agent

Ask a coding provider to perform a task with explicit prompt, model, effort, and resource choices.

When to use it

Use an agent node for open-ended analysis or implementation. The provider can use its native tools according to its own permissions, so review both the task and the deployment profile before execution.

Example

Rattish: 1

Workflow:
  name: Call an agent

Node step:
  type: agent
  provider: codex
  prompt: Explain the project entry points without changing files.
  working-dir: .
  memory: "none"
  finish: pass

Provider IDs come from the Rattish provider contracts; for example, use claude-code rather than the legacy subscription name claude_code. When model or effort is omitted, compilation resolves the provider contract default. A deployment profile supplies compatible runtime settings without overriding authored provider/model/effort choices.

Use inline prompt or a prompt-path; they are mutually exclusive. Bind values through with and refer to locals in prompt text as . memory selects "none", run, or all; quote "none" so it is a string rather than an absence literal. This field does not turn on Second Brain.

The default successful output is text. Declare output-schema or output-schema-path for typed structured output, and use only one schema source. repair-attempts allows zero to three attempts to repair invalid structured output, which can incur additional provider usage.

Configuration

Configuration fields use hyphens. These are the node-specific fields; shared execution fields apply separately.

Field	Type	Required / default	Meaning
provider	string	Required	Rattish provider ID.
profile	string or null	Not set	Optional compatible deployment profile.
model	string	Provider default	Model ID supported by the selected provider.
effort	string	Provider default	Effort choice supported by that model.
working-dir	string	"."	Working directory resolved from the workflow project.
prompt	string	""	Inline task prompt.
prompt-path	string or null	Not set	Readable prompt source file.
skill	string or null	Not set	Selected skill reference.
memory	none, run, all	"none"	Provider memory scope.
tools	list of string	[]	Selected provider tools.
mcp-servers	list of string	[]	Selected MCP server references.
env	object	{}	Additional string environment values.
extra-paths	list of string	[]	Additional authored resource paths.
output-schema	object or null	Not set	Inline successful-output JSON Schema.
output-schema-path	string or null	Not set	File containing the successful-output schema.
repair-attempts	integer (min 0, max 3)	0	Bounded structured-output repair attempts.

Inputs and output

Additional local bindings are supported. See Inputs and bindings for delivery and type rules.

Successful output is a string by default, or the value validated by the declared output schema. Select downstream fields only when the schema declares them.

Preflight and limits

The provider must be installed/authenticated as needed, the working directory must exist, and selected prompt/profile resources must be valid. Preflight does not guarantee account allowance or that a provider will complete the task.

Use Raticode rattish check and Raticode rattish preflight before choosing to run the example. The installed contract is available through Raticode rattish docs --format json.

Continue with Node reference, Routes and joins, or Runs and approvals.