Build an agent
Build something that chooses which tools to use instead of answering directly. You decide what it works on.
Your agent must have at least two tools and choose between them at run time.
That is the only rule. What you build inside it is yours to imagine — there is no spec to follow and no right answer. Bring the idea you have been sitting on, or invent one in the room. The best builds are the ones nobody saw coming.
Some directions people take
Optional. These are examples, not a menu — the point of this track is that you choose.
- An assistant that searches, then summarizes what it found
- An assistant that queries a database and formats a report
- A planner and an executor that pass work between them
- An agent that checks one source before it answers
Things to keep in mind
- Show the tool calls in the interface. Tool selection is the behavior you are demonstrating.
- Give the tools clearly different purposes. Similar tools produce an agent that only uses one.
- Write the question you want answered before you build the agent.
Built something? Two minutes, and it lands in the showcase. Half-finished is fine.
How the session flows
Every Coding Jam follows the same shape, whichever track the room takes.
- 0:00 – 0:15Intro
Grab a name tag and a slice, say hello to the instructor, and meet the people either side of you — you'll be asking them things later, so it pays to know their names now. Low pressure, high creativity, ship something messy. Then a quick word on what the room is building tonight, and you're off.
- 0:15 – 0:30Credits & setup
The instructor shares the Google Cloud credits with the room. Everyone gets their environment ready — whichever tool they brought. Nobody should be installing anything once the build starts.
- 0:30 – 1:35Build
Heads down, and enjoy it — this is the part everyone came for. The agent does the typing; you decide what it's making. Ask the room when you get stuck; someone two seats away hit the same wall ten minutes ago. Want more structure? The codelab walks the spec-driven route — Setup → Plan → Review → Build → API → Verify — but nobody has to follow it.
- 1:35 – 2:00Share & submit
Show the room what you made — two minutes, screen-shared from your seat. Half-finished is welcome; the wobbly ones are usually the most interesting. Say what surprised you along the way, and cheer for everyone else while you're at it. Then submit your build before you leave. This is the one thing not to skip — it's what puts your name and your chapter on the showcase, and it takes about two minutes.