Build Your First Bot

A bot is a single autonomous agent: it takes a message, reasons, optionally calls tools, and responds. Here's how to build one that searches the web and summarizes the result.

Option A — Describe it to HiveMind

The fastest path. Open HiveMind and type what you want:

"Build a research bot. When someone gives it a topic, it searches the web and replies with a short summary."

HiveMind writes the bot for you and opens it in the builder. Tweak the wording, then save. Skip to Test it.

Option B — Write it in HiveLang

Go to Bots → New Bot and define the bot. In HiveLang v5, a bot declares its instructions, the capabilities (tools) it may use, and what to do on user.message:

hivelang
bot Researcher {
  instructions {
    A helpful assistant that researches topics online.
    Search for the requested topic, then summarize what you find.
  }

  capabilities {
    web.search
    ai.generate
  }

  on user.message {
    call web.search with { query: input } as results
    call ai.generate with {
      prompt: "Summarize these search results: " + results
    } as summary
    respond with summary
  }
}

What each part does:

• instructions — the bot's persona and standing orders.
• capabilities — the tools it's allowed to use (here, web search and the built-in model).
• on user.message — the entry point. The incoming message is input.
• call … with { } as — invoke a tool and store its result.
• respond with — reply to the caller.

<a id="test-it"></a>Test it

Use the test/chat pane to send the bot a message — e.g. a topic to research — and watch it search, reason, and reply. If a tool needs a connection you haven't set up (like a specific search provider), the builder tells you which integration to connect.

Save & reuse

Save the bot. It now has an ID you'll use to call it from your app, drop it into a workflow as a Bot node, or publish it.

Next steps

• Connect a bot to your app — call it from your own product.
• Understanding HiveLang — the full language.
• Building Your First Swarm — multiple bots as a team.