Better Ayla Agent for n8n

An improved AI Agent node for n8n that provides better memory management, modern AI SDK integration and a webhook option to push intermediate messages as they happen.

Features

• Conversation Memory that includes Tools – every user message, tool call and tool result is stored.
• Modern AI SDK Providers – wraps OpenAI (including GPT-5), Gemini and Anthropic through stable Vercel AI SDK v4.
• Live Streaming Updates: Intermediate Webhook URL lets you push each agent step in real-time

Installation

npm install n8n-nodes-better-ayla-agent

Compatibility

This node is designed to be a drop-in replacement for the existing AI Agent node while providing enhanced functionality:

• ✅ Works with existing Language Model nodes
• ✅ Works with existing Memory nodes
• ✅ Works with existing Tool nodes
• ✅ Works with existing Output Parser nodes
• ✅ Maintains same input/output interface

Key Improvements Over Standard Agent

1. Memory Management

• Problem: Original agent doesn't save tool calls to memory
• Solution: Every interaction (human messages, AI responses, tool calls, tool results) is properly saved

2. Modern AI SDK

• Problem: Uses deprecated LangChain patterns
• Solution: Built on Vercel AI SDK for better performance and reliability

3. Simplified Configuration

• Problem: Complex agent type selection with lots of conditional logic
• Solution: Single, powerful agent that adapts to your needs

4. Two-Stage Generation with Utility Model (Cost Optimization)

• Problem: Powerful AI models can be expensive for every intermediate step, especially with frequent tool calls.
• Solution: This node now supports an optional "Utility Model" for cost-effective operations. When connected, a cheaper, faster utility model handles all intermediate reasoning steps, tool calls, and tool result processing. The more powerful "Main Model" is then exclusively used for generating the final, high-quality, user-facing response, significantly reducing overall token costs while maintaining response quality.

Usage

Basic Setup

1. Add the node to your workflow
2. Connect a Language Model (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) as the Main Model.
3. Optionally connect a second Language Model as the Utility Model for cost-optimized two-stage generation.
4. Optionally connect:
   • Memory node for conversation persistence
   • Tool nodes for enhanced capabilities
   • Output Parser for structured responses

Input Sources

Choose how to provide the user prompt:

• Connected Chat Trigger Node: Automatically uses chatInput from chat triggers
• Define below: Use expressions or static text

Configuration Options

• System Message: Define the agent's behavior and personality
• Max Tool Calls: Limit the number of tool interaction rounds
• Intermediate Webhook URL: Send each partial reply/tool-call to an external workflow in real-time
• Verbose Logs: Enable/disable detailed console logging
• Temperature: Control response creativity (0.0 = deterministic, 1.0 = creative)
• Max Tokens: Set response length limits

Example Workflow

Chat Trigger → Better Ayla Agent → Response
              ↗ OpenAI Model
              ↗ Buffer Memory
              ↗ Calculator Tool
              ↗ Web Search Tool

Technical Details

Tool Call Memory

Unlike the original agent, this node ensures that all tool interactions are preserved in memory:

User: "What's 25 * 47 and then search for that number"
Assistant: [calls calculator tool]
Tool: "1175"
Assistant: [calls web search tool with "1175"]
Tool: [search results]
Assistant: "The result is 1175. Here's what I found about it..."

All of these interactions are saved to memory for future reference.

AI SDK Integration

Uses modern patterns from Vercel AI SDK:

• Built-in tool calling support
• Automatic conversation management
• Better error handling
• Real-time step streaming via onStepFinish

Known Limitations

| Limitation | Work-around | |------------|------------| | n8n UI does not highlight the attached model or tool nodes because only the Agent executes code | Rely on the Agent output or streamed webhook messages for visibility | | Tool nodes without an explicit Zod/JSON schema (e.g. raw HTTP Request) may receive incorrect argument keys | Wrap such tools in a Custom Code Tool and define a schema, or add few-shot examples | | Streaming is step-level, not token-level; the n8n node outputs only when the Agent finishes | Use the Intermediate Webhook to push interim messages to a Chat, Slack, etc. | | The node's dependencies must be available next to ~/.n8n/custom/BetterAylaAgent.node.js | Run npm run deploy-local (copies package.json and installs runtime deps) |

Development

Building from Source

git clone <repository>
cd n8n-nodes-better-ayla-agent
npm install
npm run build

Testing

npm test

Publishing

npm run package
npm publish

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "No language model connected": Ensure you've connected a language model node
2. Tool calls not working: Verify your tools are properly configured and connected
3. Memory not persisting: Check that your memory node is correctly connected

Debug Information

The node outputs additional debug information:

• usage: Token usage statistics
• finishReason: Why the generation stopped
• toolCalls: List of tools that were called
• toolResults: Results from tool executions

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our contributing guidelines for more information.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Create an issue for bugs or feature requests
• Join the n8n community for general support
• Check the documentation for detailed usage examples