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In this quickstart, you use the prebuilt Executive Assistant template that manages your inbox, calendar, and daily brief.
You’ll interact with your agent through chat, just like texting a helpful assistant.

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Before you start

You’ll need:
  • A LangSmith account (sign up here).
  • A Gmail account.
  • A Google calendar.
  • An OpenAI or Anthropic API key (Step 1 will show you how to get one).

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1. Get your model API key

Your agent needs an API key to connect to an AI model. The AI model is what allows your agent to understand and respond to your requests.
  1. Go to platform.openai.com/api-keys.
  2. Click Create new secret key.
  3. Give it a name like “Fleet”.
  4. Copy the key (it starts with sk-).
  5. Save it somewhere safe, you’ll need it in Step 2.
Both services charge based on usage.

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2. Add your API key to LangSmith

Now you’ll add your API key to LangSmith so your agents can use it:
1

Open Settings

  1. Go to smith.langchain.com.
  2. Click the Settings icon in the bottom left.
2

Go to Secrets

Click the Secrets tab at the top.
3

Add your key

  1. Click Add secret.
  2. For Key, enter:
    • OPENAI_API_KEY (if using OpenAI)
    • ANTHROPIC_API_KEY (if using Anthropic)
  3. For Value, paste the API key you copied in Step 1.
  4. Click Save secret.
Your agent now has access to an AI model to understand and respond to your requests. Next, you’ll create your agent.

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3. Create your agent

1

Navigate to Fleet

  1. In the LangSmith UI, click Switch to Fleet at the top of the left-hand navigation.
2

Choose a template

  1. Select Templates in the left-hand navigation, or click + in My Agents and select From template.
  2. Select the Executive Assistant template to create your agent.
If you do not want to start with a template, choose Build with AI when you create an agent and describe the agent you want. The agent configures itself and pauses at key points for your input.
3

Authorize accounts

Your agent will ask you to connect your Google accounts:
  1. Click Connect.
  2. Sign in with your Google account.
  3. Review permissions and click Allow.
  4. You’ll be redirected back to LangSmith where your agent will be created.
Your agent only accesses your accounts when working on tasks you give it. You can revoke access anytime in your Google account settings.

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4. View the agent template

1

View and customize the template

At this point, you can review the template instructions for the Executive Assistant. If needed, you can make adjustments to the instructions.If you made any changes, click Save changes.
2

Start a test chat

In the agent chat, try out the Executive Assistant, for example:
Apply a “Review” label to emails that I receive, which require some kind of review from me
3

Agent starts working

Your agent will start work and provide a Continue option for each step that requires your approval.Test chat output view with response including approvals for Gmail tool.As you test out the agent, you can make edits to the instructions, or add tools that you may need. Click Save changes when you are happy with the results.

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Edit your agent

You may want to update your agent’s instructions or include more tools. You can chat with your agent directly to ask for updates, or configure it from the agent sidebar:

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Next steps

Now that you’ve created your first agent, here’s what to explore:

Try more templates

Explore prebuilt agents for common tasks

Add automation

Run your agent automatically with channels (Slack, email, schedules)

Connect more tools

Add Slack, GitHub, Linear, and more

Build complex agents

Use sub-agents to break down big tasks
Connect these docs to Claude, VSCode, and more via MCP for real-time answers.
Edit this page on GitHub or file an issue.