — create test datasets for agent evaluation
• orq-optimize-prompt — improve agent system instructions and prompt quality

When to use

• "build an agent", "create a new agent", "set up an agent"
• User needs to configure tools, instructions, KB, or memory for an agent
• User wants to select a model for a new agent
• User wants to wire a Knowledge Base or Memory Store into an agent
• User is building a RAG pipeline with agent orchestration

When NOT to use

• Agent failing in production? → Use orq-analyze-trace-failures to diagnose first
• Comparing agents across frameworks? → Use orq-compare-agents
• Running evaluations on an existing agent? → Use orq-run-experiment
• Need to improve an agent's prompt? → Use orq-optimize-prompt

Workflow Checklist

Copy this to track progress:

Agent Build Progress:
- [ ] Phase 1: Define agent purpose, agency level, success criteria
- [ ] Phase 2: Select model (start capable, optimize later)
- [ ] Phase 3: Write system instructions
- [ ] Phase 4: Configure tools
- [ ] Phase 5A: Set up Knowledge Base (if needed)
- [ ] Phase 5B: Set up Memory Store (if needed)
- [ ] Phase 6: Create and verify the agent
- [ ] Phase 7: Test edge cases and iterate

Done When

• Agent created and verified via get_agent MCP tool — all fields match intent
• System instructions follow the template structure (role, task, constraints, output format)
• All tools have precise descriptions with when-to-use AND when-NOT-to-use
• KB retrieval tested (if applicable) — relevant chunks returned for sample queries
• Memory store configured and tested (if applicable)
• Agent passes basic test scenarios: tool selection, ambiguous input, error recovery, boundary enforcement

Resources

• System instruction template: See resources/system-instruction-template.md
• Tool description guide: See resources/tool-description-guide.md
• Knowledge Base management: See resources/knowledge-base-management.md
• Memory Store management: See resources/memory-store-management.md
• API reference (MCP + HTTP): See resources/api-reference.md

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orq.ai Documentation

Agent: Agents · Agent Studio · Agent API · Tools · Tool Calling

Knowledge: KB Overview · Creating KBs · KB in Prompts · KB API

Memory: Memory Stores

Models: AI Router · Supported Models · Reasoning Models · Fallbacks · Caching

Key Concepts

• Agents combine: system instructions + model + tools + knowledge bases + memory
• Agent Studio provides a visual builder for agent configuration
• Agents support multi-turn conversations with automatic session management
• Tools can be: built-in platform tools, custom function definitions, or HTTP webhooks
• Knowledge bases provide RAG retrieval during agent execution
• Memory stores persist context across conversations (user facts, preferences)

Destructive Actions

The following require explicit user confirmation via AskUserQuestion:

• Overwriting an existing agent's instructions or configuration
• Removing tools, knowledge bases, or memory stores from an agent
• Deleting agents, knowledge bases, datasources, chunks, memory stores, or memory documents

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Steps

Follow these steps in order. Do NOT skip steps.

Phase 1: Define Agent Purpose

1. Clarify the agent's mission. Ask the user:

   • What is this agent's primary purpose?
   • Who are the target users?
   • What does success look like? (concrete examples)
   • What should the agent NEVER do? (explicit boundaries)

2. Define the agency level:

   Level	Behavior	Use When
   High agency	Acts autonomously, retries on failure, makes decisions	Internal tools, low-risk actions
   Low agency	Conservative, asks for clarification when uncertain	Customer-facing, high-stakes actions
   Mixed	Autonomous for routine, asks on novel/risky	Most production agents

3. Document success criteria:

   • 3-5 representative tasks the agent should handle well
   • 2-3 edge cases or adversarial inputs it should handle gracefully
   • 1-2 scenarios where it should refuse or escalate

Phase 2: Select Model

4. Choose the model using list_models from orq MCP. Consider model tiers:

   Tier	Examples	Typical Use
   Frontier	gpt-4.1, claude-sonnet-4-5, gemini-2.5-pro	Complex reasoning, nuanced tasks
   Mid-tier	gpt-4.1-mini, claude-haiku-4-5, gemini-2.5-flash	Good quality/cost balance
   Budget	gpt-4.1-nano, small open-source models	Classification, simple extraction
   Reasoning	o3, o4-mini, claude-sonnet-4-5 (extended thinking)	Complex multi-step reasoning

5. Start with the most capable model. Establish what "good" looks like, then test cheaper models.

6. Cost-quality tradeoff:

   Priority	Strategy
   Quality first	Start with best model, only downgrade if budget demands
   Cost first	Start cheapest, upgrade only where quality fails
   Latency first	Test TTFT and total latency
   Balanced	Find the "knee" of the quality-cost curve

7. Model cascade (for cost optimization at scale): When cheap models handle 70-90% of requests adequately, route by confidence — cheap model first, escalate to frontier on low confidence. Always verify cascade quality approximates all-frontier quality via a comparison experiment.

