Understanding AI agents in CRHQ — what they are, how they work, and how to configure them for your workflow.
Agents are the core of CRHQ. Each agent is an AI worker with a specific role, set of capabilities, and behavior defined by its instructions.
An agent is a configured AI identity with:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Display name (e.g., "Developer", "Researcher", "Content Writer") |
| Description | What this agent specializes in |
| Icon | Visual identifier shown in the sidebar and session headers |
| Default Model | The AI model it uses — Haiku (fast), Sonnet (balanced), or Opus (most capable) |
| Instructions | System prompt that defines the agent's behavior, tone, and approach |
| Skills | Capabilities assigned to the agent (browse web, query databases, etc.) |
| Recipes | Procedural workflows the agent can follow |
| MCP Servers | Additional tool servers for extended functionality |
CRHQ comes with system agents — pre-configured agents maintained and updated through CRHQ Hub. These cover common roles like development, research, writing, and analysis.
You can also create custom agents tailored to your specific needs. Custom agents are fully under your control and won't be modified by hub updates.
Tip: You can clone a system agent as a starting point for your custom agent. This copies all settings while giving you full control to modify them.
When viewing agents in the sidebar, you'll see status indicators:
Each agent has a default model that determines its capabilities and speed:
| Model | Best For | Speed | Capability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haiku | Quick tasks, simple Q&A, data formatting | Fastest | Good |
| Sonnet | Most tasks — coding, writing, analysis | Fast | Very Good |
| Opus | Complex reasoning, architecture, nuanced work | Slower | Best |
You can also override the model per-session if a specific conversation needs more (or less) capability.
Instructions are the most powerful way to shape an agent's behavior. They define:
Instructions are written in markdown and support any level of detail. They're versioned automatically — every change is tracked and can be restored.
# Content Writer Agent
**Role:** Create and edit marketing content for SaaS products.
## Style
- Write in active voice
- Keep paragraphs under 3 sentences
- Use concrete examples over abstract claims
## Process
1. Ask clarifying questions before writing
2. Create an outline first
3. Write the full draft
4. Self-review for tone consistency
## Don't
- Use jargon without explaining it
- Make claims without evidence
- Include placeholder text in deliverables
Navigate to Settings → Agents to: