---
title: Update Agent
url: https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/api/php/beta/agents/update
---

# Update Agent

`$client->beta->agents->update(string agentID, ?string description, ?BetaManagedAgentsExecutionIdentityParams executionIdentity, ?list<BetaManagedAgentsURLMCPServerParams> mcpServers, ?array<string,string> metadata, ?Model model, ?BetaManagedAgentsMultiagentParams multiagent, ?string name, ?list<BetaManagedAgentsSkillParams> skills, ?string system, ?list<Tool> tools, ?int version, ?list<AnthropicBeta> betas, ?string workspaceID): BetaManagedAgentsAgent`

**POST** `/v1/agents/{agent_id}`

Update Agent

## Parameters

- `agentID: string` (path parameter)

  Unique identifier of the agent to update.

- `description?: optional string`

  Description. Omit to preserve; send empty string or null to clear.

- `executionIdentity?: optional BetaManagedAgentsExecutionIdentityParams`

  Execution principal for runs of this agent. Full replacement. Omit to preserve; send null or `{"type": "service_account"}` to restore the default.

- `mcpServers?: optional list<BetaManagedAgentsURLMCPServerParams>`

  MCP servers. Full replacement. Omit to preserve; send empty array or `null` to clear. Names must be unique. Maximum 20. Every server must be referenced by an `mcp_toolset` in the agent's resulting `tools`; unreferenced servers are rejected. See the [MCP connector guide](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/managed-agents/mcp-connector?sdk_languages=php).

- `metadata?: optional array<string,string>`

  Metadata patch. Set a key to a string to upsert it, or to null to delete it. Omit the field to preserve. The stored bag is limited to 16 keys (up to 64 chars each) with values up to 512 chars.

- `model?: optional Model`

  Model identifier. Accepts the [model string](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/about-claude/models/overview?sdk_languages=php#latest-models-comparison), e.g. `claude-opus-5-5`, or a `model_config` object for additional configuration control. Omit to preserve. Cannot be cleared.

- `multiagent?: optional BetaManagedAgentsMultiagentParams`

  Multiagent orchestration configuration. Full replacement. Omit to preserve; send null to clear.

- `name?: optional string`

  Human-readable name. Must be non-empty. Omit to preserve. Cannot be cleared.

- `skills?: optional list<BetaManagedAgentsSkillParams>`

  Skills. Full replacement. Omit to preserve; send empty array or null to clear.

- `system?: optional string`

  System prompt. Omit to preserve; send empty string or null to clear.

- `tools?: optional list<Tool>`

  Tool configurations available to the agent. Full replacement. Omit to preserve; send empty array or null to clear. Maximum of 256 tools across all toolsets allowed.

- `version?: optional int`

  The agent's current version, used to prevent concurrent overwrites. Obtain this value from a create or retrieve response. Must be at least 1 if specified. When supplied, the request fails if it does not match the server's current version; omit to apply the update unconditionally.

- `betas?: optional list<AnthropicBeta>` (header parameter)

  This endpoint is in beta: requests must send `managed-agents-2026-04-01` in this header.

- `workspaceID?: optional string` (header parameter)

  Optional header to select the Workspace for this request. The value is a Workspace ID (for example, `wrkspc_011CZkZaBF1tNoB5wlCeusgy`).

  Only needed for credentials that can act on more than one Workspace. A credential that belongs to a specific Workspace may omit it; if sent, it must match that Workspace.

## Returns

- `class BetaManagedAgentsAgent`

  - `"agent" type`

  - `string id`

  - `?\Datetime archivedAt`

    When the agent was archived. Null if not archived.

  - `\Datetime createdAt`

    A timestamp in RFC 3339 format

  - `?string description`

  - `BetaManagedAgentsExecutionIdentity executionIdentity`

    Execution principal for runs of this agent. Always present; `{"type": "service_account"}` when runs carry no customer-named principal.

  - `list<BetaManagedAgentsMCPServerURLDefinition> mcpServers`

  - `array<string,string> metadata`

  - `BetaManagedAgentsModelConfig model`

    Model identifier and configuration.

  - `?BetaManagedAgentsMultiagent multiagent`

    Multiagent orchestration configuration. Null when the agent is single-threaded.

  - `string name`

  - `list<Skill> skills`

  - `?string system`

  - `list<Tool> tools`

  - `\Datetime updatedAt`

    A timestamp in RFC 3339 format

  - `int version`

    The agent's current version. Starts at 1 and increments when the agent is modified.

