> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tela.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Inputs and outputs > Declare the variables your Agent receives on each run and the structured result you expect back **Inputs** are the variables the Agent receives on every run, as text or files. **Outputs** describe the result you expect back: free text, or a set of named attributes you can read, review and reuse. Both are sections of the sidebar in the **Craft** experience. For the contract assistant of the [running example](https://docs.tela.com/en/agent/overview.md#the-running-example), the Inputs are `contract` (a file, required) and `question` (a text), and the Outputs are `answer` and `risky_clauses`. ## Inputs The **Inputs** section lists every input in a table with its **Name**, **Format** (Text or File) and whether it is **Required**. A search box filters the list. ![Inputs section listing the contract and question inputs, with the Chat and Auto compact switches in the header](https://mintcdn.com/meistrari/IBJhAp-onVS37l80/images/agent/inputs.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=IBJhAp-onVS37l80\&q=85\&s=0d0077b5d91acc45a2264f14c911e7d5) ### Declaring an input **1. Add a variable** Click **Add variable**. The **New Variable** dialog opens. **2. Name it** Type the **Name**. Names can't contain spaces, hyphens or special characters, can't start with a number and must be unique in the Agent. Use `snake_case` or `camelCase`, for example `contract` or `question`. **3. Choose the type** Under **Type**, choose **Text** for content typed or pasted on each run, or **File** for documents the Agent reads. **4. Decide if it is required** Turn on **Required** when the Agent can't work without it. Required inputs must be provided when running the Agent, in the test panel and through the API. **5. Create** Click **Create**. The input appears in the table, and from now on the mention menu of the Purpose offers it under **Inputs**. You can change the **Format** and the **Required** switch directly in the table; both save immediately. The `…` menu at the end of a row has **Edit** (rename) and **Delete**. Deleting an input also removes its folder from the Agent's repository, so update the Purpose afterwards. > [!NOTE] > > **For developers.** Declaring an input creates the folder `input//` in the Agent repository: the folder is the declaration. On each run, a file input is placed in that folder and a text input is available by its name. The name `references` is reserved. Executions are validated against the declared inputs: an unknown name, a type mismatch or a missing required input is rejected with a 400. ### Chat and Auto compact Two switches in the header of the **Inputs** section control the conversation: * **Chat**: the user can send text and files through a chat input, reply after each output, and the Agent keeps the conversation context. With Chat off, each run is a single pass with a **Run** button instead of a chat box. * **Auto compact**: automatically compacts long conversations to preserve useful context. For the contract assistant, Chat on makes sense: the lawyer asks a first question, reads the answer and asks a follow-up about the same contract without uploading it again. ## Outputs The **Outputs** section defines the shape of the result. Leave it empty and the Agent answers in free text (Markdown). Add attributes and the Agent returns a structured result with exactly those attributes, which Tela shows as one card per attribute, lets you review attribute by attribute in test cases, and hands to the API as JSON. ![Outputs section with the answer and risky\_clauses attributes in the table editor](https://mintcdn.com/meistrari/IBJhAp-onVS37l80/images/agent/outputs.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=IBJhAp-onVS37l80\&q=85\&s=96c0c719f03e8cb5820503a1514a5875) ### Adding attributes The section has two views, switched with the toggle on the right: a **table editor**, where you add attributes one by one with a name, a type and a description, and a **code view**, where you edit the same definition as JSON and click **Save** (or **Copy** to take it elsewhere). The code view validates the JSON before saving. Write a description for every attribute. The Agent reads it to decide what goes there, so a description such as *"clauses that expose the company to unusual risk, quoted verbatim with their number"* changes the result more than any extra sentence in the Purpose. For the contract assistant, the two attributes look like this in the code view: ```json theme={null} { "answer": { "type": "string", "description": "Answer to the lawyer's question, citing clause numbers and quoting the relevant text" }, "risky_clauses": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Clauses that expose the company to unusual risk, quoted verbatim with their number" } } ``` > [!NOTE] > > **For developers.** The definition is a flat map of `attributeName -> { type, description, ... }`, without a JSON Schema wrapper, stored in `output-format.json`. A non-empty map makes the result structured JSON; `{}` makes it Markdown. These attribute paths are what test case feedback and metrics reference (nested and indexed paths such as `parties.0` are valid). ### Output variants Some Agents need different results for different situations: the contract assistant might return one set of attributes for a lease and another for a services agreement. Variants cover this. Click **Add variant**. In the **New variant** dialog, give it a **Name** (lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens, up to 64 characters) and a **Description** that helps the Agent pick this variant, then click **Add variant**. The section now shows tabs: **Shared fields**, whose attributes are included in every variant's output, and one tab per variant with its own attributes. In a variant tab you can edit its description inline or **Delete** it. The **Output variant** selector in the header of the Outputs section decides which variant your test runs use: **Auto (agent decides)**, where the Agent reads the descriptions and picks one, or a specific variant you force while testing. ![Outputs section with the Shared fields tab and two variant tabs](https://mintcdn.com/meistrari/IBJhAp-onVS37l80/images/agent/outputs-variants.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=IBJhAp-onVS37l80\&q=85\&s=f9d5f936f54c096fb11bffd3163893b0) ## Where the result appears * In the **Test your agent** panel, a structured result shows one card per attribute (for `risky_clauses`, a list); a free-text result shows as Markdown. The **Reasoning** steps the Agent took are listed above the result. * In the **Test** experience, each attribute can be reviewed with a thumbs up or down and judged against the expected output. See [Testing an Agent](https://docs.tela.com/en/agent/testing.md). * Through the API, in a Workflow step and in tasks, the result is a JSON object with your attributes. See [Running an Agent and getting results](https://docs.tela.com/en/agent/running-and-results.md). This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.