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10 Rules for Building AI Agents That Actually Work
I've spent the last year building AI agents and working with CEOs doing the same. Most of what I built, I threw out. Here are the 10 rules that survived.
I've been building agents across my coaching practice, content production, and business operations — and the biggest lesson is that the hard part isn't the AI. It's codifying what actually matters in your work and organizing it so agents can use it. In this episode, I break down 10 rules for building agents that are genuinely useful — from structuring your data and building context that compounds, to choosing the right model for the right job, mixing deterministic software with LLMs, and managing agents the way you'd manage a high-performing team. No hype, no theory — just what I've learned from doing it every day. If you've been curious about agents but haven't started yet, this is your playbook.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:44 Rule 1: Put All Your Data in One Place
02:00 Rule 2: Build Context That Compounds
03:28 Rule 3: Design for Rapidly Swapping Models
05:03 Rule 4: Use the Right Model for the Right Problem
06:55 Rule 5: Mix Deterministic Software with LLMs
08:21 Rule 6: Orchestrate Based on Frequency and Value
10:44 Rule 7: Keep Agents Narrowly Focused
12:04 Rule 8: Get Ready to Iterate
12:52 Rule 9: Managing Agents Is a New Skill
15:00 Rule 10: Half of What You Build Is Disposable
17:11 Your Next Steps: Just Start Building
Follow Keith Cowing on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/keithcowing
Join the Inner Circle: https://execs.tv
Subscribe
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU_rgycqchjl1jNqjOeJFepyr9yfcXWcM
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Bw7KhjlUzFjMoFhdfNAKN
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/executives-unplugged/id1769131263
View all episodes
By Keith CowingI've spent the last year building AI agents and working with CEOs doing the same. Most of what I built, I threw out. Here are the 10 rules that survived.
I've been building agents across my coaching practice, content production, and business operations — and the biggest lesson is that the hard part isn't the AI. It's codifying what actually matters in your work and organizing it so agents can use it. In this episode, I break down 10 rules for building agents that are genuinely useful — from structuring your data and building context that compounds, to choosing the right model for the right job, mixing deterministic software with LLMs, and managing agents the way you'd manage a high-performing team. No hype, no theory — just what I've learned from doing it every day. If you've been curious about agents but haven't started yet, this is your playbook.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:44 Rule 1: Put All Your Data in One Place
02:00 Rule 2: Build Context That Compounds
03:28 Rule 3: Design for Rapidly Swapping Models
05:03 Rule 4: Use the Right Model for the Right Problem
06:55 Rule 5: Mix Deterministic Software with LLMs
08:21 Rule 6: Orchestrate Based on Frequency and Value
10:44 Rule 7: Keep Agents Narrowly Focused
12:04 Rule 8: Get Ready to Iterate
12:52 Rule 9: Managing Agents Is a New Skill
15:00 Rule 10: Half of What You Build Is Disposable
17:11 Your Next Steps: Just Start Building
Follow Keith Cowing on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/keithcowing
Join the Inner Circle: https://execs.tv
Subscribe
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU_rgycqchjl1jNqjOeJFepyr9yfcXWcM
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Bw7KhjlUzFjMoFhdfNAKN
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/executives-unplugged/id1769131263