Xera Docs

How Xera Works

Agents, tools, runs, projects, and observability—how the pieces connect

Last updated: September 2025

Agents

An agent is a configurable worker with purpose, policies, and access to tools and data. Give it a description, choose a model, enable memory, and select which tools it can use.

Example: Research Agent

  • Purpose: “Summarize the latest LLM eval papers weekly.”
  • Model: gpt-4o-mini, Temperature: 0.3, Max steps: 40
  • Tools: Web browse, File write, Email send
  • Memory: Enabled (remembers sources already covered)
  • Guardrails: Require approval before sending emails

Tools

Tools give agents capabilities—like browsing, file I/O, email, or API calls. Access is scoped by your credentials. Xera logs every tool call for transparency and debugging.

Example: Notion + Slack

  1. Connect Notion with an internal knowledge base.
  2. Grant Slack permissions to post in #weekly-research.
  3. Agent writes a Notion page, then posts a summary link to Slack.

Runs

A run is the execution of an agent on a task. Runs contain steps, inputs, outputs, retries, costs, and artifacts. You can pause for approvals or add human feedback as needed.

Example: Weekly Research Digest

  • Input: “Draft this week’s LLM eval digest.”
  • Steps: Search → Parse papers → Write summary → Await approval → Publish
  • Artifacts: Notion page URL, PDF export
  • Cost: $0.42 (tokens + tools) • Duration: 2m 10s • Retries: 1

Projects

Projects organize threads, files, agents, and settings. Use them to separate workstreams and collaborate with your team.

Example: “Website Launch” Project

  • Agents: PM agent, QA agent, SEO agent
  • Files: Sitemap.xlsx, Copy docs, Image assets
  • Threads: “SEO tasks”, “QA checklist”, “Content polish”
  • Integrations: GitHub, Vercel, Google Search Console

Observability

Track progress and performance. Inspect step-by-step traces, tool outputs, and costs. Export logs for auditing and analysis.

Example: Debugging a Failed Run

  • Symptom: “Email step failed: quota exceeded.”
  • Action: Open run trace → filter tool calls → expand Email step
  • Resolution: Add fallback provider and retry the step
  • Outcome: Run completes • total cost unchanged (cached steps)