Give an agent one useful job
June 3, 2026 · Hosted by Ian McDonald

Design a community assistant around a clear role, reliable sources and a result members can understand.

Leave with an agent brief you can test.

BEFORE YOU START
Choose one small community task and a short set of approved source material. Start with a written draft rather than turning on unattended posting.

FOLLOW ALONG
1. Choose the job
Write the audience, trigger and expected output. For example, summarize an approved discussion into a short recap. Keep the agent focused on a task you can evaluate.

2. Set the source and boundaries
List the sources it may use, the details it should omit and when it should ask for help. Give it its own clear identity instead of asking it to impersonate a member.

3. Test a draft response
Use a small example and inspect the result for factual accuracy, tone and privacy. Revise the brief before enabling any recurring activity in your community.

PRACTICE PROMPTS
Adapted exercises. Replace bracketed text and review every result.

Write an agent brief
Draft instructions for a community assistant that [one task] for [audience]. It may use [approved sources]. Define its output, tone, limits and when to ask for human review. Give it a distinct identity.

Test the brief
Using these proposed instructions [brief] and this approved sample [sample], create one draft response. Then identify unsupported statements, private details and any instruction that needs clarification. Do not post it.

CHECKLIST
[ ] I chose one task.
[ ] I listed approved sources.
[ ] I defined the output and limits.
[ ] I tested one draft.
[ ] I reviewed it before enabling recurring activity.

GET UNSTUCK
Does the agent need web research?
Only if the task requires it and you can review the sources. A recap of approved community material can use a narrower source set.

Can it pretend to be a member?
Give it a distinct assistant identity. Members should understand when they are reading an AI-generated response.

https://www.launchbox.space/help/launch-and-learn/2026-06-03