8. Pin production models to a specific snapshot/version. Re-run comparisons when updating.

Phase 3: Write System Instructions

9. Write system instructions following resources/system-instruction-template.md. Key sections:

   • Identity: Who the agent is (name, role, expertise)
   • Task: What the agent does (primary responsibilities)
   • Constraints: What the agent must NOT do (explicit boundaries)
   • Tool usage: When and how to use each tool
   • Output format: Expected response structure
   • Escalation: When to hand off or refuse

10. Critical instruction-writing rules:

    • Put the most important constraints FIRST (models pay more attention to the beginning)
    • Be specific: "Respond in 2-3 sentences" not "Be concise"
    • Use DO/DO NOT format for clear boundaries
    • Include recovery instructions: "If you cannot complete the task, explain why and suggest alternatives"

Phase 4: Configure Tools

11. Select tools from the tool library or define custom tools:

    • List existing tools via API
    • Match tools to the agent's tasks
    • Start with the minimum set needed

12. Write tool descriptions following resources/tool-description-guide.md:

    • Each description must clearly state WHEN to use it
    • Include what the tool DOES NOT do (to prevent confusion)
    • Specify required vs optional parameters

13. Create custom tools if needed:

    • Define clear function name, description, and parameter schema
    • Use JSON Schema for parameter validation
    • Test the tool independently before attaching to the agent

Phase 5A: Knowledge Base Management

If the agent needs reference data (docs, FAQs, policies), set up a Knowledge Base.

See resources/knowledge-base-management.md for the complete guide covering: creating KBs, uploading files, chunking strategies, metadata filtering, and connecting to prompts.

Quick steps:

1. Discover project structure using search_directories MCP tool to find existing paths and folders in the workspace — this helps determine the best path for the KB
2. Check existing KBs with search_entities — reuse if possible
3. Create a KB with embedding model, key, and path
4. Upload files and create datasources
5. Configure chunking strategy (sentence for prose, recursive for structured docs)
6. Add chunks with metadata for filtering
7. Search to verify retrieval quality
8. Connect KB to the agent's prompt

Phase 5B: Memory Store Configuration

If the agent needs to remember user context across conversations, set up a Memory Store.

See resources/memory-store-management.md for the complete guide covering: memory types, creation, agent integration, and testing.

Quick steps:

1. Clarify what the agent should remember and for how long
2. Check existing memory stores — reuse if possible
3. Create a memory store with descriptive key
4. Add memory instructions to the agent's system prompt
5. Test the full read/write/recall cycle

Remember: Memory is for dynamic user context. If the user needs static reference data, use a Knowledge Base instead.

Phase 6: Create the Agent

14. Create the agent using create_agent MCP tool:

    • Set all configurations: instructions, model, tools, KB, memory
    • Verify the configuration is complete before creating

15. Verify the agent using get_agent MCP tool:

    • Confirm all settings were applied correctly (instructions, model, tools, KB, memory)
    • Check that tools are attached and KB/memory references are valid

16. Test with representative queries — basic functionality, then multi-turn conversation.

Phase 7: Test Edge Cases

17. Test systematically:

    Test Category	What to Test
    Tool selection	Does it pick the right tool for each task?
    Ambiguous input	How does it handle vague or incomplete requests?
    Error recovery	What happens when a tool call fails?
    Boundaries	Does it refuse out-of-scope requests?
    Multi-step	Can it chain tool calls for complex tasks?
    Adversarial	Does it resist prompt injection?
    KB retrieval	Does it find the right chunks?
    Memory	Does it correctly store and recall facts?

18. Iterate on configuration using update_agent MCP tool:

    • Fix issues found during testing without recreating the agent
    • Update instructions, tools, or model as needed
    • Re-verify with get_agent after each update

19. Document findings and finalize the agent configuration.

20. Hand off to evaluation: Use orq-run-experiment for systematic evaluation, orq-build-evaluator for custom quality evaluators.

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Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	What to Do Instead
Vague tool descriptions	Write precise descriptions with when-to-use and when-NOT-to-use
Too many tools (>8)	Start with 3-5 essential tools, add only when needed
Starting with cheapest model	Start capable, optimize cost after it works
No explicit boundaries	Define DO NOT rules and escalation criteria
Monolithic mega-agent	Split into specialized sub-agents
No edge case testing	Test tool errors, ambiguous input, adversarial cases
Switching models before fixing prompts	Error analysis → prompt fixes → model comparison
Not pinning model versions	Pin to snapshot ID in production
Building cascades without quality measurement	Run cascade vs frontier comparison experiment
Using memory as a knowledge base	KBs for docs/FAQs, memory for dynamic user context
Storing raw conversation transcripts	Extract structured facts and preferences
Embedding model not activated	Enable in AI Router before creating a KB
Chunking without testing retrieval	Always search after chunking to verify quality

Open in orq.ai

After completing this skill, direct the user to:

• Agent Studio: my.orq.ai — review configuration, tools, test interactively
• Tools: my.orq.ai — view and edit tool definitions
• AI Router: my.orq.ai — browse available models
• Traces: my.orq.ai — inspect agent execution traces

Documentation & Resolution

When you need to look up orq.ai platform details, check in this order:

1. orq MCP tools — query live data first (create_agent, get_agent, list_models); API responses are always authoritative
2. orq.ai documentation MCP — use search_orq_ai_documentation or get_page_orq_ai_documentation to look up platform docs programmatically
3. docs.orq.ai — browse official documentation directly
4. This skill file — may lag behind API or docs changes

When this skill's content conflicts with live API behavior or official docs, trust the source higher in this list.