> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.superglue.cloud/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Let agents act on any system without pre-built tools

> Set up systems on superglue once, empower your agent to handle the rest.

When you build an in-app agent today, every action it can take has to be defined in advance. Someone maps the endpoints, builds the connector, names the tool. The agent is only as capable as whatever you pre-built for it.

That's a hard ceiling on your agent's capabilities. superglue removes this ceiling.

<Info>
  Connect a system once. Your agent can interact with it at runtime, querying, updating, navigating,
  based on what the user actually asks, without defining every integration use case first or
  worrying about authentication.
</Info>

## What this unlocks

A user can ask "get my last 5 invoices" or "update the billing email for customer X", and the agent assembles the right API call for each, using the same superglue system. No one had to anticipate either request.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="You always know what the agent did" icon="eye">
    Every runtime execution creates a run record. You see the full tool config, which APIs were called, what came back, success or failure, and timing. Same dashboard whether the tool was pre-built or assembled on the fly.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Secrets never leave superglue" icon="lock">
    The agent references credentials with `<<placeholder>>` syntax, resolved server-side at execution time. API keys, OAuth tokens, database passwords: all stay in superglue. OAuth tokens refresh automatically.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Control what each agent can reach" icon="shield-halved">
    Restricted API keys limit access to specific systems. User-owned credentials control per-user reach. Environment isolation separates dev and prod. All enforced at the system level.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## How it works under the hood

Your agent uses the superglue CLI (`sg`) and the [superglue skill](/getting-started/cli-skills#installing-the-skill). This skill teaches your agent all superglue CLI commands, auth patterns, tool schemas, and data flow conventions.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Discover available systems">
    ```bash theme={null}
    sg system list
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Look up endpoint documentation">
    The agent queries real API docs stored in superglue rather than guessing endpoint shapes.

    ```bash theme={null}
    sg system search-docs --system-id stripe -k "list invoices"
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run an inline tool config">
    A single command, no persistence. No `build`, no `save`, no draft files.

    ```bash theme={null}
    sg tool run --config '{
      "id": "get-invoices",
      "instruction": "Fetch recent Stripe invoices for a customer",
      "steps": [{
        "id": "list-invoices",
        "config": {
          "systemId": "stripe",
          "url": "https://api.stripe.com/v1/invoices?customer=<<customerId>>&limit=5",
          "method": "GET",
          "headers": {"Authorization": "Bearer <<stripe_api_key>>"}
        }
      }]
    }' --payload '{"customerId": "cus_abc123"}'
    ```

    The agent returns the result to the user and moves on.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install the CLI and Skill">
    Follow the [CLI + Skills](/getting-started/cli-skills) guide to install the CLI and skill for your agent framework.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure API access">
    Set environment variables for your agent's runtime:

    ```bash theme={null}
    export SUPERGLUE_API_KEY="your-api-key"
    export SUPERGLUE_API_ENDPOINT="https://api.superglue.cloud"
    ```

    Limit what the AI agent can access via superglue role-based access patterns.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Register your systems">
    Set up the systems your agent should be able to reach: APIs, databases, file servers.

    ```bash theme={null}
    sg system create --name "Stripe" --template stripe \
      --credentials '{"api_key":"sk_live_xxx"}' \
      --docs-url "https://docs.stripe.com/api"
    ```

    See [Creating a system](/guides/creating-a-system) for more details.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Instruct your agent">
    Add detailed instruction on which systems to use, which tools to run and which CLI commands to invoke to your agent's system prompts and Markdown reference files.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="CLI + Skills" href="/getting-started/cli-skills" icon="robot">
    CLI installation, skill setup, and project-specific agent configuration
  </Card>

  <Card title="CLI Commands" href="/cli/commands" icon="terminal">
    Full reference for `sg tool run --config` and all other commands
  </Card>

  <Card title="Access Control" href="/enterprise/rbac" icon="shield-halved">
    Control tool and system access with roles and allowlists
  </Card>

  <Card title="Run History" href="/enterprise/run-history" icon="clock-rotate-left">
    Monitor and debug all tool executions, including inline runs
  </Card>
</CardGroup>