# The Agent Model

When you build something that interacts with Bkper — a script, an automation, a full platform app, or even a bank integration — Bkper treats it as an **agent**: any application that can perform actions on books **on behalf of a user**.

These agents can take various forms such as Apps, Bots, Assistants, or even Banks that interact with your books:

<div style="display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(300px, 1fr)); gap: 20px; align-items: center;">
  <div style="padding-bottom: 20px;">
    [Image: Bkper Agents Model]
  </div>
  <div style="padding-bottom: 20px;">
    <div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 70.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden;">
      <iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 4px solid lightgrey; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 4px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZZ2QUCePgYw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

## Permissions

Agents can only access books that have been explicitly shared with the user they're acting on behalf of. Your code never has elevated access — it operates within the same permission boundaries as the human user who authorized it.

## Identity

Every API request your app makes includes a `bkper-agent-id` header. This lets Bkper attribute actions to the correct agent, so activities and transactions appear with your app's logo and name throughout the Bkper interface — making it easy for book owners to see which entity performed specific actions:

![Agents on Bkper](https://bkper.com/docs/_astro/bkper-app-agents.Dse93XFf.png)

## Bots vs AI Agents

The distinction between a "bot" and an "AI agent" is about capability, not a different type of Bkper primitive. Both are just apps:

| | **Bot** | **AI Agent** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Purpose** | Automating predefined tasks | Autonomously perform tasks |
| **Capabilities** | Follows rules; limited learning; basic interactions | Complex, multi-step actions; learns and adapts; makes decisions independently |
| **Interaction** | Reactive; responds to triggers or commands | Proactive; goal-oriented |

In Bkper, what people call "bots" are typically apps whose primary capability is [event handling](https://bkper.com/docs/build/apps/event-handlers.md) — reacting to things that happen in a book. AI agents go further, combining event handling with LLM reasoning to make decisions.