Lesson 5 of 6 · Part 2 · Play · 4 min Draft
Watch an agent plan
Step through an illustrated agent run, a meeting moved around a dentist visit, and see where it checks itself and asks you.
Below this text is an agent run, shown one step at a time. The task comes from The Helpers You Can’t See: a colleague called Marcus wants a Thursday meeting, and the calendar has other ideas. In the book the assistant sends the reply by itself; in this version it asks first. Press through the steps at your own pace.
This run is an illustration we wrote to show the loop clearly. It is not a recording of a real product, and real agents word their steps differently.
As you go, notice three things:
- Where it checks its own work. It looks at the calendar before committing to a time, and after sending it looks again to confirm nothing else changed.
- Where it changes course. A calendar result shows its first draft is wrong, so it throws the draft away and plans again.
- Where it asks and where it stops. Sending an email cannot be undone, so it brings you the draft first. At the end it tells you what is still open and stops.
Compare it with the four-part brief from the last lesson. The task line at the top holds all four parts: the goal, a limit (leave existing appointments alone), what done looks like (a drafted reply) and when to ask (before sending).
Illustration · written by us, not a recording of a real product
The task
“Marcus wants to meet on Thursday. Find a time that works with my calendar and draft a reply. Don't move anything already in my calendar, and ask me before you send anything.”
- Plans
Goal: agree a Thursday meeting time with Marcus. First read his email, then check the calendar, then draft a reply. Sending is the person's call, so I stop before that.
- Acts
Open the latest email from Marcus.
- Looks
Marcus asks to meet on Thursday and suggests 2pm. He says he is free all afternoon.
- Acts
Start a draft: "Happy to meet Thursday at 2." Before going further, check the calendar for Thursday afternoon.
- Looks
Problem: a dentist appointment from 2:00 to 2:45. The draft offers a time that does not work.
- Plans
Throw away the 2pm draft. Marcus is free all afternoon, and 3:30 is clear in the calendar with time to get back from the dentist. Offer 3:30 instead.
- Acts
Rewrite the draft: "Thursday at 2 clashes with something for me. How about 3:30 instead?" Save it as a draft. Nothing is sent yet.
- Asks you
Here is a reply to Marcus offering Thursday at 3:30, because 2pm clashes with your dentist appointment. Shall I send it and pencil the meeting into your calendar?
- Looks
The person replies: yes, send it and add it to my calendar.
- Acts
Send the reply. Add "Meeting with Marcus" on Thursday at 3:30, marked tentative until he confirms.
- Looks
Check the work: the reply is in the Sent folder, and Thursday shows the dentist at 2:00 and the tentative meeting at 3:30. No other events changed.
- Done
Reply sent to Marcus offering Thursday at 3:30, and a tentative hold is on your calendar. Still open: Marcus has not confirmed. I am stopping here.
Quick check
One question to lock it in. It doesn’t count against you.