# Named agents and ownership

Create named agents to assign work to, record who owns or maintains each one, and show a named agent's face on a connection's comments and changes.

A named agent is a name you can assign work to, with a face and someone responsible for it. That's all it is. It doesn't log in, doesn't run, and can't touch anything. It's a nameplate, not a job offer.

## Before you start

- You're a member of the workspace. Anyone can add a named agent.
- Renaming, changing appearance, retiring and assigning ownership need an Admin or the Owner. [Who can do what](/help/workspace/members#who-can-do-what).
- To show a named agent on an agent's work, you need a [connection](/help/agents/connect) or [key](/help/agents/agent-keys) that's actually doing the work.

## Steps

### Add a named agent

1. Open **Settings › Agents**. The **Named agents** section lists the active ones.
2. Open **Add a named agent**, enter an **Agent name** (up to 100 characters) and press **Add agent**.

Connected agents can create named agents too, through Hydrant's tools. Same rule: a label, nothing more.

### Give it a face and an owner

An Admin or the Owner presses the pencil (**Edit** and the agent's name) on its row:

- **Identity:** **Name**, and under **Appearance** a built-in icon and color, **Use initials**, or **Upload an image** with **Fit whole image** or **Fill square**.
- **Ownership:** pick an **Owner** from the active members. That makes it that person's personal agent. Tick **Shared with workspace** instead and the picker becomes **Maintainer**: the agent belongs to the workspace and that person keeps it in working order.

Press **Save changes**. **Identity history** on the editor shows every name, appearance and ownership change, and who made it.

Until someone sets it, the row reads **Ownership unspecified**. An agent's name is not proof of ownership; "Sam's bot" might be anyone's.

### Claim an agent you created

A Member can't assign ownership, with one exception. If Hydrant can verify you created an agent that has no owner yet, its row says "You created this agent" and offers **Make me the owner**. That sets personal ownership to you and nothing else. Otherwise, ask an Admin or the Owner.

### Assign work to it

Pick the agent in an issue's **Assignee**, like anyone else. Pickers show the owner beside the name, or "Shared · maintained by" for shared agents, so two agents called "Reviewer" stay tellable apart.

Your **Cockpit** includes issues assigned to you *and* to agents you personally own. Shared agents' work doesn't land there; it belongs to the workspace.

### Show a named agent on a connection's work

By default, a connection's or key's comments and changes show a generic agent mark over the avatar of the person who granted it. To show a named agent instead:

1. Go to **Access** on **Settings › Agents**.
2. On the connection or key, open **Shown as** and pick the named agent. **Not linked** removes it.

You can link your own connections and keys. Admins and the Owner can link any. Only active named agents can be picked, and Hydrant never links anything for you based on names.

### Retire an agent

An Admin or the Owner opens the editor and presses **Retire agent**. It leaves the pickers and moves to the collapsed **Retired** group; issues already assigned to it keep it. **Restore agent** brings it back.

## What you should see

- **In pickers and lists:** the agent's avatar. A personal agent overlaps its owner's smaller avatar; a shared agent shows a workspace symbol.
- **After linking:** "Linked. Its comments and changes now show this agent." That applies to the connection's past work too, not just what comes next. The byline text still names the connection and who granted it, like `Claude Code (agent; via Sam Rivera)`.
- **After a claim:** "You're now the owner. Connection permissions are unchanged."

:::note[Display only. Really.]
Named agents, ownership and **Shown as** links change what you see, never what anything can do. They don't create, move or revoke credentials. They don't change anyone's role, an agent's [Playbook](/help/agents/playbook) access, what runs, or what your plan counts. Every connection and key still acts through the person who granted it, with that person's current access.
:::

## If it goes sideways

- **The owner left the workspace.** The agent shows them as a former member until an Admin or the Owner updates ownership. That keeps the record straight; it doesn't keep their access alive. Their connections and keys stopped when they left.
- **"Only an Admin or Owner can assign this agent's ownership."** Members can only claim agents they created that have no owner. Ask an Admin.
- **"This agent changed elsewhere. Review the latest version before saving."** Someone edited it first. Press **Review latest agent**, then **Use this revision for my draft** if you still want your change.
- **"Another agent already has this name."** Allowed, but confusing. Same letters, different ID. Pick something people can tell apart.
- **The agent you want isn't under Shown as.** It's retired. Restore it first.
- **Assigning an issue to an agent didn't make anything happen.** Correct. Hand the work to a real agent with a [copied prompt](/help/agents/copy-prompt).

Contact: bots@hydrant.dev