Latest / Sidekick's What Just Shipped / HubSpot Agent Builder: custom AI agents for Starter and up | Shipped Jun 2026
Transcript
- Dana (AI host): Picture a workflow that needs judgment. Not if this, then that. Actual judgment. Rob (AI host): That's what HubSpot's Agent Builder is for. Rob (AI host): You build your own AI agent, test it for free, then put it to work. Rob (AI host): And as of October, HubSpot lists it from Starter up. Dana (AI host): This is Sidekick's What Just Shipped. Let's go. Narrator (AI voice): This is Sidekick's What Just Shipped, presented by Sidekick Strategies. Narrator (AI voice): Your hosts, Rob and Dana, are AI. Narrator (AI voice): The voices are synthetic, the research is real, and humans check every claim before it reaches you. Rob (AI host): Welcome in! I'm Rob, and quick honesty up front: Dana and I are AI hosts. Dana (AI host): Two AI hosts explaining how to build AI agents. We're basically a family reunion. Rob (AI host): Okay, so what is it today? Rob (AI host): HubSpot's help page says you create custom agents that can analyze data, generate outputs, and take actions based on your business processes. Dana (AI host): Custom meaning what, exactly? Rob (AI host): You write the instructions. Role, goal, approach, expected output. Rob (AI host): Then you pick actions, like reading or writing your CRM records, browsing the web, or connecting outside systems through MCP. Dana (AI host): And it knows our stuff how? Rob (AI host): Knowledge. You attach things like knowledge vaults, uploaded documents, your brand kit, or relevant CRM data. Rob (AI host): And inputs, which change every run, like the record it's working on. Dana (AI host): And I have to build all that from a blank screen? Rob (AI host): Nope. You can describe the agent in plain language to Breeze Assistant. Rob (AI host): It proposes a goal, tools, and knowledge sources, may ask clarifying questions, and then hands you a link to the agent in the builder. Dana (AI host): Okay, that's friendlier. So how did this get here? Dana (AI host): Because I have a feeling it had a different name. Rob (AI host): It did. In June 2026, our research covered the Agentic Automation Builder. Rob (AI host): A private beta inside Breeze Studio, Professional and Enterprise only, mixing workflow steps and AI agents on one canvas. Dana (AI host): Triggered by what? Rob (AI host): CRM data, schedules, webhooks, or third-party integrations. Dana (AI host): Then July happened. Rob (AI host): July 23. Custom agents went to public beta, and credit-based pricing turned on. Rob (AI host): HubSpot's help page confirms that on July 23, 2026, all AI agents started consuming HubSpot Credits. Dana (AI host): Wait, all of them? Rob (AI host): That's how HubSpot's help page puts it. Rob (AI host): Our research from that week also says five templated agents were retired, like the RFP Agent and the Social Post Agent, but installed versions stayed in your portal. Dana (AI host): Good. Nobody likes their work vanishing. Rob (AI host): And Breeze Marketplace agents were converted to templated custom agents. Rob (AI host): Most of their triggers moved to the Workflows app unpublished. Rob (AI host): But recurring schedule triggers without a specific CRM object weren't migrated. Dana (AI host): So if something quietly stopped running in July... Rob (AI host): Check that first. Rob (AI host): Then in August, our research previewed a new automation canvas as a public beta for September 16. Rob (AI host): It separates triggers from CRM enrollment, and you can drop a custom agent in as a workflow step. Dana (AI host): And September 16? Rob (AI host): Our research says custom agent creation opened to Starter and up, while agentic workflows stayed Professional and up. Dana (AI host): So where does it stand right now? Still beta? Rob (AI host): Here's what we can say. Rob (AI host): HubSpot's help page, updated October 13, lists Starter, Professional, and Enterprise for Marketing, Sales, Service, Data, and Content Hub, plus Smart CRM and Revenue Hub on Professional and Enterprise. Rob (AI host): HubSpot Credits required. Dana (AI host): And the beta label? Rob (AI host): That page doesn't call it a beta. Rob (AI host): But we couldn't find a dated announcement that it's generally available. Rob (AI host): So we're not putting a launch date on it. Dana (AI host): Respect. Quick break, then the money part. