> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.z360.biz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create and Automate Custom AI Experts

> Create custom AI Experts in Z360, choose how they run, limit their tools, and review scheduled or app-triggered automation settings.

### **Overview**

Custom AI Experts let your team create focused Ask Z specialists for specific jobs. Each expert can have its own name, icon, description, instructions, allowed tools, and trigger settings.

Use custom experts when one assistant should stay focused on a specific kind of work, such as reviewing support tickets, preparing sales follow-ups, watching connected app events, or running a scheduled operational check.

### **When to Use a Custom Expert**

Create a custom expert when you need:

* A named specialist for a repeatable workflow
* Different instructions from the default Ask Z experts
* A scheduled assistant task with a clear goal
* An expert that reacts to a connected app event
* Tighter control over which action groups the expert can use

### **Create or Edit an Expert**

1. Open **AI Studio**.
2. Go to **Experts**.
3. Create a new expert or open an existing expert.
4. Choose an expert icon.
5. Enter the **Expert name**.
6. Add a **Description** that explains when the expert should be used.
7. Add the **System Prompt** with the expert's standing instructions.
8. Review the settings panel and click **Save**.

Keep the description short and practical. The system prompt can be more detailed, but it should still focus on the expert's actual job and boundaries.

### **Choose How the Expert Runs**

In the **Trigger** section, choose one or more trigger types.

| Trigger      | What it does                                                  |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Chat**     | Lets the expert run from an Ask Z chat.                       |
| **Schedule** | Runs the expert automatically on a schedule.                  |
| **External** | Runs the expert when a supported connected app trigger fires. |

At least one trigger must stay selected.

### **Set Status and Review Run Timing**

Use the **Status** switch to make the expert **Active** or **Inactive**.

The settings panel also shows:

* **Next run** for active scheduled experts
* **Last ran** when the expert has run before

If a scheduled expert is inactive, broken, unsaved, or has no upcoming run, the next run field may show `-`.

### **Schedule an Expert**

Use **Schedule** when an expert should perform recurring work without someone starting a chat.

1. Select **Schedule** in the trigger options.
2. Open **Schedule settings**.
3. Choose the **Timezone**.
4. Choose how often it repeats: **Hourly**, **Daily**, **Weekly**, or **Custom**.
5. For weekly schedules, choose the weekdays.
6. For daily or weekly schedules, choose the run time.
7. Choose the expert's **Reasoning** level.
8. Add a **Goal** that tells the expert what to do when the schedule runs.
9. Save the expert.

For custom schedules, use an RRULE value only if your team is comfortable with recurring-rule syntax.

### **Run a Scheduled Expert Now**

Scheduled experts can be run manually with **Run now** when:

* The expert has **Schedule** enabled
* The expert is **Active**
* The expert is not broken
* There are no unsaved changes

If **Run now** is disabled, save your changes first and confirm the expert is active.

### **Use External Triggers**

Use **External** when a connected app should start the expert automatically.

1. Select **External** in the trigger options.
2. Open **External trigger settings**.
3. Click **Select trigger**.
4. Search or choose the connected integration group.
5. Choose the event trigger.
6. Fill in required **Trigger config** fields.
7. Expand **Optional fields** only when the integration needs extra filtering or setup.
8. Choose the trigger's **Reasoning** level.
9. Add a **Goal** that explains what the expert should do when that event happens.
10. Save the expert.

Each external trigger card shows the trigger name, connected account, and any status label the integration reports.

### **Limit Allowed Tools**

Use **Allowed tools** to control which tool groups the expert can use across chat, schedule, and external triggers.

* Click **Allowed tools**.
* Search for tool groups when the list is long.
* Choose only the tools the expert needs.
* Use **Select all** only for broad experts.
* Use **Clear** when you want to rebuild the list.

This is useful when one expert should work with support tickets but not billing, or when an app-triggered expert should only use the connected app it is responsible for.

### **Choose a Reasoning Level**

Use a stronger reasoning level for complex or higher-risk work, such as multi-step investigations, workflow edits, or customer-impacting decisions. Use a lighter level for simple scheduled checks or straightforward lookups.

### **Best Practices**

* Give each expert one clear job.
* Keep the system prompt specific to that job.
* Use scheduled goals that can be completed without extra clarification.
* Start with fewer allowed tools, then expand only when needed.
* Test a scheduled expert with **Run now** before relying on it.
* Review external trigger configuration after reconnecting or changing an integration account.