Start an agent from a Zap

This article explains how to use Zapier Agents with a Zap. You can add an action step in a Zap to start an agent. When the agent step runs in your Zap, the agent will carry out your instructions.

Beta

This product is in open beta. It’s available for use but still in active development and may change.

Steps

To create a Zap that triggers an agent, you must:

1. Create an agent.
2. Use the Trigger via Zap trigger.
3. Create a Zap using any Zap trigger.
4. Add an action step to your Zap using Zapier Agents.

What is a Zap?

A Zap is a workflow that connects your apps to automate repetitive tasks. It consists of a trigger (the event that starts the Zap), and one or more actions (the events that the Zap performs after it’s triggered). Learn more about Zaps in the quick start guide.

1. Create an agent

To create a new agent:

• Visit agents.zapier.com.
• Click + New agent.
• Enter instructions for your agent to follow.
• Click Create agent. 

2. Add the trigger

After creating your agent:

• In the Trigger section, click Add trigger.
• Select Trigger via Zap.
• You can make changes to the Instructions field, and use the Insert tools menu to add app actions,data integrations, searches, and website crawling.
• Click Test agent.
  • The agent will carry out your instructions and you can make updates and test again to achieve the expected results.

Note

Agents that use the Trigger via Zap trigger do not need to be enabled.

3. Create a Zap to trigger the agent

You can select any app as a trigger for your Zap. This app will send information to your agent. Learn how to set up a Zap trigger.

Once the trigger is ready, you must add an action step for Zapier Agents. This action will run the agent you created. To set up the action:

1. Click the action step, or click the plus + icon to add an action to your Zap.
2. Search for and select Zapier Agents.
3. Click the Event dropdown menu and select Run Agent Behavior.
4. In the Configure tab, complete these fields:
5. Agent: click and select an agent. Only agents using the Trigger via Zap trigger will appear on the list.
6. Behavior: click and select your agent. Only agents using the Trigger via Zap trigger will appear on the list.
7. Agent Input Message: map fields with information that should be sent to the agent.
8. (Optional) Pause Zap Run Until the Agent Replies?: select “Yes” to have the Zap wait for the agent's reply and “No” to let the Zap continue without the agent’s reply.
9. (Optional) Agent Output Fields: enter a name and a description for the fields you want the agent to return. You can then map these fields in subsequent Zap steps.
10. Click Continue. The Test tab will open.
11. If you want to perform the action live to test the step, click Test step.
    • If you do not want to test the step live, click Skip test.

Note

During testing, the Zapier Agents step will only return sample data. 

How to use the optional fields

• Pause Zap Run Until the Agent Replies?: if you pick “Yes” in this field, the Zap will appear as “Waiting / delayed” until the agent finishes carrying out your instructions. Once it finishes, the Zap will run any other action steps.
• Agent Output Fields: you can add custom fields that your agent will create and make available in later steps of your Zap:
  • Enter field names on the left (such as 'meeting_summary')
  • Enter descriptions on the right (such as 'Summary of the meeting notes').

Limitations

• Agents have an activity limit that depends on your Agents plan.
• Zaps have step and rate limits. Learn more about Zap limits.

Task and activity usage

For agents that are triggered using the Trigger via Zap trigger, activities are only used when it runs in your Zap. This means that:

• Zap step tests will not use any agent activities. Learn how usage is measured in Zapier Agents.
• Agent actions do not use any Zap tasks. Learn how usage is measured in Zaps.

Use cases

Here are some examples of ways you can use agents and Zaps:

• Send a company's website to your agent from Slack and ask it to find data such as contact information, industry, and main products. The agent can then send the data it finds to the Zap to fill out a spreadsheet, creating a list of potential clients for your sales team.
• Whenever a new IT request is received, send it to your agent. Have it search your data integrations for similar feature requests or bug reports. It can then return a list of potential matches so you can speed up your research before replying to a customer.

Provide feedback and get help

Submit a feature request, provide feedback on existing features, or get help from the Zapier Agents team. You can also discuss Agents with other users on Zapier's Early Access Program Slack.