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Create a Background Agent

Open Manage > Machine Users, select the Background Agents tab, then select Create Agent.

Choose a platform​

The dialog opens on Platform. Only the platforms enabled under Agent Types appear, so the list is usually shorter than the full set — Manage platforms opens the settings if the one you want is missing. See Platforms for what each runtime does, and note that Willow Agents consumes a session credit per session.

Pick a starting point​

Under How do you want to start?, choose one of:

PathUse it when
Start from scratchYou want an empty agent and will add tools later.
Create with AIYou describe the agent in plain language and Willow selects the integrations, tools, and a system prompt for you.
A templateYou want a pre-built agent for a common workflow.

Templates sit below the two options — Basic Slack Agent, Basic GitHub Agent, Personal Assistant, GTM Agent, and others. Each shows how many of the connectors it needs you already have connected, such as 3/4 connected, so you can see the gaps before you commit. Choosing one lists every connector it will use, how many tools each contributes, which are optional, and which are Not connected.

Create with AI​

  1. Select Create with AI.
  2. In Agent Description, describe what the agent does. Be specific about the apps and actions it needs — the more concrete the description, the better the result.
  3. Leave Least Privilege on (default) to limit the agent to the minimum tools needed, or turn it off for broader access.
  4. Select Generate Agent. Willow analyzes your connected integrations and proposes a name, description, tool set, and system prompt.
  5. Review Generated Agent shows the proposed name, description, tool count, and system prompt, marked AI Generated. Select Regenerate to try again, Back to change the description, or Continue to move to the details step.

AI generation requires connected integrations with tools. If Willow can't design an agent, refine the description and make sure the relevant MCP servers are connected.

Finish the details​

Whichever path you chose, the final step captures:

  • Platform: shown with a Change action if you want a different runtime than the one you picked at the start.
  • Name: the display name. The slug is generated from it and shown beneath.
  • Description: what the agent does.

Select Create. Willow creates the agent, adds any tools from the template or AI selection, and shows the agent's secret once in a toast — save it immediately, as it is not shown again. You land on the agent's detail page.

warning

The secret is shown only at creation and when rotated. Store it in a secrets manager before you close the toast; it cannot be retrieved later. Deploying also rotates it, which invalidates any copy you were holding.

Keep the agent scoped​

Capabilities are the agent's permission boundary, so an agent can only reach what you grant it:

  • Prefer Least Privilege, and remove tools the agent no longer needs.
  • Assign the minimum set of tools, skills, and rules needed for the job.
  • Every agent tool call flows through the gateway and is logged and subject to guards and policies, just like human traffic.

Deploy it​

Creating an agent does not put it on its platform. Until you deploy, the agent reads Not deployed yet. Set the system prompt, add the tools and skills it needs, then select Deploy in the detail-page header. See Deploy an Agent.

What to do next​

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