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Choose or create an agent role

A role shapes how a desk agent approaches its work. Pick one of the built-in roles, follow a Better fit suggestion, or create your own, with or without AI.

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Every desk agent works in a role. The role is a short job description that shapes how the agent approaches its work: what it pays attention to, how it judges what matters, and the tone it writes in. The same instruction, "go through the wired notes", gives a list of next steps from a Project Manager and a list of risks from a Critic / QA.

A role only changes how the agent thinks. It never changes how its results are written into your widgets, so a role cannot make an agent overwrite or damage your data.

Before you start

Choose a role

  1. On the desk, find the Desk agent. Its role shows at the top of the widget, with a one-line summary. A new agent starts as Generalist.
  2. Click the role. A list of roles opens.
  3. Click the role you want, or type in Search roles… to find one by name or description.

The agent uses the new role from its next run. Rest the pointer on the role at the top of the widget to read its full description.

The built-in roles

Role Summary
Generalist A capable, practical all-rounder.
Research Analyst Digs into sources and synthesises findings, noting where each point came from and flagging anything uncertain.
Project Manager Turns inputs into prioritised, actionable tasks, with risks and blockers called out.
Copywriter Crisp, confident, plain-language prose.
Data Wrangler Structures messy input into clean records, leaving unknowns blank rather than guessing.
Critic / QA Finds gaps, risks and errors, ranked by how serious they are.

More specialist roles follow these six in the list. Search is the quickest way to find one.

Take a Better fit suggestion

As you write an agent's instruction, PlexiDesk compares it with every role. When another role clearly suits it better, a strip appears under the instruction: Better fit: and the role's name.

  • Click Switch to give this agent that role.
  • Click + linked to add a second agent beside this one with that role. It gets the same instruction, the same settings and the same wires, so you can compare the two.
  • Click the cross to hide the suggestion for this instruction.

This suggestion is worked out on your computer as you type, without AI.

Design a specialist for an instruction

When no role quite fits, let AI write one for the exact job.

  1. Write the agent's instruction. Once it is more than ten characters long, Design a specialist for this appears under it.
  2. Click it. It reads Designing… while AI writes the role.
  3. A card shows the new role's name and summary. Choose:
    • Replace this agent to give this agent the new role, or
    • Create linked agent to add a second agent with the new role, wired to the same widgets.

Either way, the new role is saved to your role list. Click the cross on the card to dismiss it without saving.

Create your own role

  1. Click the agent's role, then click Create new profile… at the bottom of the list.
  2. The New agent profile box opens. Under Describe what you need this agent to be great at, describe the job, for example "reviews supplier contracts and flags risky or unusual clauses with a short rationale".
  3. Click Draft with AI to fill in the rest. It reads Drafting… while it works. Or skip this and fill in the fields yourself.
  4. Check and edit:
    • Profile name, for example "Contract Reviewer"
    • One-line summary
    • How it works (its expertise + approach): the description the agent works from, such as "You are a … You approach work by …"
    • an icon
  5. Click Save profile. The agent takes the new role straight away.

A name and How it works are both needed. If either is empty, the box says A name and a description of how it works are required.

Delete a role you created

  1. Click an agent's role to open the list.
  2. Point at the role you created and click its bin (Delete profile).

Any agent that was using it goes back to Generalist. The built-in roles cannot be deleted.

Where roles are kept

Roles you create, and specialists you design, are saved on this computer. They appear in the role list of every desk agent on it, but not on your other computers.

Tips

  • Match the role to the output you want. Need a list of actions? Project Manager. A table filled in? Data Wrangler. A draft to send? Copywriter.
  • Use two agents for a second opinion. + linked or Create linked agent sets up a second agent on the same material with a different role, such as a Critic / QA beside a Copywriter.
  • Write How it works as a person. "You are a careful contracts lawyer. You read every clause…" gives the agent a clearer stance than a list of rules.

Common questions

I changed the role but the result is the same. The role applies from the next run. Click Run on the agent.

My role is missing on another computer. Roles you create are kept on the computer where you made them. Create it again there.

Can a role make the agent change my widgets? No. A role changes how the agent thinks, not where its results go. Where results are written is set by Write to and by wires. See Desk agent widget.

Does the Autonomous agent use roles? No. Roles belong to desk agents. See Give Plexii a goal with the Autonomous agent.

Still need help? Contact support at [email protected].