# Agents

Use Altertable's agent in the app, or connect your own AI client through MCP. Agents can inspect catalogs, run SQL, and create analyses or data apps within the access you grant.

If you are new to Altertable, [set up with your agent](/docs/getting-started.md) to connect MCP and get a first answer from your stack. The CLI is optional for terminal commands and local files.

## Start with a question

Use [Ask Altertable](/docs/agents/ask.md) for questions in the Altertable app. If you already work in Claude, ChatGPT, or another AI client, [connect that agent](/docs/agents/setup.md) instead.

**Add capabilities when you need them**

- [Use the CLI with agents](/docs/agents/cli.md) for local files and terminal workflows.
- [Add business context](/docs/agents/knowledge.md) when the agent needs your metric definitions or project knowledge.
- [Configure MCP](/docs/agents/mcp.md) to adjust environment access and scopes.
- [Schedule recurring work](/docs/automation/tasks.md) when a question should run repeatedly.

* [Ask Altertable](/docs/agents/ask.md): Ask questions about your Altertable data with an agent that uses shared lakehouse context, SQL, and saved business definitions.
* [Use the CLI with agents](/docs/agents/cli.md): Use the Altertable CLI alongside MCP when your agent needs terminal commands, local files, ingestion, or structured query results.
* [Connect your agent](/docs/agents/setup.md): Connect Codex, Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or another compatible client to Altertable with MCP, workflow skills, and optional terminal access.
* [Business context](/docs/agents/knowledge.md): Manage semantic layers, memories, repositories, and business context that help teams and agents understand lakehouse data.
* [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](/docs/agents/mcp.md): Connect MCP-compatible AI clients to Altertable so agents can query lakehouse data through governed, scoped tools.