# Function: runAgent()

```ts
function runAgent(def: AgentDefinition, input: RunAgentInput): Promise<RunAgentResult>;

```

Standalone agent execution without `createApp`. Resolves the adapter, binds inline tools, and drives the adapter's `run()` loop to completion.

Limitations vs. running through the agents() plugin:

* **No OBO and no approval gate** — there is no HTTP request, so plugin tools run as the service principal. The agents-plugin approval gate that prompts for human confirmation on `effect: "write" | "update" | "destructive"` tools is also absent. LLM-controlled tool arguments flow straight through to the SP. Treat standalone runAgent as a trusted-prompt environment (CI, batch eval, internal scripts) — not as an exposed user-facing surface.
* **Hosted tools (MCP) are not supported** — they require a live MCP client that only exists inside the agents plugin's lifecycle. `runAgent` rejects them at index-build time with a clear error.
* **Sub-agents** (`agents: { ... }` on the def) are executed as nested `runAgent` calls with no shared thread state. Plugin instances ARE shared across the recursion (same cache as the parent).
* **Plugin tools** (used inside the function form via `plugins.<name>.toolkit(...)`) require passing `plugins: [...]` via `RunAgentInput`. Each plugin in that array is constructed once, `attachContext({})` and `await setup()` are called eagerly, and the resulting instance is shared across the top-level run and all sub-agent recursions. Plugins whose `setup()` requires runtime that only `createApp` provides (e.g. `WorkspaceClient`, `ServiceContext`, `PluginContext`) throw at standalone-init time with a clear "use createApp instead" message — not mid-stream.

## Parameters[​](#parameters "Direct link to Parameters")

| Parameter | Type                                                                      |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `def`     | [`AgentDefinition`](./docs/api/appkit/Interface.AgentDefinition.md) |
| `input`   | [`RunAgentInput`](./docs/api/appkit/Interface.RunAgentInput.md)     |

## Returns[​](#returns "Direct link to Returns")

`Promise`<[`RunAgentResult`](./docs/api/appkit/Interface.RunAgentResult.md)>