How to Run Your First Agent on rebyte.ai

To run your first Agent on rebyte.ai, you need three things: an organization API key, an Agent definition, and a Session to execute it. Rebyte's own quickstart describes the sequence as "Get an organization API key, define an Agent, and start a Session," then add Skills, MCP servers, and Runtime controls only when the job requires them. The platform is built so you don't have to build or operate the execution stack yourself — the durable harness handles that.

Prerequisites

Before starting, confirm you have:

• A rebyte.ai account with access to an organization (the API key is organization-level, not personal).
• A way to make API calls — the Agent API is OpenAI Agents API compatible, so an existing OpenAI-style client can work.
• A clear idea of the task the Agent should complete, since capabilities and boundaries are set before work begins.

Step 1: Get an Organization API Key

Use the "Get an API key" entry point on the site (linked from the "Run your first Agent" section) to obtain an organization API key. This key authenticates your Agent runs and ties them to your organization's policy.

Expected result: a key you can store securely and reference in your API calls or CLI setup.

Common snag: treating this as a personal key. Because policy is defined at the organization level and "Rebyte enforces the same policy across every run and every surface," the key's scope matters — keep it out of client-side code.

Step 2: Define an Agent

An Agent definition is where you declare what the Agent is allowed to use. Per the platform's control model, you approve:

• Capabilities: the models, Skills, MCP servers, tools, and apps it may use.
• Boundaries: network access, credentials, execution steps, and spend.

Define the Agent once — the same definition and controls apply to every run and every surface (API, product, CLI, or Slack).

Expected result: a reusable Agent configuration with explicit permissions rather than open-ended access.

Common snag: skipping boundaries at the start. It's easier to grant narrowly and widen later than to audit an Agent that had unrestricted network or spend from day one.

Step 3: Start a Session

A Session is a single execution of your Agent. Start one through the Agent API (or CLI/Slack, if configured). Durable execution means the Agent keeps context and continues work across Conversations, so a Session isn't limited to one uninterrupted request.

Expected result: a running Session that executes model steps and tool calls under your policy.

Verification: after the run, open the observation view. Rebyte traces "every model step, tool call, error, token, and cost," so you can confirm the Agent did what you intended and see where it spent tokens or hit errors.

Step 4: Add Skills, MCP Servers, and Runtime Controls as Needed

Start minimal, then extend when the job demands it:

The site notes "hundreds of connected apps" alongside Skills and MCP. Add these incrementally so each addition is visible in your traces and easy to attribute if something goes wrong.

Step 5: Close the Feedback Loop

Running the Agent is only half the workflow. Rebyte's observe-and-improve cycle is:

1. Observe — review the trace of model steps, tool calls, errors, tokens, and cost.
2. Annotate — mark outcomes worth repeating and outcomes that need correction.
3. Improve — feed that production evidence back into instructions, Skills, and evaluations.

Expected result: each run makes the next one better, using real production evidence rather than guesswork.

What to Check If It Doesn't Work

• Authentication failures: confirm you're using the organization API key, not a personal credential.
• Agent refuses a tool: the tool, app, or MCP server likely wasn't approved in the Agent's capabilities.
• Run stops on network or spend: a boundary is doing its job — adjust the boundary deliberately rather than removing it.
• No trace visible: verify the Session actually started; observation depends on a completed or in-progress run.

For exact request formats and menu-level detail, follow the quickstart linked from the "Run your first Agent" section on rebyte.ai, since the site presents the flow at a high level rather than documenting every endpoint.