An agent is an AI assistant with standing instructions for one job. Start from a template, or create your own agent for a job your team does often, like prepping for store openings or keeping certifications current.
As an Admin, you'll find agents in the Agents section of the left navigation. Any agent you add is shared with every other Admin in your business.
➡️ New to agents? Start with Opus Agents Overview.
Table of Contents:
Where to Find Agents
Agents are in the Agents section of the left navigation:
Primary Agent is always the first row.
Your business's agents are listed below it. Every Admin sees the same agents.
To add an agent, hover over the left navigation to expand it, then click + (New agent) next to Agents. The Agent gallery opens.
To edit or archive an agent, hover over it and click its … menu, or click the agent's name at the top of its chat.
Archived agents are under Archived (N) below the list. Click it to show or hide them.
Click an agent to open its chat in a panel that slides out beside the page you're on, so you can keep working. You can resize the panel, and click Close to hide it. Going to dashboard.opus.so/agents opens Home with your first agent's chat.
Add an Agent from a Template
Templates are the quickest way to get started. Each one comes with instructions and suggested questions already written for a common job, so you can start chatting right away. Follow these steps:
Hover over the left navigation to expand it, then click + (New agent) next to Agents. The Agent gallery opens.
Browse the templates, grouped under People, Content, Operations, and Get more from Opus.
Click Add on the template you want. The gallery closes, the agent is added to your Agents list, and its chat opens.
Edit the agent's instructions to fit your business at any time. Learn how in Edit or Archive an Agent. For a description of every template, see Opus Agents Overview.
Create an Agent from Scratch
If no template fits the job, create your own agent. Follow these steps:
Hover over the left navigation to expand it, then click + (New agent) next to Agents.
In the Agent gallery, click Create from scratch. The New agent dialog opens.
Enter a Name, like Compliance Auditor.
Enter the agent's Instructions. These tell the agent what to focus on. See Write Good Instructions for tips.
Optional: enter Suggested questions, one per line. They appear as starter questions in an empty chat with the agent.
Optional: turn on Run on a schedule to have the agent do a job on its own. Learn how in Run an Agent on a Schedule.
Click Create. The agent is added to your Agents list, and its chat opens.
A new agent starts with a bot in a random color. To change it, use Avatar in the dialog: pick a color, click Upload image, or click Generate image, describe the picture, and click Generate.
Generating an image uses Opus AI credits.
Write Good Instructions
Write instructions in plain language, the same way you'd brief a new team member on a project. Good instructions cover three things:
Say what the job is: "Help Admins prepare Locations for a health inspection."
Say who it's for and what matters: Roles, Locations, content, or reports to focus on.
Say what a good answer looks like: a short list, a table by Location, or a draft for review.
An agent's instructions are added to what Ask Opus already knows. The AI Assist details on your Settings › Brand page, like your rules for AI-written content, apply to every agent, so you don't need to repeat them.
Opus checks every set of instructions before saving to keep your agents safe. If you see "These instructions look like a prompt injection," the text looks like an attempt to trick the AI. Remove any requests to ignore rules, reveal hidden instructions, or bypass safeguards.
🎯 Example: "Each week, find team members at any Location who are past due on compliance training. Group them by Location, list the training they're missing, and suggest the fastest way to close the gap."
💡 Talk it through: Click the microphone in the Instructions field to dictate your instructions, then edit the text.
Run an Agent on a Schedule
Have an agent do a recurring job, like a morning summary or an overdue training check, without asking it each time. Follow these steps:
In the left navigation, hover over the agent, click its … menu, and select Edit. For a new agent, use the New agent dialog.
Turn on Run on a schedule.
Choose how often: Every day, Weekdays, Weekly, or Monthly. For Weekly, pick the day of the week, and for Monthly, the Day of month.
Set the Time.
In What should it do each run?, describe the job, like "Check overnight compliance and summarize what is overdue."
Click Save, or Create for a new agent.
An agent runs at most once a day, in your business's time zone. Each run acts as you and posts its answer in your chat with that agent.
Each agent has one schedule. If another Admin set it up and you change it, it runs as you from then on.
To stop the schedule, turn off Run on a schedule and click Save.
Edit or Archive an Agent
Update an agent whenever the job changes, or archive one you no longer use. Follow these steps:
In the left navigation, hover over the agent and click its … menu.
Select Edit to change its name, avatar, instructions, suggested questions, or schedule in the Edit agent dialog, then click Save. Or select Archive, then click Archive again to confirm.
Archiving removes the agent from the Agents list for every Admin. Its chat is kept, and you can bring it back at any time.
To unarchive an agent, click Archived (N) below your agents, open the agent's … menu, and select Unarchive. You can also click Unarchive in the archived agent's chat header.
FAQ
Can other Admins edit agents I create?
Yes. Agents are shared across your business, so any Admin can use, edit, or archive any agent.
Can I delete an agent?
No. Archive agents you no longer need. You can unarchive them later.
Can I choose an agent's picture?
Yes. In the New agent or Edit agent dialog, use Avatar to pick a color for the agent's bot, upload an image, or generate one with Opus AI.
Can I choose which tools or data an agent uses?
No. Every agent can use the same data and tools, and only what you can access in Opus. Its instructions decide what it focuses on. Learn more: What Opus Agents Can See and Change: what agents can access, change, and ask approval for.
If another Admin edits an agent, does my chat change?
No. Your chat history stays the same and private, but the agent follows its updated instructions from then on.