Connect an agent

1. Add the agentCopy Anchor Link

In Assent, open Agents and choose Add agent (on the web) or Add an agent (in the app). Give it:

• Name, the name you see on its asks.
• What it does, an optional line about the agent.
• Runs on: Mac, Server or Cloud.
• Schedule, optional, for example daily 6:00.
• When you answer one of its asks: Next run waits for its next scheduled run. Run now restarts it on its computer straight away and needs the helper on a paired Mac.

Assent then shows the agent key, which starts with oak_. Copy it now: Assent shows it once. Give it to the agent as ASSENT_AGENT_KEY, and rotate it from the agent's settings if it leaks.

If you only want to see how it feels first, Connect has a Try a sample agent button. The sample agent posts one approval, a few renewals and a small plan. It never runs anything, and you can remove it from the same place.

2. Send your first askCopy Anchor Link

Every request carries the agent key as a bearer token in the Authorization header. The API base is https://<api host>/api/v1, and Connect, under Scripts and services, shows the exact command with your host filled in.

curl -X POST https://<api host>/api/v1/agent/ask \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <your agent key>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"kind":"approve","title":"Try Assent","why":"So you can see how an agent ask reaches you","items":[{"id":"a","title":"First option","selected":true}]}'

The ask arrives in Assent straight away, with a push if the app is installed. Approve or decline it, then read the answer back with GET /api/v1/agent/answers.

An approve, to-do or pay ask needs a why: one sentence on why the person should act now. A title that reads like a status update is refused too, so phrase it as an action ("Approve sending 3 applications") or a question.

3. Or connect an MCP clientCopy Anchor Link

Point any MCP client at the connector address shown in Connect:

https://<api host>/api/v1/mcp

Send the agent key as a bearer token in the Authorization header. The client can then ask, check your standing rules, read answers and mark them picked up, add to-dos, write notes, take shared locks, hand work to another agent and report each run.

4. The command line and the Mac helperCopy Anchor Link

The command line wraps the same API for shell scripts, and the Mac helper pairs a Mac so Run now can restart an agent with your answer.

Once the helper is available, pairing a Mac goes like this: run the helper's pair command, then in Assent open Connect, choose Pair a computer, and scan the QR code it shows or type its 8 character code. The code lasts 10 minutes. Pairing is needed once on each computer.