Agent harness
An agent harness is the software around an AI model that runs a task from start to finish, carrying out the model's actions and pausing for the person's approval when a step calls for it. AGI, Inc. builds one as part of the agent layer it offers device makers, alongside AGI-ACT action models and the AGI-RUN inference engine.
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Related terms
Action model
An action model is an AI model that returns the next action in an app or on a screen instead of a written answer.
Agentic commerce
Agentic commerce is shopping that an AI agent completes for a person, from finding the item to checkout, with the person approving the payment.
Agent layer
An agent layer is the part of a device's software that turns a person's request into finished tasks across the device's apps.
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants and agents connect to outside tools and data.
Also called | Agent runtime |
|---|---|
Works with | An action model and the apps or tools it acts in |
In AGI's stack | Runs alongside AGI-ACT models and the AGI-RUN inference engine |
User control | The AGI app always asks before anything financial goes through |
What does an agent harness do?
A model decides what should happen next. The harness carries out that action in the app, keeps track of where the task stands and pauses for the person when a step needs approval.
Two agents built on the same model can behave very differently, because the harness decides which actions the model may take and when a person must approve.
Why does the harness matter for personal apps?
For agents that act in a person's own apps, the harness is where approval rules are set, such as asking before a payment or a message. In the AGI app there is always a confirmation step before anything financial goes through. The agentic commerce entry covers payments in more detail.
How does a harness relate to MCP?
MCP lets an agent connect to outside tools. Developers who already run an agent in an MCP client, such as Claude Code, Codex or Cursor, can connect it to the AGI MCP and give it the apps on an Android phone.
FAQ
Is an agent harness the same as a model?
No. The model decides what to do next. The harness is the software around it that carries out each action, keeps track of the task and stops for the person's approval when a step calls for it.
Does AGI, Inc. build its own agent harness?
Yes. It is part of the agent layer AGI, Inc. offers device makers, together with AGI-ACT action models and the AGI-RUN inference engine. The layer works in any installed Android app with no app integrations.
Where are approval rules for payments set?
In the harness, which decides when to stop and ask the person. In the AGI app there is always a confirmation step before anything financial goes through, so the person approves every payment.
