Building Scout

AI agents · by Christopher Haworth

Building Scout

A plain-English guide to AI agents, and the tools that build them

Build a working AI research assistant, even if you've never written code.

Get the book free Watch Scout think

Free as a PDF or EPUB. Or try the demo.

Three friendly robots from the book's cover, joined by branching lines: a team of AI agents.

What you'll build

Scout: your own AI research assistant

Ask it a question, and it comes back with a short report you can trust. You'll build every part of it yourself, one chapter at a time, by directing Claude Code.

  • A team of AI agents researches any question

    A planner splits your question up, researchers work on the pieces at the same time, and a writer pulls it all together.

  • Every claim is cited

    Each point in the report links to where it came from, and a fact-checker reviews the report before you see it.

  • It ends up live on the internet

    By the last chapter, Scout runs on its own web address that you can share with anyone.

How it works

Watch Scout think

Scout isn't one AI doing everything. It's a small team, and each member has one job. Pick a question and watch them work. This is an animation of what happens; to watch Scout's real runs, step by step, try the demo.

You ask

Does drinking coffee affect how well you sleep?

Planner

  1. 1Caffeine's effect on sleep quality
  2. 2How long caffeine stays in the body
  3. 3Advice on when to stop drinking coffee

Researcher 1

Caffeine's effect on sleep quality

4 findings, each with its source

Researcher 2

How long caffeine stays in the body

3 findings, each with its source

Researcher 3

Advice on when to stop drinking coffee

3 findings, each with its source

Writer

1234

Fact-checker

Approved

Cited report

10

findings, every claim cited. Read a real report

  1. Planned 3 research task(s): Caffeine's effect on sleep quality; How long caffeine stays in the body; Advice on when to stop drinking coffee
  2. A researcher finished with 4 finding(s)
  3. A researcher finished with 3 finding(s)
  4. A researcher finished with 3 finding(s)
  5. Wrote a draft report
  6. Fact-checker approved the report
  1. You ask a question, the kind you'd normally spend an afternoon searching for.
  2. The planner breaks it into a few smaller questions.
  3. Researchers take one each and search the web at the same time.
  4. The writer turns their notes into a clear report.
  5. The fact-checker checks each claim against its source.
  6. You get a cited report, with links so you can check it yourself.
  • 15chapters, each one adding a working piece
  • 5parts, from first prompt to running on its own
  • 4kinds of agent: planner, researcher, writer, fact-checker
  • 1real app, live on the internet at the end

What's inside

Fifteen chapters, five parts

From your first conversation with Claude to Scout running on its own, with a glossary, answers and Scout's complete source code at the back.

01

Part OneFoundations

  1. What an agent actually is
  2. Setting up your workshop
  3. Talking to Claude well
02

Part TwoWorking with Claude Code

  1. Building with Claude Code
  2. Giving Claude a memory
  3. Checks that can say no
03

Part ThreeBuilding the agent

  1. Writing tools for agents
  2. A team of researchers
  3. Drawing the map
04

Part FourScaling your workshop

  1. Helpers with their own desks
  2. Teaching Claude your recipes
  3. Plugging into the world
05

Part FiveRunning on its own

  1. Work that outlasts a conversation
  2. The agent in a loop
  3. Shipping Scout

At the backAppendices

Answers to the tests, a glossary, what to do when things go wrong, Scout's complete source, and every source the book draws on.

The cover of Building Scout: three friendly robots joined by branching lines, on a clay background.

Free download

Get the book free

The whole book, every prompt and every command, ready to follow along.

  • PDF for reading on a computer, or printing.
  • EPUB for e-readers, phones and tablets: Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books and most others.

Your details aren't shared with anyone. How they're used.

Who it's for

  • Complete beginners. If you can install an app, copy and paste, and follow a recipe, you can finish it. Every technical word is explained the first time it appears.
  • People who keep hearing "agents" and "MCP" at work and want to know what they actually mean, by building something real with each of them.

What you'll need

Start now with the setup. Each link opens the right page.

Real output

See what Scout writes

Three finished reports, each with the steps Scout took to write it: the plan, the searches and the fact-check.

Want to see the real thing? Try the demo: pick a question and watch Scout's team research it, step by step.

About the author

Portrait of Christopher Haworth

Christopher Haworth

Product leader · Claude builder · Vibe coder

I'm a product leader in SaaS and digital communications, specialising in personalisation and optimisation. I've been coding for years, and I love ‘vibe coding’: describing what you want to an AI and building it together. I build small projects with Claude to explore what AI can do and how it can make everyday life better. Building Scout shares what I've learned, in plain English.

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn