Best Way to Build AI Agents

Building effective Retool Agents isn't just about writing prompts; it's about matching the right design to your specific use case while ensuring safe, predictable operation. In this video, we break down the 7 essential principles for instructing agents that actually work.

Key Topics Covered: 00:00 - Intro 00:23 - Purpose-Driven Design: Tightly scoped agents vs general AI assistants 00:53 - Task Breakdown: Complex objectives into actionable steps 01:36 - Goal-Oriented Prompting: Let agents reason while maintaining clear goals 02:01 - Success Criteria: Measurable outcomes and effective evaluations 02:21 - Context & Examples: Format examples to guide output style 02:41 - Tool Documentation: Clear descriptions of available tools 03:16 - Error Handling: Preparing for unexpected situations

Useful Resources:

• Retool Agents Documentation: https://docs.retool.com/agents/concepts/overview
• Tool Configuration: https://docs.retool.com/agents/concepts/tools
• Retool Agents Best Practices: https://docs.retool.com/agents/concepts/best-practices

Whether you're building your first agent or optimizing existing workflows, these principles will help you create more reliable, predictable AI automation.