## Example

```php
<?php

require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/vendor/autoload.php';

use Anthropic\Client;
use Anthropic\Beta\AnthropicBeta;
use Anthropic\Beta\Agents\BetaManagedAgentsModel;

$client = new Client(apiKey: 'my-anthropic-api-key');

$betaManagedAgentsAgent = $client->beta->agents->update(
  'agent_011CZkYpogX7uDKUyvBTophP',
  description: 'updated',
  executionIdentity: [
    'roleARN' => 'arn:aws:iam::228601553692:role/T', 'type' => 'aws_role'
  ],
  mcpServers: [
    [
      'name' => 'example-mcp',
      'type' => 'url',
      'url' => 'https://example-server.modelcontextprotocol.io/sse',
    ],
  ],
  metadata: ['foo' => 'string'],
  model: [
    'id' => BetaManagedAgentsModel::CLAUDE_OPUS_5_5,
    'effort' => 'low',
    'inferenceGeo' => 'inference_geo',
    'speed' => 'standard',
  ],
  multiagent: [
    'agents' => ['agent_011CZkYqphY8vELVzwCUpqiQ', ['type' => 'self']],
    'type' => 'coordinator',
  ],
  name: 'name',
  skills: [['skillID' => 'xlsx', 'type' => 'anthropic', 'version' => '1']],
  system: 'You are a general-purpose agent that can research, write code, run commands, and use connected tools to complete the user\'s task end to end.',
  tools: [
    [
      'type' => 'agent_toolset_20260401',
      'configs' => [
        [
          'name' => 'bash',
          'enabled' => true,
          'permissionPolicy' => ['type' => 'always_allow'],
          'type' => 'bash',
        ],
      ],
      'defaultConfig' => [
        'enabled' => true, 'permissionPolicy' => ['type' => 'always_allow']
      ],
    ],
  ],
  version: 1,
  betas: [AnthropicBeta::MESSAGE_BATCHES_2024_09_24],
  workspaceID: 'wrkspc_011CZkZaBF1tNoB5wlCeusgy',
);

var_dump($betaManagedAgentsAgent);
```

### Response (200)

```json
{
  "id": "agent_011CZkYpogX7uDKUyvBTophP",
  "archived_at": null,
  "created_at": "2026-03-15T10:00:00Z",
  "description": "A general-purpose starter agent.",
  "execution_identity": {
    "type": "service_account"
  },
  "mcp_servers": [
    {
      "name": "example-mcp",
      "type": "url",
      "url": "https://example-server.modelcontextprotocol.io/sse"
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "foo": "bar"
  },
  "model": {
    "id": "claude-opus-5-5",
    "effort": {
      "type": "low"
    },
    "inference_geo": "inference_geo",
    "speed": "standard"
  },
  "multiagent": {
    "advisor": {
      "type": "disabled"
    },
    "subagents": {
      "inline_agents": {
        "type": "enabled"
      },
      "predefined_agents": [
        {
          "id": "agent_011CZkYqphY8vELVzwCUpqiQ",
          "type": "agent",
          "version": 1
        }
      ],
      "type": "enabled"
    },
    "type": "multiagent_20261001",
    "workflows": {
      "inline_agents": {
        "type": "enabled"
      },
      "predefined_agents": [
        {
          "id": "agent_011CZkYqphY8vELVzwCUpqiQ",
          "type": "agent",
          "version": 1
        }
      ],
      "type": "enabled"
    }
  },
  "name": "My First Agent",
  "skills": [
    {
      "skill_id": "xlsx",
      "type": "anthropic",
      "version": "1"
    },
    {
      "skill_id": "skill_011CZkZFNu9hAbo3jZPRgTmx",
      "type": "custom",
      "version": "2"
    }
  ],
  "system": "You are a general-purpose agent that can research, write code, run commands, and use connected tools to complete the user's task end to end.",
  "tools": [
    {
      "configs": [
        {
          "enabled": true,
          "name": "bash",
          "permission_policy": {
            "type": "always_allow"
          },
          "type": "bash"
        }
      ],
      "default_config": {
        "enabled": true,
        "permission_policy": {
          "type": "always_ask"
        }
      },
      "type": "agent_toolset_20260401"
    }
  ],
  "type": "agent",
  "updated_at": "2026-03-15T10:00:00Z",
  "version": 1
}
```