Build Your First AI Agent.

Do this

1. Open the workflow and connect an available model credential.
2. Run it and ask for something that needs a tool.
3. Replace or add one tool relevant to your life or work.

Try Google Sheets, Gmail or Calendar.

You are done when

You can give one instruction in chat and the agent decides whether it needs a connected tool, uses that tool, and returns the result.

What you just learned

Agent = model + instructions + tools + context/memory + the ability to decide what action to take.

Do this

Ask different types of questions so the agent must choose different tools. Then remove one tool and add one of your own.

Try Sheets, Gmail, Calendar, Notion or an HTTP/API tool.

You are done when

The same agent receives different requests and correctly chooses different tools without you manually telling it which one to use.

What you just learned

Tools turn a chatbot from something that only talks into something that can retrieve information or take action.

Watch / adapt

The official guide shows several routes into agent building. Use the n8n route, then adapt the pattern:

Your challenge

Take a topic from a user, research it, write a short summary, and save or send it to Sheets, Notion, Gmail or Drive.

You are done when

One trigger starts multiple steps and you no longer perform every step manually.

What you just learned

An agent decides what action is appropriate. A workflow coordinates steps. Agentic systems often combine both.

Do this

Adapt the manager pattern into two specialists:

Give the Manager Agent one entry point and let it inspect the request before routing the task.

You are done when

One entry point routes different jobs to different agents without the user manually selecting which agent to use.

What you just learned

Multi-agent systems are usually one coordinator + specialized workers + rules, tools and context connecting them.