Ascend.io, a leader in Agentic Data Engineering, has introduced Custom Agents, a groundbreaking feature that allows data teams to create intelligent, context-aware AI agents in under 10 minutes using simple markdown files. Integrated with Ascend’s DataAware Automation Engine, these agents enable sophisticated, event-driven data operations workflows, streamlining incident response, governance, and pipeline optimization for enhanced efficiency and innovation.
Ascend.io launches Custom Agents, enabling data teams to build AI agents in under 10 minutes for intelligent, context-aware data operations automation.
Agents leverage the DataAware Automation Engine to respond to pipeline failures, data quality issues, and performance anomalies with full context.
CEO Sean Knapp: “Building powerful and safe AI agents shouldn’t take weeks.”
Integrates with tools like Slack, PagerDuty, and GitHub via Model Context Protocol (MCP) for seamless workflow extensions.
Supports proactive governance, coding style enforcement, and pipeline optimization beyond incident response.
Available now to all Ascend.io customers within the Agentic Data Engineering platform.
Ascend.io has launched Custom Agents, a revolutionary feature empowering data teams to build intelligent AI agents quickly and efficiently. Unlike traditional automation tools requiring lengthy development cycles, Custom Agents use simple markdown files and Ascend’s DataAware Automation Engine to create sophisticated workflows that respond to real-time system events. This innovation enhances the Agentic Data Engineering platform, enabling data teams to focus on strategic innovation by automating routine operations and incident responses with context-aware intelligence.
“Building powerful and safe AI agents shouldn’t take weeks,” said Sean Knapp, Founder & CEO of Ascend.io. “With Custom Agents, teams can build, test, and deploy sophisticated data operations automation safely in just a couple of minutes. This represents the next evolution of our Agentic Data Engineering platform—moving beyond built-in intelligence to user-defined automation that understands your unique business context.” Knapp’s vision underscores the platform’s ability to deliver rapid, tailored automation solutions.
Custom Agents streamline data operations by responding intelligently to system events like pipeline failures, data quality issues, or performance anomalies. Ascend’s observability engine triggers the appropriate agent, which leverages a unified metadata layer to analyze pipeline dependencies, data lineage, and recent code changes. For example, a pipeline failure could prompt an agent to analyze error logs, create a GitHub issue with relevant code snippets, raise a PagerDuty incident, and notify the team via Slack—all autonomously, ensuring rapid resolution without manual intervention.
“The power isn’t just in the intelligence—it’s in how easily these agents integrate with the tools teams already use,” said Cody Peterson, Product Manager at Ascend. “We’re not asking teams to abandon their workflows; we’re making them dramatically more efficient.” Custom Agents connect to external systems via Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, enabling integration with Slack, PagerDuty, GitHub, and other MCP-compatible services with minimal configuration, enhancing existing workflows without disruption.
Beyond incident response, Custom Agents support proactive data operations, such as enforcing coding style guides or optimizing pipeline performance based on usage patterns. Teams can also fine-tune built-in agents with Custom Rules, embedding organization-specific business logic for tailored automation. This transforms agents into proactive team members, driving governance and efficiency across data engineering processes.
The launch of Custom Agents solidifies Ascend.io’s leadership in Agentic Data Engineering, offering data teams a powerful, flexible toolset to automate complex workflows. Available now to all customers, this feature enhances operational efficiency, supports proactive governance, and empowers data teams to deliver faster, smarter outcomes in a competitive data landscape.
Ascend.io is on a mission to make data engineering delightful. The Ascend Data Automation Cloud empowers data teams to build, automate, and optimize data pipelines with ease. Combining a powerful metadata core, advanced automation, and integrated AI agents, Ascend eliminates engineering toil, enabling teams to focus on innovation and delivering data faster than ever before.
TechIntelPro empowers B2B technology decision-makers with the latest industry trends, deep insights, leadership perspectives and actionable intelligence to drive both organizational and professional milestones—and thrive on the tech pulse.