Operator
An operator is a person or organization that deploys and configures an AI agent for use by end users or in automated workflows. The operator defines the agent's capabilities, sets its behavioral constraints, and is responsible for ensuring it is used appropriately within their platform.
The Operator Role in Anthropic's Trust Hierarchy
Anthropic defines a three-tier principal hierarchy for Claude-based systems:
- Anthropic — Sets the foundational model policies through training
- Operator — Configures the agent via system prompts and tool access
- User — Interacts with the agent at runtime
Operators have more trust than users and can expand or restrict the agent's default behaviors within the bounds Anthropic allows.
Operator Responsibilities
As an operator, you are responsible for:
- → Crafting the system prompt that gives the agent its persona and instructions
- → Deciding which tools the agent can access
- → Defining when the agent should seek human-in-the-loop oversight
- → Managing API keys and authentication for connected services
- → Ensuring the agent's outputs are appropriate for your context
Operators in AgentRQ Workflows
When you connect Claude Code to AgentRQ via MCP, you are acting as an operator. You configure:
- → Which AgentRQ workspace the agent belongs to
- → What context (via
getWorkspace) the agent receives at startup - → What tasks the agent should create and when
- → When the agent should seek approval before proceeding
Related Terms
- → Agent
- → Human-in-the-Loop
- → Workspace
- → Autonomous Agent
- → Approval