Delegate long-running work to agents
Some work takes longer than a chat reply: implementing a feature, reviewing a pull request, researching several accounts at once. From Ask Agent you can hand that work to other agents, keep chatting while they run, and get their results back in the same conversation.
Ask for the work
Open Ask Agent with Ask Agent in the dock or by pressing /.
Describe the outcome and where the work should happen. For example: "Have Forge implement the checklist on task ENG-142 and open a pull request" or "Research these three companies in parallel and add a note to each deal."
Name a specific agent if you have one in mind, such as a built-in agent or one of your custom agents. Otherwise, Ask Agent picks one.
If Ask Agent asks you to confirm the launch, review what it plans to start and select Approve.
Ask Agent chooses between a saved agent and a Sub-agent for each piece of work. See Sub-agents for one-off tasks.
Code changes need a repository
Coding agents work on a task that has a delivery repository. If a task doesn't have one, Ask Agent assigns your connected repository when there's only one sensible choice, then retries. If several repositories could fit, it asks you which to use. See Coding runs and delivery.
Follow the work
Active delegated runs appear next to the Ask Agent button and in the dock's Agent runs view, grouped by status:
Group | Meaning |
|---|---|
Needs you | The agent is waiting for your answer, approval or sign-in. |
Running | The agent is working. |
When runs need you, the dock also shows how many, for example "2 need you".
Select a run to open it and see its transcript. You don't have to wait: keep chatting or close the dock while the work continues.
Get the results
When a delegated run finishes, its summary is delivered back into your chat automatically, and Ask Agent picks up from there. It can:
tell you what was done and link to the result,
read the full output when the summary was shortened,
finish the job itself, for example by creating the final document from a Sub-agent's research, if it has the tools to do so.
If you come back to a chat after a long break, Helpin continues the conversation and includes any results that arrived while you were away.
Tips
Be specific about the target. Mention the task, deal, document or repository by name or ID.
Say what done looks like. For example, "open a pull request" or "add a note to each deal."
Read approval requests carefully. Check what an agent will change before you approve, especially for code and customer-facing content.
Repeat work? Save an agent. If you delegate the same job often, ask Ask Agent to turn it into a custom agent, then run it from a flow. See Create a custom agent.
Related
Was this article helpful?