How Codegen Agents Work

Codegen agents follow a simple but powerful workflow: they’re triggered from your existing tools, work in secure sandboxes to implement changes, create pull requests, and then monitor and fix any issues that arise. This creates a seamless development experience that integrates naturally with your team’s existing processes.

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The Agent Happy Path

Here’s how Codegen agents work from start to finish:

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1. Users Trigger @codegen to Perform Tasks

Agents activate seamlessly from the platforms you already use:

• Slack - Tag @codegen in any channel or send a direct message
• Linear - Assign an issue to Codegen or mention it in comments
• Jira - Assign an issue to Codegen or mention it in comments
• ClickUp - Assign a task to Codegen or mention it in comments
• Monday.com - Assign an item to Codegen or mention it in comments
• GitHub - Comment on issues or PRs to request changes
• API - Programmatically trigger agents for automated workflows

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2. @codegen Performs Work in Secure Sandboxes

Once triggered, agents work in isolated sandbox environments where they can:

• Execute code safely without affecting your systems
• Install dependencies and run tests
• Make changes and validate them before committing
• Access your repository context while maintaining security

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3. Users Receive Completed Pull-Requests

Agents create GitHub pull requests with:

• Detailed descriptions explaining the changes
• Links back to the original request (Linear issue, Slack thread, etc.)
• Clean, tested code ready for review
• Proper commit messages following your conventions

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4. Agents Monitor and Auto-fix PR Issues

The Checks Auto-fixer ensures quality by:

• Monitoring CI/CD pipeline results in real-time
• Automatically analyzing build failures and test errors
• Pushing targeted fixes to resolve issues
• Retrying up to 3 times before escalating to humans

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5. Agents Respond to Follow-ups

Agents remain active to handle questions and refinements:

• Respond to PR review comments with additional changes
• Answer questions in the original Slack thread or Linear issue
• Make adjustments based on feedback from team members
• Provide explanations of their implementation decisions

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Configuration & Customization

Codegen agents can be customized to match your team’s specific workflows and requirements:

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Model Selection

Choose from leading AI models and configure custom API keys to optimize performance and cost for your organization.

Model Choice

Select LLM providers, configure custom API keys, and optimize performance settings.

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Agent Behavior

Control how agents interact with users and approach code modifications to ensure they align with your team’s preferences.

Agent Behavior

Configure plan proposals, GitHub mention requirements, and interaction patterns.

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Security & Permissions

Define what actions agents are allowed to perform across your organization with fine-grained permission controls.

Agent Permissions

Control PR creation, rules detection, and enforce security policies like signed commits.

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Learn More

Dive deeper into specific capabilities:

• Get started with the overview - Complete introduction to Codegen
• Explore integrations - See all available platforms and tools
• Understand sandboxes - Learn about the secure execution environment
• Configure settings - Customize agent behavior and permissions
• View analytics - Monitor agent performance and impact