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

> ## Agent Instructions
> To act on Atlan objects, use the Atlan MCP server at https://api.atlan.com/mcp or the atlanai CLI; `atlanai --map json` prints its command map. Run a read-only identity check before any write.
> The docs MCP server at /mcp searches these docs only. It cannot read or change Atlan objects.
> SDK packages: Python `atlanai` (PyPI) and TypeScript `@atlanai/sdk` (npm). Show Python first, then TypeScript.

# How agents work

> How Agent Registry records agents and coding harnesses, where their runs come from, and what an agent page shows.

An agent in Agent Registry is a registry record for an AI agent, linked to its
sessions, usage, and runs. The registry never runs the agent. It records what the agent
did, wherever it ran, so you can inspect one agent or compare the whole fleet.

## Agents and harnesses

Agent Registry records two kinds of AI worker:

| Kind | What it is | Where it runs |
| - | - | - |
| **Harness** | A tool a person drives, such as Claude Code or Codex. It carries no prompt of its own. | On the person's computer. |
| **Agent** | An agent built with a framework, such as Claude Agent SDK, LangGraph, or Pydantic AI. | In your runtime, or with an agent provider such as Claude Managed Agents. |

The difference is who drives the work: a person at a harness, or the agent's
own code.

## How runs reach Agent Registry

The registry executes neither harnesses nor agents. A run reaches the registry as a
record, in one of these ways:

* **Session upload**: a run's record and transcript are uploaded after it
  happens. The desktop app does this for Claude Code and Codex sessions on
  your computer.
* **Traces**: the trace plugin for Claude Code, the atlanai SDK, or any
  OpenTelemetry (OTLP) exporter sends the run's execution evidence.

A recorded session is final. It cannot be edited or deleted afterwards.

## Agent page

An agent page has the tabs **Overview**, **Sessions**, **Usage**, and
**Relationships**. **Releases** also appears for agents that support releases.

* **Sessions** lists the recorded runs for the agent.
* **Usage** shows runs, models, tools, cache use, and recent runs for the
  selected period. Select a recent run to open its trace.
* **Relationships** shows the agent's links to other registry objects.

To compare agents instead of inspecting one, use **Agent usage**. It summarizes
usage, cost, efficiency, and recorded errors across every agent with recorded
runs.

## Example

A support team builds an agent with LangGraph and sends its traces through the
atlanai SDK. In **Agent usage**, the team sees that the agent's errors rose
this week. They open the agent's page, select **Usage**, and open a failed run
from **Recent runs**. The run's trace shows the step where a tool call failed.

## What agent records do not prove

* **An upload does not run the agent.** Creating a session records a run; it
  does not start one.
* **An accepted upload does not prove completion.** Compare the session's
  outcome, timestamps, and final events with your runtime when it matters.
* **Missing data is unknown, not zero.** An agent with no usage has no
  attributable runs, which is not the same as no activity.

## See also

* [Agent usage](/registry/reporting): Compare usage, cost, and errors across agents.
* [Agent frameworks](/frameworks/index): Connect a framework so its runs reach Agent Registry.
* [Inspect agent traces](/registry/agents/concepts/trace-inspection): Open a run and read each recorded step.


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