Build and deploy an AI agent with eve

One command builds the folders, installs what the agent needs and opens a chat with it.

1. 1In a terminal, run the command below. Swap my-agent for your project's name.
2. 2If eve asks you to connect a model, pick one in the /login menu: a ChatGPT subscription, your Vercel account or an API key.
3. 3Type a short hello in the chat to check that the agent answers.

npx eve@latest init my-agent

You should see a new my-agent folder with an agent/ folder inside, and a chat open in your terminal.

To get back to this chat later, run npx eve dev in the project folder. It reloads as you edit files.

The instructions file is the agent's standing brief, and eve sends it with every model call.

1. 1Open agent/instructions.md and replace its text with the brief below. Fill in your team and topic.
2. 2To pick a model, type /model in the chat and choose one, such as anthropic/claude-opus-5.5.

You are the news scout for [YOUR TEAM].
Each time you run, get the top Hacker News stories with the get_top_stories tool.
Pick the 5 stories that matter most to people who work on [YOUR TOPIC].
For each one, write one plain sentence on why it matters, then its link.
If nothing fits, say so in one line. Never make up a story or a link.

You should see the agent describing its new role when you ask what it does.

With no agent/agent.ts file, eve uses openai/gpt-6-luna-fast. A model ID like anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 runs through AI Gateway.

A tool is a TypeScript function the agent can call, and its file name becomes the tool's name.

1. 1Create the file agent/tools/get_top_stories.ts and paste in the code below.
2. 2Save it. eve picks up the new tool on its own.
3. 3In the chat, ask: What are the top stories right now?

import { defineTool } from "eve/tools";
import { z } from "zod";

const HN = "https://hacker-news.firebaseio.com/v0";

export default defineTool({
  description: "Get the current top Hacker News stories, with title, link and score.",
  inputSchema: z.object({ limit: z.number().int().min(1).max(30).default(20) }),
  async execute({ limit }) {
    const ids: number[] = await fetch(`${HN}/topstories.json`).then((r) => r.json());
    const stories = await Promise.all(
      ids.slice(0, limit).map((id) => fetch(`${HN}/item/${id}.json`).then((r) => r.json())),
    );
    return stories.map((s) => ({
      title: s.title,
      url: s.url ?? `https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=${s.id}`,
      score: s.score,
    }));
  },
});

You should see a call to get_top_stories in the chat, then a short list of real headlines with links.

Tools run without asking by default. For a tool that sends, deletes or buys something, add approval: always() from eve/tools/approval, so a person approves each call.

A channel is where people reach the agent and where its replies land.

1. 1In the chat, type /add channel/slack.
2. 2Follow the setup. It signs you in to Vercel, links a project and creates a Slack app.
3. 3Install the app in your workspace when Slack asks. Then invite it to the channel where it should post.

You should see a new file, agent/channels/slack.ts, in your project.

With this setup, Vercel keeps the Slack bot token for you. Never paste tokens into files you commit.

A schedule wakes the agent on a timer, with no one asking, and sends its reply to Slack.

1. 1In Slack, open the channel's details and copy its channel ID. It looks like C0123ABC.
2. 2Create agent/schedules/morning-news.ts, paste the code below and put in your channel ID.
3. 3Run npx eve info to check that eve found the schedule.

import { defineSchedule } from "eve/schedules";

import slack from "../channels/slack";

export default defineSchedule({
  cron: "0 9 * * 1-5",
  async run({ to, waitUntil, appAuth }) {
    waitUntil(
      to(slack, { channelId: "[YOUR CHANNEL ID]" }).send(
        "Post this morning's top 5 stories for the team.",
        { auth: appAuth },
      ),
    );
  },
});

You should see morning-news listed among the agent's files, with no errors.

0 9 * * 1-5 means 9:00 on weekdays. On Vercel, schedules run on UTC time, so shift the hour to match yours.

Deploying puts the agent, its schedule and its Slack channel on Vercel, so it runs while your laptop is off.

1. 1In the chat, type /deploy. Or run npx eve deploy in the project folder.
2. 2Open the project on Vercel and check that Settings > Cron Jobs lists your schedule.
3. 3Mention the agent in Slack to test it. Then find the session under Observability > Agent Runs.

You should see your schedule under Settings > Cron Jobs, and a reply in a Slack thread when you mention the agent.

Keep API keys in the Vercel project's environment settings, never in files you commit.