> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.elementum.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Agents Overview

> What Elementum agents are, what they can do, and where they fit in your business processes

Agents are conversational AI components that operate within your apps. Unlike one-shot AI actions in automations, agents maintain context across a conversation, use tools to read and write data, and follow policies you define.

A first-line support assistant is a typical starting point, but the same patterns apply to onboarding, sales qualification, request intake, or any process where a guided conversation speeds up routine work.

## What agents can do

* **Tools and data access** — Agents can query Elements, update records, trigger automations, and call external APIs.
* **Skills** — Modular, reusable capabilities that agents discover and execute at runtime.
* **Starting actions** — Pre-configured action chips that guide users toward common tasks without typing.
* **Multi-channel deployment** — Run agents in your Elementum app, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or over the phone via Twilio.
* **Multi-agent coordination** — Agents communicate using the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol to hand off tasks and share context across workflows.

## How agents fit with the rest of AI in Elementum

Agents sit on top of the same provider and AI service layer as the rest of the platform. Before you build an agent, make sure you have:

1. At least one configured [AI provider](/ai-agents/ai-overview#ai-providers).
2. An [LLM service](/ai-agents/ai-services) the agent can use as its model.
3. (Optional) An [embedding service](/ai-agents/ai-services) if you want the agent to perform [AI Search](/ai-agents/ai-search) over your records.

Once those prerequisites are in place, the rest of the **Build agents** group walks through creating, configuring, and deploying an agent end-to-end.

## Where to go next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Building Agents" icon="robot" href="/ai-agents/agents-experience">
    Create, configure, and test agents in your apps
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agent tools and deployment" icon="microchip" href="/ai-agents/agents-tools-and-deployment">
    Tool types, deployment options, and external agents via App Intelligence
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agent Skills" icon="puzzle-piece" href="/ai-agents/agents-skills">
    Define reusable skill modules that agents discover and execute at runtime
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agent Starting Actions" icon="mouse-pointer-click" href="/ai-agents/agents-starting-actions">
    Add clickable prompt chips that guide users toward common tasks
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agent Gateways" icon="door-open" href="/ai-agents/agent-gateways">
    Create a unified org-wide entry point that routes requests to the right agent
  </Card>

  <Card title="Architecture and A2A protocol" icon="network" href="/ai-agents/agents-a2a-protocol">
    Internal component model, A2A discovery, authentication, streaming, and multi-turn conversations
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Deploy agents to channels

Agents can operate beyond the Elementum interface. Connect them to the communication channels your teams already use, or trigger agent conversations directly from automation workflows.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Microsoft Teams" icon="message-square" href="/ai-agents/agents-teams-integration">
    Run agents as bots in Teams conversations
  </Card>

  <Card title="Slack" icon="hash" href="/ai-agents/agents-slack-integration">
    Deploy agents in Slack channels for team collaboration
  </Card>

  <Card title="Phone (Twilio)" icon="phone" href="/ai-agents/agents-phone-integration">
    Enable voice conversations with agents over the phone
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agent Tasks in Automations" icon="list-checks" href="/workflows/agent-task-automation">
    Trigger agent interactions from automation workflows
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## External agents

In addition to building agents inside Elementum, you can connect specialized agents that run on external platforms. These external agents are configured at the App level through Intelligence settings and invoked from automations via the AI Provider you connected.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Snowflake Cortex Agents" icon="snowflake" href="/ai-agents/snowflake-cortex-agents-setup">
    Use Cortex Agents that run on your Snowflake data warehouse
  </Card>

  <Card title="AWS Bedrock Agents" icon="aws" href="/ai-agents/bedrock-agents-setup">
    Invoke Bedrock Agents hosted in your own AWS account
  </Card>
</CardGroup>