# Agent Tasks

> Agent Tasks are currently in beta. If you run into any issues, please reach out to our [support team](https://clerk.com/support).

Agent Tasks provide a way to create authenticated sessions on behalf of users without going through the standard sign-in flow. When you create an Agent Task, Clerk returns a URL that, when visited, creates a session for the specified user and redirects to the URL of your choice.

This is useful for:

- Automated end-to-end testing where you need a signed-in user
- AI agent workflows that act on behalf of a user

## Create an Agent Task

Use the [`clerkClient.agentTasks.create()`](https://clerk.com/docs/reference/backend/agent-tasks/create.md) method to create an Agent Task. The returned `url` can then be visited to establish the session.

filename: app/api/example/route.ts
```ts
import { auth, clerkClient } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'
import { NextResponse } from 'next/server'

export async function POST() {
  // Use the `auth()` helper to access the `isAuthenticated` and the user's ID
  const { isAuthenticated, userId } = await auth()

  // Protect the route from unauthenticated users
  if (!isAuthenticated) {
    return new NextResponse('Unauthorized', { status: 401 })
  }

  // Instantiate the `clerkClient`
  const client = await clerkClient()

  // Use the `createAgentTask()` method to create the Agent Task
  const agentTask = await client.agentTasks.create({
    onBehalfOf: {
      userId,
    },
    permissions: '*',
    agentName: 'my-agent',
    taskDescription: 'Automated test login',
    redirectUrl: 'http://localhost:3000/dashboard',
  })

  return NextResponse.json({ message: 'Agent Task created', agentTask })
}
```

## Use with Playwright

In Playwright tests, instantiate the client with `createClerkClient()` from `@clerk/backend` rather than importing `clerkClient` from your framework SDK (e.g., `@clerk/nextjs/server`). Framework SDK exports aren't available outside your app's request context.

filename: e2e/app.spec.ts
```ts
import { createClerkClient } from '@clerk/backend'
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test'

const clerkClient = createClerkClient({
  secretKey: process.env.CLERK_SECRET_KEY,
})

test('authenticated user flow', async ({ page }) => {
  const agentTask = await clerkClient.agentTasks.create({
    onBehalfOf: {
      userId: 'user_xxx',
      // or { identifier: 'test@example.com' }
    },
    permissions: '*',
    agentName: 'test-agent',
    taskDescription: 'test-login',
    redirectUrl: 'http://localhost:3000/dashboard',
  })

  await page.goto(agentTask.url)
  await expect(page.locator('header')).toContainText('Welcome')
})
```

## Revoke an Agent Task

If you need to invalidate an Agent Task before it's used, you can [revoke it](https://clerk.com/docs/reference/backend/agent-tasks/revoke.md).

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