Pencel

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Create a custom agent ​

An agent is one AI teammate with its own role, writing style and rules. Use this when you want a teammate you'll reuse, such as a proposal writer who follows your house style or a bookkeeper who always cites the source of every number.

Most people never need this. Rooms come with their crew, and you can add a teammate straight from a room: open the room's settings, go to Crew and click + Add teammate.

Create the agent ​

  1. Go to Studio ▸ Agents and click New Agent.
  2. Under Describe your new agent, say what it should do. For example: "A proposal writer that turns our past proposals into a first draft for a new bid, in a plain, confident tone, and flags any claim it can't back up."
  3. Click Start planning. On the Building Agent screen, Pencel asks a few questions on the left and shows the draft taking shape on the right.
  4. When the draft is ready, Accept & Edit becomes available. Click it to open the full editor.
  5. Review the settings (below) and click Save.

Creating one for a room

In a room's settings, go to Crew ▸ + Add teammate ▸ Create new agent ↗. You get the same builder, and the new agent joins that room when you save.

The editor, tab by tab ​

Profile ​

  • Name, Role and Description: who the agent is and what it specializes in. Write them the way you'd brief a new hire.
  • Writing Style: how it should sound, for example "plain and confident, short paragraphs, no jargon".
  • Preferred Model: which AI model it uses, or Use workspace default. A model marked No API key isn't available until you add a key. See Supported models.
  • Active Status: turn it off to take the agent out of service without deleting it.

Knowledge & Guardrails ​

  • Agent Memory: short notes the agent always keeps in mind.
  • Linked Knowledge: guidelines, context files, memory items and skills that are always included for this agent. See Knowledge.
  • Guardrails: Agent Type, Risk Tolerance, Plan Approval, Output Length, Citation Policy, Max Cost per Run and Content Restrictions (rules in plain words, like "never quote a price").

Guardrails guide, approvals enforce

Risk Tolerance, Plan Approval and Content Restrictions tell the agent how careful to be. They shape its behavior, but they don't stop an action by themselves. What actually holds is tool approval: Pencel asks you before it sends something or changes a record (unless you've given that action a standing approval), and it asks every time before it moves money. See Approvals and permissions.

Max Cost per Run is enforced: if a run reaches it, the agent stops. See Control what you spend.

Advanced ​

Tools and Permissions list what the agent can use and do, including any custom tools you've made. The builder fills these in from your description, and most people leave them as they are.

The side panel shows the agent's Status, its Recent Runs, and Quick Actions: Chat with Agent, Duplicate Agent, Export Config and Delete Agent.

Chat with it ​

Try the agent in a conversation before you give it real work:

  • In Studio ▸ Agents, click the chat icon on its card, or use Chat with Agent in the editor.
  • Or chat with it on Home. Pick it in the agent picker next to Home's message box. The picker lists your agents that aren't on your Team.

Give it a room of its own ​

When the agent is ready for regular work, make it a teammate with its own room:

  1. Click Add to Team. You'll find it on the agent's page in Studio ▸ Agents, and on a line above Home's message box while you chat with the agent.
  2. Say what the agent should keep on top of.
  3. Click Add to Team. Pencel creates the room with the agent as its teammate, and the agent shows up under Team in the sidebar.

Add it to a room you already have ​

To put the agent to work in one of your own rooms instead, open the room's settings, go to Crew, click + Add teammate and pick the agent under "Add an existing agent". This works for rooms you set up yourself. A ready-made room's crew comes with the room.

To take it out again, open Crew, click ⋯ next to the agent and choose Remove from room.

Tips ​

  • One job per agent. A teammate that does one thing well is more reliable than one juggling five.
  • Be specific. Mention format, length, tone and what's out of scope.
  • Match the model to the work. Use a stronger model for judgment and writing, and a lighter one for routine sorting and formatting.
  • Set a Max Cost per Run. Even a generous cap protects you from a run that goes on too long.
  • Manage it from the list. The ⋯ menu on an agent's card has Edit, Activate or Deactivate, Duplicate and Delete.