Building Intelligent Agents with Laravel AI SDK: From Chatbots to Domain Experts

Most AI integrations stop at simple question-and-answer. Laravel AI SDK agents transform raw language models into specialized domain experts that understand context, remember conversations, and execute complex workflows.

Agents in Laravel AI SDK aren't chatbots. They're intelligent systems built directly into your application. Each agent acts like a trained specialist—a sales coach that analyzes transcripts, a support agent that searches documentation, or a content strategist that understands your brand voice.

The difference between a basic AI integration and a production-ready agent system comes down to three capabilities: memory, tools, and structure. Laravel AI SDK provides all three out of the box.

The Foundation: Custom Instructions

Every agent starts with instructions that define its expertise and behavior. Unlike generic prompts, these instructions create specialized experts tailored to specific use cases.

namespace App\Ai\Agents;

use Laravel\Ai\Contracts\Agent;
use Laravel\Ai\Promptable;

class SalesCoach implements Agent
{
    use Promptable;

    public function instructions(): string
    {
        return 'You are a sales coach, analyzing transcripts and providing feedback.';
    }
}

This simple class definition creates an agent that understands its role, maintains consistent behavior, and can be used throughout your application. The agent becomes a reusable component, not a one-off prompt.

Memory: Context-Aware Conversations

Real-world AI interactions require context. Users don't want to repeat information, and agents need to remember previous conversations. Laravel AI SDK provides two approaches to memory:

Conversational Memory

Agents can maintain conversation history by implementing the Conversational interface:

namespace App\Ai\Agents;

use App\Models\History;
use Laravel\Ai\Contracts\Agent;
use Laravel\Ai\Contracts\Conversational;
use Laravel\Ai\Promptable;

class ConversationalAgent implements Agent, Conversational
{
    use Promptable;

    public function messages(): iterable
    {
        return History::where('user_id', $this->user->id)
            ->latest()
            ->limit(50)
            ->get()
            ->reverse()
            ->map(function ($message) {
                return new Message($message->role, $message->content);
            })->all();
    }
}

This agent remembers the last 50 messages, creating natural, context-aware conversations that feel human.

Persistent Memory

For more sophisticated use cases, agents can use the RemembersConversations trait:

namespace App\Ai\Agents;

use Laravel\Ai\Concerns\RemembersConversations;
use Laravel\Ai\Contracts\Agent;
use Laravel\Ai\Contracts\Conversational;
use Laravel\Ai\Promptable;

class RememberingAgent implements Agent, Conversational
{
    use Promptable, RemembersConversations;

    public function instructions(): string
    {
        return 'You are a sales coach...';
    }
}

This trait handles conversation persistence automatically, storing context across sessions and enabling long-term relationship building with users.

Tools: Extending Agent Capabilities

Agents become powerful when they can perform actions, not just answer questions. Laravel AI SDK enables agents to use tools—custom functions that extend their capabilities.

Built-In Tools

The SDK includes powerful tools out of the box:

• WebSearch — Browse the web for current information
• WebFetch — Retrieve and analyze content from URLs
• FileSearch — Search through documents and vector stores

namespace App\Ai\Agents;

use Laravel\Ai\Contracts\Agent;
use Laravel\Ai\Promptable;
use Laravel\Ai\Providers\Tools\WebSearch;
use Laravel\Ai\Providers\Tools\WebFetch;
use Laravel\Ai\Providers\Tools\FileSearch;

class SalesCoach implements Agent
{
    use Promptable;

    public function tools(): iterable
    {
        return [
            new WebSearch,
            new WebFetch,
            new FileSearch(stores: ['store_id']),
        ];
    }
}

These tools transform agents from isolated language models into connected systems that can access real-world data.

Custom Tools

You can build custom tools for domain-specific actions:

namespace App\Ai\Tools;

use Illuminate\Contracts\JsonSchema\JsonSchema;
use Laravel\Ai\Contracts\Tool;
use Laravel\Ai\Tools\Request;
use Stringable;

class RandomNumberGenerator implements Tool
{
    public function description(): Stringable|string
    {
        return 'This tool may be used to generate cryptographically secure random numbers.';
    }

    public function handle(Request $request): Stringable|string
    {
        return (string) random_int($request['min'], $request['max']);
    }

    public function schema(JsonSchema $schema): array
    {
        return [
            'min' => $schema->integer()->min(0)->required(),
            'max' => $schema->integer()->required(),
        ];
    }
}

Custom tools enable agents to:

• Query databases — Retrieve customer information, order history, or product data
• Execute workflows — Trigger automation, send notifications, or update systems
• Integrate APIs — Connect to external services and third-party platforms

Agents become action-oriented systems that don't just provide information—they execute tasks.

