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

# What is Ardent?

Ardent is a **programmable intelligence platform** which is the easist way to build, deploy, and maintain
custom **AI agents**.

An [agent](/concepts/agents) is a software system that combines a [model](/concepts/models) like Claude
or GPT with executable [tools](/concepts/tools), [prompts](/concepts/prompts), and other reasoning capabilities
to autonomously perform [tasks](/concepts/tasks) on behalf of users.

Unlike traditional chatbots that simply respond to queries, agents can break down complex problems,
execute multi-step [workflows](/concepts/workflows), and interact with external systems like databases,
APIs, or web services. Agents can also maintain context across operations, and can make decisions about
which actions to take to achieve specific goals.

To build an agent, you'll use the [Ardent SDK](/reference/sdk), and then use the [Ardent CLI](/reference/cli)
to deploy it to the Ardent cloud platform. Once deployed, you (and anyone else in your [Workspace](/concepts/workspaces))
can interact with your agent via the [Ardent app](https://app.ardent.ai).