# Introduction

## What is an agent?

An **agent** is an automation you create by describing your intent in natural language. On Obside, anything that runs on your behalf — a scheduled trade, a trading bot, an AI trader, a smart alert — is an agent.

Each agent has:

* A **description** written in natural language (your intent).
* A **code** automatically generated by Obside's AI, formalizing this description.
* One or more **assets** it operates on.
* One or more **capabilities** enabled (trading, notifications, AI, news).
* A history of **backtests** and **executions**.

***

## Types of agents

Depending on what you describe in the chat, the agent takes a different form:

| Type                     | Description                              | Typical capabilities |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| **Scheduled trade**      | A one-off operation to execute           | Trading              |
| **Trading bot**          | A strategy following deterministic rules | Trading              |
| **AI trader**            | An autonomous agent powered by an LLM    | Trading + AI + News  |
| **Smart alert**          | A condition that notifies you            | Notifications        |
| **Portfolio monitoring** | Continuous tracking of your positions    | Notifications        |

{% hint style="success" %}
You can **combine multiple capabilities** within a single agent — for example, a trading bot that also notifies you of every trade.
{% endhint %}

***

## The lifecycle of an agent

1. **Creation** — you describe your intent in [Obside Chat](/obside-chat/introduction.md). The AI rephrases, you confirm, and the agent is created.
2. **Backtest** *(for trading agents)* — you test the agent on historical data to evaluate past performance. See [Backtest an agent](/agents/backtest-an-agent.md).
3. **Execution** — you run the agent in **demo** (paper trading) or **live** mode on a supported broker. See [Run an agent](/agents/run-an-agent.md).
4. **Monitoring & adjustments** — you review performance, trades, triggered notifications, and iterate via the chat linked to the agent.

{% hint style="info" %}
All your agents are accessible from the **Agents** section in the sidebar. You can organize them in folders, filter by capability or status, and find them via search.
{% endhint %}

To go further:

* [Agent capabilities](/agents/capabilities.md)
* [Create an agent](/agents/create-an-agent.md)
* [Backtest an agent](/agents/backtest-an-agent.md)
* [Run an agent](/agents/run-an-agent.md)


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.obside.com/agents/introduction.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.