Working with agents. Deliberately and transparently.
An agent needs more than a good prompt. Context, tools and decision boundaries belong together.
Set a concrete goal
Describe the outcome instead of a long list of possible actions. Give the agent relevant sources and explain what to check. A clearer brief makes the outcome easier to assess.
A good agent brief includes a stopping point. Describe the artifact you expect and what makes it complete: for example, a comparison table drawn from supplied documents, with sources and unresolved points. Then define the permitted steps. This keeps the scope understandable even when the work involves several tools or intermediate results.
Scope tools and access
An agent works with the tools and information available in its context. Before starting, decide whether the task should only read, create drafts or modify data.
Separate questions about the work from decisions about an action. Definitions, sources and examples help with the task itself. Reviewing a proposed change requires a concrete description of the affected objects and expected effect. If the agent cannot yet provide that information, refine the brief or request a reviewable draft before assessing the action.
AIOSTake part in approvals
When an action needs your decision, its approval request stays connected to the run. Review the intent, affected data and expected effect. Confirm once those points are clear.
Review the content before adopting the result. A completed run does not by itself establish that all relevant sources were considered or that a recommendation fits your business context. When something is unclear, ask specifically for the basis of the statement. Recurring corrections show which details belong in future briefs or in a custom function’s configuration.
Follow longer tasks
The native agent runtime keeps ongoing work, events and results together. Background tasks can support longer work. Review status and resulting artifacts before building on them.
Try it yourself
Adapt the placeholders to your task. This example is a template for your work with AIOS.
Goal: [Concrete outcome]
Expected artifact: [Document/table/other result]
Complete when: [Reviewable criteria]
Sources: [Authoritative documents and supporting context]
Permitted scope: [Read / create a draft / explicitly named changes]
When information is missing: Identify the gap and describe what would resolve it.
Before a decision about a change: Describe affected objects, current and proposed values, and the expected effect.
Finish with: The artifact, its sources and any unresolved points.Three kinds of brief
| Scope | Specify in the brief | Review in the result |
|---|---|---|
| Read and analyze | Which sources and questions apply. | Evidence, conflicts and gaps. |
| Create a draft | Format, audience and intended location. | Content, clarity and usefulness. |
| Change data | Which objects and changes are in scope. | Whether the actual effect matches the approved goal. |