Agents | Smallest AI Docs

An Agent is the core component that powers conversational AI in the Atoms SDK. It’s the “brain” that listens to what users say, thinks about how to respond, and speaks back—all in real-time.

What is an Agent?

In Atoms, an agent is implemented as an OutputAgentNode—a specialized node that handles the complete conversation loop:

Listen — Receives transcribed speech from the user
Think — Processes the input with an LLM to generate a response
Speak — Streams the response as audio back to the user

This happens continuously, creating a natural back-and-forth conversation.

Why Atoms Agents?

Feature	Description
Real-Time Streaming	Responses start playing while the LLM is still generating. No waiting.
Interruption Handling	When users speak mid-response, the agent stops and listens.
Context Management	Conversation history maintained automatically.
Tool Calling	Execute functions mid-conversation—check databases, call APIs.
Multi-Provider LLM	Use OpenAI, Anthropic, or bring your own model.
Production Ready	Deploy with one command. Handle thousands of concurrent calls.

Node Types

The SDK provides three node types for building agents:

Node	Purpose
`Node`	Base primitive for routing, logging, and custom logic
`OutputAgentNode`	Conversational agent that speaks to users
`BackgroundAgentNode`	Silent observer for analytics and monitoring

Learn More

Deep dive into node architecture, when to use each type, and how to build custom nodes.

What’s Next

Configuration

Set up prompts and LLM settings.

Tools & Functions

Give your agent actions and data access.

Patterns

Conversation flows, interruptions, multi-agent.

Testing & Debugging

Test locally and debug issues.