Agents & Tools
Agents extend the AI's capabilities by giving it access to tools — searching the web, analyzing data, reviewing code, controlling your desktop. When an agent is enabled, the model decides when and how to use its tools to give you better answers.
Agents are managed in the Power Tools panel — the sliders icon in the action bar below the message input.
Built-in agents
Kognar Chat ships with eight agents. Only Web Search is enabled out of the box; the rest are off until you turn them on.
Web Search
Searches the internet and fetches page content.
- Tools:
web_search,web_fetch - Use when: you need recent news, documentation, prices, or anything that may have changed recently
- Configure: region, maximum results and safe-search level; supports a Tavily API key for enhanced results, falling back to DuckDuckGo otherwise
Code Review
Analyzes code for bugs, security issues, performance and best practices.
- Tools:
analyze_code,read_file,list_directory,git_status,git_log,git_diff - Use when: you want a structured review with severity levels (critical, high, medium, low)
- Configure: point it at a project folder so it can read files and run Git for a full repository review. Enabling the agent without a folder configured opens the configuration dialog first.
Writer
Helps with drafting, editing and formatting written content in English and Portuguese.
- Tools:
text_analysis,format_document - Use when: writing professional emails, reports, blog posts or other documents
Quick Answer
Short, direct responses with no tools and a tightened system prompt.
- Use when: you want a fast answer without extended reasoning
Analyst
Parses CSV and runs calculations for statistics and data analysis.
- Tools:
parse_csv,calculate - Use when: working with spreadsheets or metrics — pairs well with chart and table rendering
Comparison
Structures side-by-side comparisons of products, tools or options.
- Use when: you ask for pros and cons or a comparison of two or more things — it prefers rendering a comparison table
Research
Summarizes long content and extracts the key points.
- Tools:
summarize_text,extract_key_points - Use when: you need the main ideas out of a long document, presented as bullets, a callout or a table
Computer Control
Controls your desktop — screenshots, mouse, keyboard and clipboard.
- Tools:
computer_screenshot,computer_move_mouse,computer_click,computer_type_text,computer_press_key,computer_read_clipboard,computer_write_clipboard,computer_get_screen_info,computer_list_windows - Use when: you want the assistant to drive an app on your machine
- Configure: session timeout, rate limit for complex actions, action delay, strict mode, and which tools may run without asking
On macOS this agent needs Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions. Read-only actions (screenshot, screen info, clipboard read) run automatically; anything that moves the mouse, types, or writes the clipboard asks for your approval first.
Enabling and disabling agents
- Click the Power Tools button (sliders icon) in the action bar below the message input
- Open the Agents tab
- Toggle each agent on or off
When agents are active, their names appear as badges in the input bar.
How agents work during a conversation
When you send a message with agents enabled:
- The model reads your message and decides which tools, if any, to use
- Tools are called automatically — a tool card appears in the response
- Tool results are fed back to the model
- The model continues its response using the tool output
- Multiple rounds of tool use are supported in a single response
Tool cards show the tool name, its status (running / complete / failed) and the result. They are collapsible.
Some models cannot use tools. If you pick one of those and agents are enabled, Kognar tells you the model is not compatible with agents and asks you to disable them or choose another model.
Custom agents
- Open Power Tools → Agents
- Click New Agent
- Fill in:
- Name — display name
- Description — what this agent does
- System Prompt — instructions the model receives when the agent is active
- Temperature — response creativity (0 = precise, 1 = creative)
- Max Tokens — maximum response length
- Tool Definitions — custom tools this agent can invoke, in JSON
Custom agents sit in the same list as built-in ones and can be toggled, edited and deleted.
Importing and exporting agents
From Power Tools → Agents:
- Export — downloads your custom agents as
kognar-agents-YYYY-MM-DD.json - Import — loads agents from a
.jsonfile; built-in entries in the file are skipped
Linking MCPs and rules to an agent
Each agent card has a Vínculos (sync) block with checkbox lists for MCPs and Rules. Ticking a box binds that server or rule to the agent.
- With no links configured, everything behaves as before: all connected MCPs and all enabled rules are available.
- Once links exist, a conversation only uses the MCPs and rules bound to the agents that are enabled.
Links are included in mobile sync.
Rules
Rules are custom instructions applied across conversations without being a separate agent. Manage them in Power Tools → Rules — see Power Tools for types and examples.