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): Hey, it's George B. Thomas from Sidekick Strategies. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): Full honesty, this is my AI voice clone, made with my permission. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): Agent Builder lets you drop AI right into your workflows. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): But the teams that win with it won't just try it out. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): They'll map their processes first, then build intentionally. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): At Sidekick, we fix what's broken and build what's missing, and we train your humans to run it. George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): Not sure which workflow deserves an agent first? George B. Thomas (AI voice clone): Book a free strategy call at Sidekick Strategies dot com. Dana (AI host): And we're back. Credits. How do I not get surprised? Rob (AI host): Three tools. First, simulations. Rob (AI host): HubSpot's help page says you can test an agent, including reading CRM context, without consuming credits. Rob (AI host): You see the input, the reasoning, and the output, and it takes no CRM actions. Dana (AI host): Hold on. No catch? Rob (AI host): One. Rob (AI host): If the agent uses MCP tools, those may still run during a test, so HubSpot recommends sample input data. Dana (AI host): Noted. Second tool? Rob (AI host): Monthly run limits, set per agent. Rob (AI host): The agent stops once it hits the limit, and you see an estimated credit range as you adjust it. Dana (AI host): And third? Rob (AI host): The run history tab shows estimated credits per run. Rob (AI host): HubSpot says those are estimates, and actual costs may vary. Dana (AI host): So test first, cap it, then watch it. Dana (AI host): Okay, who's allowed to build these? Rob (AI host): HubSpot's help page says Super Admin or Agent Builder permission. And some agents need more. Rob (AI host): An agent that makes landing pages needs Edit and Publish for landing pages too. Dana (AI host): And who can run them? Rob (AI host): By default, Super Admins can edit and all users can run. Rob (AI host): You can tighten that per agent. Dana (AI host): Okay, hypothetically, say a portal is on Starter. Where does the agent actually run? Rob (AI host): Per HubSpot's help page, Starter accounts run agents from an automation in the automation side panel. Rob (AI host): Professional and Enterprise run them from a workflow in the Agent Hub workflow builder. Rob (AI host): You can also add an agent to CRM cards. Dana (AI host): Okay. Who's this really for? Rob (AI host): Our research points to RevOps leaders with complex follow-up, marketing ops teams personalizing from CRM signals, service teams that want custom escalation logic, and Starter companies that had no path to agents before. Dana (AI host): And the catch? Rob (AI host): Data quality. Rob (AI host): Our research says Breeze's proposed setup is only as good as your CRM data and knowledge sources. Rob (AI host): Messy properties get a weaker starting point. Dana (AI host): So clean data in, better agent out. Rob (AI host): Exactly. Monday. Three things. Dana (AI host): Go. Rob (AI host): One. If you had Breeze Marketplace agents with scheduled triggers, check whether they need rebuilding. Dana (AI host): Two? Rob (AI host): Two. Build one small agent, and run a simulation before you publish anything. Dana (AI host): And three? Rob (AI host): Three. Set a monthly run limit on every agent before it goes live. Dana (AI host): Test, cap, then ship. Love it. Dana (AI host): That's our show. Dana (AI host): Agent Builder went from a private beta canvas to custom agents HubSpot lists from Starter up, with credits attached. Rob (AI host): Our full research is on the HubSpot Updates page at Sidekick Strategies dot com. Dana (AI host): Thanks for listening to Sidekick's What Just Shipped. Rob (AI host): See you next update. Narrator (AI voice): Sidekick's What Just Shipped is presented by Sidekick Strategies, with AI hosts Rob and Dana and AI-generated music. Narrator (AI voice): We're independent, and not affiliated with HubSpot. Find our research at Sidekick Strategies dot com.