Core Principles
Start Simple
Begin with a narrow scope and expand as the agent proves itself.
Clear Mission
Define a focused purpose that the agent can understand and execute.
Right Tools
Give agents only the capabilities they need — no more, no less.
Iterate Often
Improve through conversation and testing, not upfront perfection.
The Intern Analogy
Think of setting up an agent like onboarding a new intern:1
Explain the job
What should they do? What’s the goal?
2
Provide context
What do they need to know? What resources should they access?
3
Set boundaries
What should they never do? When should they ask for help?
4
Start supervised
Monitor their work until they’ve proven themselves.
5
Gradually expand
Give more responsibility as trust is earned.
Agent Scope
| Scope | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Narrow | Predictable, safe, easy to test | Limited flexibility |
| Broad | Versatile, handles edge cases | Needs more oversight, harder to test |
Instructions Best Practices
Do:- Be specific about the expected outcome
- Explain the “why” behind important rules
- Provide examples of good and bad behavior
- Define escalation paths for edge cases
- Write novel-length instructions upfront
- Assume the agent will infer unstated requirements
- Include irrelevant context
- Forget to update instructions as needs change
When to Split Agents
Consider multiple specialized agents when:- Tasks require different capabilities
- Different security profiles are needed
- Workflows can be parallelized
- Maintenance would be simpler with separation
Multiple focused agents working together often outperform one complex agent trying to do everything.