> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.clarky.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Creating Your First Agent

> Build and configure your AI agent in minutes

## Agent Creation Overview

Creating an AI agent with Clarky is straightforward and fast. Your agent can be up and running in just a few minutes.

## Starting the Creation Process

<Steps>
  <Step title="Access the Agent Creator">
    Navigate to [clarky.ai/create](https://clarky.ai/create) or click **"Create Agent"** from the homepage.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter Your Website">
    Provide your website URL so Clarky can automatically learn about your business.

    ```
    Example: https://yourbusiness.com
    ```

    <Tip>
      Clarky will crawl your website and extract relevant information to train your agent automatically.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure Basic Settings">
    Set up your agent's identity:

    * **Agent Name**: What your agent will be called (e.g., "Support Bot", "Sales Assistant")
    * **Greeting Message**: The first message users see when they interact
    * **Agent Role**: What your agent's purpose is (support, sales, information, etc.)
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Agent Configuration Options

### Website Crawling

When you provide your website URL, Clarky:

1. **Crawls Your Pages**: Automatically visits and reads your website content
2. **Extracts Information**: Pulls relevant text, FAQs, and product information
3. **Builds Knowledge**: Creates a knowledge base for your agent
4. **Generates Summary**: Creates a comprehensive summary of your business

<Info>
  The initial crawl typically takes 2-5 minutes depending on your website size. You'll see a progress indicator during this process.
</Info>

### Channel Selection

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Chat">
    **Best for**: Website visitors, instant support, lead capture

    **Setup includes**:

    * Customizable chat widget
    * Chat greeting message
    * Starter prompts for common questions
    * Widget appearance customization
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Voice">
    **Best for**: Phone support, appointment booking, order status

    **Setup includes**:

    * Phone greeting script
    * Voice selection (multiple natural-sounding voices)
    * Phone number provisioning
    * Call routing options
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Text/SMS">
    **Best for**: Mobile-first customers, appointment reminders, quick updates

    **Setup includes**:

    * SMS-optimized responses
    * Phone number for texting
    * Message templates
    * Auto-reply configuration
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Email">
    **Best for**: Detailed inquiries, documentation requests, follow-ups

    **Setup includes**:

    * Email response templates
    * Signature configuration
    * Integration with email providers (Gmail, Outlook)
    * Auto-reply settings
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Testing Your Agent

After creation, you can immediately test your agent:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Test Interface">
    Use the built-in chat interface to have a conversation with your agent.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Try Different Questions">
    Ask questions related to your business to see how the agent responds.

    <Tip>
      Start with basic questions about your products, services, or hours of operation.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Refine Knowledge">
    If responses aren't quite right, you can immediately adjust your agent's knowledge in the Knowledge section.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Deployment Options

### Chat Widget Deployment

To add the chat widget to your website:

```html theme={null}
<!-- Add this before the closing </body> tag -->
<script src="https://clarky.ai/embed/<bot-id>/chat.js"></script>
```

### Voice Deployment

For voice channels:

1. Get your dedicated phone number from the Settings
2. Update your business listings with the new number
3. Configure call forwarding if needed
4. Set up voicemail and after-hours handling

### Text/SMS Deployment

For text messaging:

1. Use your dedicated SMS number
2. Add it to your marketing materials
3. Configure auto-responses for common keywords
4. Set up notification preferences

### Email Deployment

For email channels:

1. Connect your email account (Gmail or Outlook)
2. Configure which emails should be handled by the agent
3. Set up escalation rules for complex inquiries
4. Customize email templates and signatures

## Best Practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Start Simple">
    Begin with a single channel (usually Chat) and ensure it's working well before adding more channels. This allows you to refine your agent's knowledge and behavior without spreading too thin.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Review Auto-Generated Knowledge">
    After website crawling, review the knowledge that was automatically generated. Remove irrelevant information and add important details that might be missing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Set Clear Expectations">
    In your greeting message, clearly communicate what the agent can help with. This sets proper expectations for users.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Test Thoroughly">
    Before going live, test your agent with various scenarios including:

    * Common customer questions
    * Edge cases and unusual requests
    * Handoff scenarios requiring human support
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Enable Human Takeover">
    Always have a clear path for human agents to take over when needed. Enable the human takeover feature in your settings.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Common Issues

<Warning>
  If your website crawl fails, check that:

  * Your website is publicly accessible
  * There are no robots.txt restrictions blocking crawlers
  * Your website loads properly without errors
</Warning>

<Check>
  Your agent is now created and ready to handle conversations! Monitor the inbox to see how it performs.
</Check>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Customize Appearance" icon="palette" href="/features/settings/interface">
    Personalize your chat widget colors and styling
  </Card>

  <Card title="Add More Knowledge" icon="brain" href="/features/knowledge/overview">
    Enhance your agent with additional information
  </Card>

  <Card title="Set Up Integrations" icon="plug" href="/features/settings/integrations">
    Connect to your existing business tools
  </Card>

  <Card title="Monitor Performance" icon="chart-line" href="/features/dashboard/overview">
    Track your agent's conversations and metrics
  </Card>
</CardGroup>