Structured Outputs: Consistent, Validated Responses

Production applications need predictable data structures. Laravel AI SDK agents can return structured outputs with automatic validation:

namespace App\Ai\Agents;

use Illuminate\Contracts\JsonSchema\JsonSchema;
use Laravel\Ai\Contracts\Agent;
use Laravel\Ai\Contracts\HasStructuredOutput;
use Laravel\Ai\Promptable;

class SalesCoach implements Agent, HasStructuredOutput
{
    use Promptable;

    public function schema(JsonSchema $schema): array
    {
        return [
            'score' => $schema->integer()->required(),
            'feedback' => $schema->string()->required(),
            'recommendations' => $schema->array()->required(),
        ];
    }
}

Structured outputs ensure:

• Type safety — Responses match expected formats
• Validation — Invalid data is caught automatically
• Integration — Responses work seamlessly with your application logic

Agents become reliable API endpoints that return consistent, validated data.

Streaming: Real-Time Interactions

Users expect instant feedback. Laravel AI SDK agents support streaming responses:

use App\Ai\Agents\SalesCoach;
use Laravel\Ai\Responses\StreamedAgentResponse;

Route::get('/coach', function () {
    return (new SalesCoach)
        ->stream('Analyze this sales transcript...')
        ->then(function (StreamedAgentResponse $response) {
            // $response->text, $response->events, $response->usage...
        });
});

Streaming delivers responses as they're generated, creating a responsive user experience even for complex operations.

Queuing: Handling Heavy Workloads

Complex AI operations shouldn't block user requests. Agents can queue work for background processing:

use App\Ai\Agents\SalesCoach;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Laravel\Ai\Responses\AgentResponse;
use Throwable;

Route::post('/coach', function (Request $request) {
    return (new SalesCoach)
        ->queue($request->input('transcript'))
        ->then(function (AgentResponse $response) {
            // Handle successful completion
        })
        ->catch(function (Throwable $e) {
            // Handle errors
        });

    return back();
});

Queuing enables:

• Non-blocking requests — Users get immediate feedback
• Scalability — Heavy workloads process in the background
• Reliability — Failed jobs can be retried automatically

Attachments: Multimodal Intelligence

Agents can process more than just text. They accept attachments for multimodal understanding:

use App\Ai\Agents\SalesCoach;
use Laravel\Ai\Files;

$response = (new SalesCoach)->prompt(
    'Analyze the attached sales transcript...',
    attachments: [
        Files\Document::fromStorage('transcript.pdf'),
        Files\Document::fromPath('/home/laravel/transcript.md'),
        $request->file('transcript'),
    ]
);

Agents can analyze:

• Documents — PDFs, markdown files, and text documents
• Images — Photos, screenshots, and visual content
• Audio — Recordings and voice files

This creates comprehensive understanding that goes beyond text-only interactions.

Testing: Confidence in Production

Laravel AI SDK includes comprehensive testing support. You can fake agents, responses, and tools:

use Laravel\Ai\Facades\Ai;

Ai::fake();

$response = (new SalesCoach)->prompt('Test prompt');

// Assertions work as expected

Testing ensures:

• Reliability — Agents behave consistently
• Speed — Tests run without API calls
• Cost — No API usage during development

You can ship agents with real test coverage, ensuring they work correctly in production.

Real-World Use Cases

Laravel AI SDK agents power diverse applications:

Customer Support

Agents that search documentation, understand context, and provide accurate answers reduce support ticket volume while improving response quality.

Content Analysis

Agents that analyze documents, extract insights, and provide recommendations help teams process information faster and make better decisions.

Sales Coaching

Agents that review sales transcripts, identify improvement areas, and suggest strategies help sales teams improve performance systematically.

Workflow Automation

Agents that understand business processes, execute tasks, and coordinate between systems create intelligent automation that adapts to context.

Building Production-Ready Agents

Creating effective agents requires more than just connecting to an AI model. Laravel AI SDK provides the infrastructure for:

• Specialized expertise — Agents that understand specific domains
• Contextual memory — Agents that remember conversations
• Action capabilities — Agents that execute tasks
• Structured outputs — Agents that return validated data
• Real-time interactions — Agents that stream responses
• Background processing — Agents that handle heavy workloads
• Multimodal understanding — Agents that process various content types
• Test coverage — Agents that ship with confidence

The result: intelligent systems that feel native to your application, not bolted-on integrations.

The Future of Agent Development

As AI becomes central to modern applications, developers need frameworks that make building intelligent systems as natural as building any other feature. Laravel AI SDK provides that foundation—combining sophisticated AI capabilities with Laravel's elegant, productive patterns.

Agents built with Laravel AI SDK aren't experiments. They're production-ready systems that scale, test, and maintain like any other Laravel feature.

The difference between a chatbot and a domain expert isn't the AI model. It's the framework.