Agents Overview

Discover and access all AI agents available in Zencoder - from core development agents to custom AI assistants

Zencoder provides specialized agents for different development tasks. Each agent has a specific scope and toolset.

Accessing Agents

All agents are easily accessible through a unified interface:

1. Open Agent Selector

   Mac: Press Cmd + . (Command + Period)
   Windows/Linux: Press Ctrl + . (Control + Period)

   
2. Choose Your Agent

   Select from the dropdown menu showing both Core Agents and your custom AI Agents.

   The green section in the image contains Zencoder’s default core agents, while the blue section shows your custom AI agents. You can also use the search bar at the top to quickly find specific agents.

   
3. Start Working

   Begin interacting with your selected agent immediately

The agent selector shows all available agents in one convenient dropdown, with Core Agents at the top and your custom AI Agents below.

Core Agents

These specialized agents are built and maintained by Zencoder, each designed for specific development tasks and workflows.

Ask Agent

Read-only Q&A about your codebase — explanations, debugging help, and best-practice suggestions.

Coding Agent

Multi-file code generation, modification, and refactoring with codebase context, validation, and error correction.

Web Dev Agent

Design-to-code workflows for web UIs. Generates HTML/CSS/JS, validates in a real browser via Playwright, and iterates on console feedback.

Unit Testing Agent

Generates test suites using your project’s testing framework, with mocks and assertions matching your patterns.

E2E Testing Agent

Creates Playwright-based end-to-end tests that simulate user interactions and validate workflows.

Repo Info Agent

Generates a project snapshot (.zencoder/rules/repo.md) of your structure, dependencies, and conventions. Automatically included in other agents’ context.

AI Agents (Zen Agents)

User-defined agents with custom instructions, tools, and commands for recurring tasks.

Custom AI Agents

Define reusable agents for code review, documentation, refactoring, or domain-specific workflows. Shareable across your team.

Typical Agent Workflow

1. Begin with Repo-Info

   For new projects, start with the Repo Info Agent to establish comprehensive project context

2. Use Ask for Questions

   The Ask Agent is perfect for understanding existing code, getting explanations, and planning your approach

3. Switch to Coding Agent for Implementation

   When you need to create or modify code across multiple files, the Coding Agent provides the advanced capabilities needed for complex development tasks

4. Add Testing Coverage

   Use the Unit Testing and E2E Testing agents to generate tests

Agent Relationships

Understanding how agents work together can improve your development workflow:

Repo Info Agent Enhances All Others

Running the Repo Info Agent first provides comprehensive project context that improves the performance and accuracy of all other agents. It’s recommended to run this agent when you first open a project.

Coding Agent + Testing Agents

Use the Coding Agent to implement features, then leverage the Unit Testing and E2E Testing Agents to ensure comprehensive test coverage for your new code.

Ask Agent as Your Starting Point

The Ask Agent is ideal for asking questions about your codebase and getting advice while maintaining full understanding of your project context. Use it for general questions and planning - it won’t make code changes but serves as an excellent starting point for understanding your current project.

Each agent is designed to excel at specific tasks. Feel free to start new chats with different agents to work on specific tasks as your needs change throughout your development workflow.