---
title: Run agent
description: Give a task to one of your agents and get its answer.
---

Give a task to one of your agents and get its answer.

## What it does

Run agent hands a task, written in plain language, to one of your [agents](/app/chat-and-agents/agents/) or to Aria. The agent works on it like a chat turn in the background, using its own model, instructions, memory, skills and rules, and the node returns its reply.

This is the node a [routine](/app/chat-and-agents/agents/#routines) runs: a trigger followed by Run agent. Because a routine is an ordinary workflow, you can open it in the canvas and add steps before or after the agent.

Nobody is there to approve actions during a background run. Actions the agent's rules mark as "ask" are skipped and listed in **Activity** instead.

## When to use it

* Run an agent on a schedule: "Every morning, check my three saved trips for price drops and tell me what changed."
* Let an agent react to a page: put a [Page Load](/nodes/builtin/trigger/pageload/) trigger in front of it.
* Hand off a judgement call inside a longer workflow, then use the reply in the next steps.

To give an agent extra abilities inside one workflow (tools, a specific model), use the [Tools Agent](/nodes/builtin/ai/aiagents/toolsagentnode/) node instead.

## Inputs and settings

**Agent** takes an agent id or its @handle, for example `@travel`. Leave it as `aria` to use Aria. **Task** accepts expressions, so you can pass in data from earlier nodes.

## Outputs

Each output item has these fields:

```json title="Shape of an output item"
{
  "reply": "…",
  "agentId": "…",
  "agentName": "…",
  "conversationId": "…"
}
```

`reply` is the agent's answer, `agentId` and `agentName` name the agent that did the task, and `conversationId` points to the chat the result was saved to (only when **Save the result as a chat** is on).

## Dependencies and credentials

None. This node needs no connection and has no slots for other nodes.

The agent uses the model and connections set on the agent itself, so this node needs nothing extra.

## Example workflow

1. A [Schedule](/nodes/builtin/trigger/schedule/) trigger runs every weekday at 8:00.
2. Run agent with **Agent** `@news` and **Task** "Summarise the three most important stories on my saved sites since yesterday."
3. A [Telegram](/nodes/builtin/integration/telegram/) node sends `{{ $input.reply }}` to your phone.

## Common issues

* **The agent says it couldn't do part of the task.** An action needed approval and was skipped. Check **Activity**, then change the rule to allow that action in routines, or run the task in a chat instead.
* **The wrong agent answered.** Check the id or @handle in **Agent**. An empty value falls back to Aria.
* **No chat appears.** Turn on **Save the result as a chat**.

## Related nodes

* [Tools Agent](/nodes/builtin/ai/aiagents/toolsagentnode/): an agent built inside the workflow, with its own model and tools.
* [Chat Trigger](/nodes/builtin/trigger/chat/): start a workflow from a chat message.
* [Schedule](/nodes/builtin/trigger/schedule/): run a routine at set times.