Before you can build agents, you'll need to connect your Street account. This only takes a moment.

From a fresh Cortex account, click Connect Street account and authorise access. Once connected, Cortex can read data from your CRM and your agents will be able to interact with Street and Spectre through the tools you assign them. You only need to do this once.

Cortex gives you three ways to create a new agent, so you can choose the approach that suits you best.

If you're not sure where to start, this is the option for you. Cortex includes a built-in AI assistant that will walk you through the process of creating your agent. It will ask you questions about what you want to achieve and help you craft the instructions, select the right tools, and configure your agent - all through a guided conversation.

We've created a library of pre-built templates for common estate agency tasks. Templates come with instructions, tools, and settings already configured, so you can get up and running quickly. You can always customise a template after creating it.

For maximum flexibility, you can build an agent entirely from scratch. This gives you full control over every aspect of the agent's configuration. The rest of this article walks through each setting you'll encounter.

This is the most important part of your agent. Instructions are written in plain English - simply describe what you want the agent to do, how you want it to behave, and any rules it should follow.

Good instructions are clear and specific. For example:

"When you receive a new sales applicant, check whether they have a property to sell. If they do, send them an introductory email with a valuation offer. Use a friendly but professional tone. Do not mention competitor agencies."

You can be as detailed as you like. The more context you give your agent, the better it will perform.

The trigger entity tells Cortex what type of data this agent expects to receive when it runs. Options include:

Choosing the right trigger entity ensures the agent has the context it needs to carry out its task.

You'll choose a model tier that determines the balance between speed, cost, and capability. See the dedicated Choosing a model tier article for full details on each option.

Tools are the actions your agent can perform. See Understanding tools for a full guide to the available tools and how to assign them.