Specialist Agents (SMEs)

Delegate complex, domain-specific tasks to specialized AI agents that work asynchronously behind the scenes.

What Are Specialist Agents?

Specialist Agents, also known as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), are specialized AI agents designed to excel at specific domains or tasks. Unlike regular agents that process incoming emails directly, SMEs are invoked by other agents to handle complex work requiring domain expertise.

Examples of Specialist Agents:

SME Type	Expertise	Example Tasks
Research SME	Information gathering and synthesis	Market research, competitive analysis
Accounting SME	Financial operations	Invoice processing, expense tracking
HR SME	Human resources	Policy questions, benefits inquiries
Marketing SME	Content and campaigns	Social media plans, brand guidelines
Legal SME	Compliance and contracts	Contract review, policy compliance

How SMEs Differ from Regular Agents

Aspect	Regular Agent	Specialist Agent (SME)
Trigger	A message arriving in a monitored mailbox	Invoked by an eligible AI teammate
Mailbox Monitoring	Yes (assigned mailboxes)	Optional. Invocation-only by default, but an SME may be given its own monitored mailbox
Communication	Responds through its mailbox workflow	Returns results to its caller; may reply in an existing direct conversation
Result Delivery	Directly to end user	Back to the calling agent
Execution Time	Short (default 5 minutes)	Long (default 1 hour)
Primary Use	Email triage and response	Complex, domain-specific tasks

The SME Workflow

When a regular agent encounters a task requiring specialized expertise, it delegates the work to an SME:

1. Incoming Email
       |
2. Executive Assistant Agent
       | Identifies need for specialized help
       |
3. Invokes Marketing SME
       | "Create social media campaign plan"
       |
4. Marketing SME Works Asynchronously
       | Uses specialized knowledge and tools
       | Takes 15-30 minutes
       |
5. SME Returns Results
       |
6. Executive Assistant Continues
       | Reviews results, sends to user

Key benefits:

• Specialization: Each SME is optimized for its domain with tailored instructions and tools
• Asynchronous execution: Calling agents don't wait; they're notified when SMEs complete
• Nested delegation: SMEs can invoke other SMEs for complex workflows
• Knowledge sharing: SMEs access a shared Operations Knowledge Base

When to Create an SME

Consider creating a Specialist Agent when you need:

1. Domain expertise: Tasks requiring specialized knowledge (accounting, HR, legal)
2. Long-running tasks: Work that may take 30+ minutes to complete
3. Reusable expertise: The same specialized capability is needed by multiple agents
4. Complex workflows: Multi-step processes benefiting from dedicated handling

Getting Started

1. Plan your SME: Define the domain, expertise, and typical tasks
2. Design the SME: Use the agent design interview. Describe the work first and review the generated design before anything is created.
3. Review invocation access: New SMEs are available to eligible AI teammates by default. Add per-agent exceptions in Advanced settings when needed.
4. Upload knowledge: Add relevant documents to the Operations Knowledge Base
5. Configure escalation: Set up manager contacts for approvals

Key Features

Tool-Based Access Control

Each SME becomes a registered capability that eligible AI teammates can discover and invoke. Invocation is checked against the live tenant policy each time. This provides:

• A workspace-wide default that automatically includes future eligible teammates
• Fine-grained allow or deny exceptions for particular agents
• Rich tool descriptions explaining SME capabilities
• Standard tool management through the existing interface

Operations Knowledge Base

SMEs have access to a shared, tenant-wide knowledge base containing internal operations documents:

• Company policies and procedures
• Reference documentation
• Training materials
• Templates and guides

Escalation Paths

SMEs can be configured with escalation contacts for situations requiring human input:

• Approval thresholds: Automatic escalation for high-value decisions
• Manager contacts: Primary and alternate escalation recipients
• Auto-escalation: Backup contacts if primary doesn't respond

Timeout Reminders

SMEs automatically have access to reminder tools for tracking long-running work and preventing tasks from being forgotten.

Related Topics

• Designing a Specialist Agent
• Configuring SMEs (managing existing SMEs)
• Operations Knowledge Base
• SME Escalation Paths
• Monitoring SME Activity
• Agents