Save your agent as a custom template
2 min · 4 steps
Built an agent you'd reuse in a slightly different shape next time? Save it as a local template — the matcher will pick it up the next time you describe a similar agent in plain English.
Local templates live under `~/.nxr/local-templates/` as one JSON file each. The llm-worker reads the directory at boot AND after every save, so a template you just published is immediately considered by the matcher on the next request.
## What's captured
When you click 'Save as template' on the agent's Overview tab, Avery walks the agent's nodes + edges and:
• Rewrites every `MISSING` / `<placeholder>` / `TODO` string into a canonical `${slot}` marker, naming the slot from the parent config field where possible.
• Preserves any `${slotName}` markers you wrote yourself.
• Builds a slot definition list with sensible defaults (slm-kind slots that ask the SLM to fill values from the user's request).
• Tags the template with the `personal-productivity` archetype by default — edit the JSON afterward if you want a different archetype.
## Inputs
• Name (required) — the user-facing name. Becomes the template's slug + display name.
• Summary (optional) — fed to the matcher as the per-template blurb. Falls through to the agent's description.
• Tags (optional, comma-separated) — cosmetic for now; will surface as filters in the future local-templates list view.
## What this isn't (yet)
This is local-only. Phase 2 of the agent-template work — the global Forge marketplace publish path lands in a follow-up release. For now, hand-copy the JSON files between machines if you want to share a template.
## Where the file lives
The success toast shows the absolute path. Naming convention: `<archetype>--<name-slug>.json` so the directory listing sorts naturally. Re-saving with the same name overwrites the file (the id is stable per name), giving you idempotent 'save' UX.
Steps
- Open the agent's Overview tab.
From the agent workspace, the Overview tab is the default landing tab.
- Click 'Save as template' in the Setup card.
It sits between 'Regenerate with AI' and 'Delete agent' so the most-impactful actions are the most-immediately-reachable.
- Name the template.
Pre-seeded with the agent's display name. Tweak as you like — this is what shows up in the matcher prompt.
- Confirm.
On success, a toast shows the absolute path the JSON file was written to. The matcher already knows about it — describe a similar agent and it'll match.
Live recipes need the desktop
This article is a static preview. The in-app Help sidecar inside Avery NXR can fire each step against your live project — install the desktop to use it interactively.