Specialists

Specialists are intent-aware, tool-enabled helpers that agents can invoke for specific tasks. They're defined once at the identity level and can be used by any agent.

What are Specialists?

Specialists are:

  • Intent-scoped helpers: Handle specific types of tasks
  • Tool-enabled: Have access to specific tools and APIs
  • Reusable: Defined once, used by many agents
  • Focused: Each specialist handles a specific domain

Think of specialists as "sub-experts" that agents call when they need specialized help.

How Specialists Work

1. Defined at Identity Level

Specialists are created in Settings → Specialists:

  • One definition for the entire identity
  • Available to all agents in that identity
  • Centralized management of specialists

2. Selected by Agents

Agents choose which specialists they can use:

  • Allow list: Which specialists this agent can invoke
  • Priority order: Which specialist to try first
  • Intent mapping: Map intents to specialists
  • Auto-selection: Let system choose based on intent

3. Invoked When Needed

When an agent needs specialized help:

  • Detects intent: Recognizes need for specialist
  • Selects specialist: Chooses appropriate specialist
  • Invokes specialist: Calls specialist with context
  • Returns result: Specialist provides answer or action

Creating Specialists

Step 1: Go to Settings

  1. Go to Settings → Specialists
  2. Click "Add Specialist"
  3. Fill in specialist details

Step 2: Define Specialist

Name

  • Display name for the specialist
  • Example: "Scheduling Specialist", "Billing Specialist"

Summary

  • Brief description of what the specialist does
  • Example: "Handles scheduling requests and calendar management"

Intents Covered

  • What types of tasks this specialist handles
  • Examples: "scheduling", "billing", "refunds", "legal intake"

Step 3: Configure Guidance

System Guidance

  • Instructions for the specialist
  • How to approach tasks
  • What to consider
  • Example: "Always confirm availability before scheduling"

Agent Guidance

  • How agents should use this specialist
  • When to invoke it
  • What context to provide
  • Example: "Use for all scheduling-related requests"

Safety Notes

  • Important safety considerations
  • Things to watch out for
  • Example: "Never schedule without confirming timezone"

Step 4: Set Up Tools

Allowed Tools

  • Which tools the specialist can use
  • Examples: calendar.write, stripe.refund.create, http:api.hubspot.com

Tool Parameters

  • Configuration for each tool
  • Limits and constraints
  • Example: Calendar write access, but read-only for billing

Quotas & Limits

  • Rate limits: Requests per minute
  • Burst limits: Maximum concurrent requests
  • Daily limits: Total requests per day

Allowed Hosts

  • For HTTP tools: Which domains can be accessed
  • Security: Prevents unauthorized API calls
  • Example: api.stripe.com, api.hubspot.com

Write Scopes

  • What the specialist can modify
  • Read-only vs. write access
  • Example: Can read calendar, but only write with approval

Step 5: Privacy Boundaries

In/Out Data Classes

  • What data can be sent to specialist
  • What data can be returned
  • Example: Can send email content, but not full customer records

Redaction Requirements

  • What to redact before sending
  • PII handling rules
  • Example: Redact credit card numbers

Step 6: Save Specialist

  1. Review configuration
  2. Click "Save"
  3. Specialist is now available to all agents

Using Specialists in Agents

Step 1: Enable Specialists

  1. Go to Agent Config → Specialists
  2. Toggle "Use Specialists" (if available)
  3. Select allowed specialists

Step 2: Configure Selection

Allowed Specialists

  • Check which specialists this agent can use
  • Only checked specialists can be invoked
  • Example: Scheduling Specialist, Billing Specialist

Priority Order

  • Drag to reorder specialists
  • Agent tries first specialist, then next if unavailable
  • Example: Scheduling → Billing → Legal

Intent Mapping

  • Map specific intents to specialists
  • Example: "scheduling" → Scheduling Specialist
  • Use regex or tags for matching

Auto-Selection

  • Toggle to let system choose specialist
  • Agent analyzes intent and selects appropriate specialist
  • Fallback to manual selection if needed

Failover

  • Toggle to try next specialist if first unavailable
  • Ensures requests are handled even if specialist is down
  • Follows priority order

Step 3: Set Limits (Optional)

Per-Specialist Limits

  • Set limits for specific specialists
  • Example: Billing Specialist: 30 requests/minute, 500/day
  • Prevents overuse of expensive specialists

Specialist Examples

Scheduling Specialist

Purpose: Handle scheduling requests

Intents: "scheduling", "meeting", "appointment", "calendar"

Tools: calendar.read, calendar.write, calendar.availability

Guidance: "Always confirm timezone, check availability, send confirmation"

Use Case: Agent receives "Can we schedule a meeting?" → Invokes Scheduling Specialist

Billing Specialist

Purpose: Handle billing inquiries and operations

Intents: "billing", "payment", "invoice", "refund"

Tools: stripe.customer.read, stripe.refund.create (with approval)

Guidance: "Never process refunds without approval, always confirm amounts"

Use Case: Agent receives billing question → Invokes Billing Specialist

Legal Intake Specialist

Purpose: Handle legal inquiries and intake

Intents: "legal", "contract", "dispute", "compliance"

Tools: http:legal-api.com (read-only)

Guidance: "Always escalate to human, never provide legal advice"

Use Case: Agent detects legal topic → Invokes Legal Intake Specialist → Always escalates

Best Practices

Create Focused Specialists

  • One specialist per domain
  • Keep specialists focused and specialized
  • Avoid "do everything" specialists
  • Better results from specialization

Document Clearly

  • Clear name and summary
  • List all intents covered
  • Document tool usage
  • Note safety considerations

Set Appropriate Limits

  • Prevent overuse of expensive specialists
  • Set rate limits for API calls
  • Monitor specialist usage
  • Adjust limits as needed

Test Thoroughly

  • Test specialist with various intents
  • Verify tool access works
  • Check privacy boundaries
  • Ensure safety rules are followed

Troubleshooting

Specialist not being invoked?

  • Check agent has specialist in allowed list
  • Verify intent mapping is correct
  • Check auto-selection is enabled (if using)
  • Review specialist configuration

Specialist errors?

  • Check tool access and permissions
  • Verify API keys and credentials
  • Review rate limits and quotas
  • Check specialist logs

Too many specialist calls?

  • Review intent mapping
  • Adjust auto-selection settings
  • Set stricter limits
  • Consider if specialist is right fit

Next Steps

Version: 1.0
Last Updated: November 2025