Docker Agent Configuration

Overview

Docker Agent (the CLI is docker agent, the open-source project is cagent) runs AI agents declared in a YAML file instead of application code. This skill owns the agent.yaml artifact: the agents section (each entry's model, instruction, and its own toolsets/sub_agents), the top-level models/providers sections referenced from agents, and a top-level commands group agents can opt into with use_commands. It does not cover invoking the CLI or serving/sharing the config, see Related skills.

When to use this skill

Activate this skill when:

• The user is creating, editing, or reviewing an agent.yaml/agent.yml/agent.hcl file.
• The user wants to add a tool/toolset, an MCP server, or a sub-agent to an agent config.
• The user wants to choose or configure a model/provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Bedrock, Docker Model Runner, custom endpoint) for an agent.
• The user wants a multi-agent "team" with a coordinator delegating to specialists.

Do not use this skill when

Do not use this skill when:

• The task is about running the CLI (docker agent run flags, --safety, --sandbox, aliases, worktrees), use docker-agent-run.
• The task is about exposing an agent as a server (serve mcp/api/a2a/acp/chat), distributing it (share push/pull), or evaluating it (evaluation sessions, --baseline regression gates), use docker-agent-deploy.
• The task is about a generic Dockerfile or Compose service unrelated to Docker Agent, use docker-build-strategies or docker-compose-patterns.

Core guidance