Create agents with Auto mode

note

Beta: This feature is currently in beta and may have limited availability. Functionality is subject to change based on ongoing improvements and feedback.

Auto mode lets you build agents that plan and execute multi-step work from natural language instructions. You describe the goal. You specify which tools and data sources the agent may use. Glean then determines the steps needed to complete the task. This allows you to build flexible agents without configuring every step or maintaining branching diagrams.

Auto mode is ideal for non-technical builders and for work where the correct sequence may change based on the information the agent discovers.

Auto mode compared to Workflow mode

You can build agents in two ways.

Auto mode

You begin by describing the agent's purpose in natural language. Glean reasons, plans and executes the steps and actions automatically. Auto mode is best when flexibility is important or when you prefer not to build structured flows.

Workflow mode

You define each step in the visual Agent Builder. Workflow mode is best when you require deterministic logic, complex branching or strict control of execution.

Requirements and Access

Auto mode is a beta feature. Your Glean environment must be on the latest Agentic Engine and must have Agents enabled. Contact your account team to activate this capability.

Create an Auto mode agent

1. Open the agent library
2. Select Agents
3. Select Create agent
4. Choose Auto mode
5. Select either Assist Me or Setup

You can switch between the two at any time. Both paths produce the same type of agent.

Build with Assist Me

Assist Me provides a conversational interface. When you use this mode we recommend that you describe:

• Goal and role
• Scope and data
• Allowed tools and actions
• Expected output format
• Example tasks

As you provide details, auto mode generates and updates the agent's instructions, knowledge sources and allowed actions. A preview panel lets you test your agent throughout the process.

Build with Setup

Setup provides a structured editor with three key sections:

• Instructions
• Knowledge
• Actions

This mode is useful when you want to edit configuration fields directly. You can switch back to Assist Me whenever you want to iterate conversationally.

Attach Knowledge

Connect the files, folders, collections or data sources the agent should rely on. Auto mode may propose knowledge sources, although you choose which ones to include.

Add conversation starters

Conversation starters appear when a user opens your agent. They give quick examples that help users understand what the agent can do and offer easy starting points for most valuable or common tasks that the agent can help with.

Select Allowed Actions

Choose only the actions required for the agent's responsibilities. Examples include web search, drafting documents or creating records in tools like Salesforce or Jira. Limiting actions improves reliability.

You may attach up to twenty actions.

Save and share

After configuring and testing your agent:

1. Give it a clear name.
2. Select Save to apply your changes and expose the latest version to your intended audience.
3. Share it with your team.
4. Review usage in Agent Insights.

Best practices

• Reference authoritative sources whenever possible
• Keep the action set focused
• Test in both Fast mode and Thinking mode if available and compare performance
• Validate the agent with multiple types of tasks before saving

FAQs

Auto mode is goal-driven: you describe what the agent should accomplish and which tools it can use, and Glean decides how to get there.

Workflow mode is step-driven: you design the full flow yourself in the visual builder, including branches and loops. Auto mode is usually faster to set up, while Workflow mode offers more fine-grained control.

Anyone with agent‑creation permissions in your Glean tenant can create agents with Auto mode, as long as your organization has Auto mode enabled. If you don't see Auto mode as an option when creating an agent, contact your Glean admin or account team.

No. Auto mode is an alternative method for constructing agents, intended to coexist with, existing Workflow mode agents. It is recommended to keep existing Workflow mode agents for critical processes and use Auto mode for new, high-level "task execution" agents or for rapid development by non-technical users. Both types of agents coexist in your agent library.

No. The agent always runs with the permissions of the current user.

Yes. Auto mode agents can call any actions that your organization has enabled and that you explicitly allow for that agent (such as creating tickets, updating records, or drafting documents). You stay in control by selecting which actions are allowed; the agent cannot call tools that you haven't enabled for it.

• Reduce the knowledge scope
• Simplify the instructions
• Begin in Fast mode before switching to Thinking mode
• Review the run trace to identify bottlenecks

There is no automatic conversion. To create a Workflow mode version, build a new Workflow mode agent that includes a Plan and Execute node. Copy the instructions and actions from the Auto mode agent into that node.