The building blocks
A handful of core concepts show up everywhere in Rival. Learn these once and the rest of the documentation reads easily. Each has its own page for the full detail — this is the quick map.
Agents
Section titled “Agents”An agent is an AI worker that takes action toward a goal. You give it instructions, context, and a set of tools, and it carries out real work — not just answering a question, but doing the task.
Workflows
Section titled “Workflows”A workflow is an automated, multi-step process. It has a trigger that starts it, a sequence of actions it performs, and approval steps where a human signs off before anything final happens.
Tools & Functions
Section titled “Tools & Functions”A tool (also called a function) is a single, specific capability an agent or workflow can use — like sending an email, querying a database, or creating a ticket. Tools are the building blocks that actions are made of.
Connectors
Section titled “Connectors”A connector is a secure link between Rival and one of your systems — Slack, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, and more. Connectors are how agents and workflows read from, and act inside, the tools your team already uses.
MCP Servers
Section titled “MCP Servers”An MCP server is a standardized way to give Rival access to an external system or set of tools. MCP — the Model Context Protocol — is an open standard for connecting AI to data and tools, so capabilities can be shared in a consistent, plug-in fashion.
RivalBot
Section titled “RivalBot”RivalBot is your built-in assistant for getting value from Rival. In plain language, it helps you spot automation opportunities, find the right agents and workflows, and build new ones.
Marketplace
Section titled “Marketplace”The marketplace is where you discover and adopt pre-built agents, tools, and workflows. Instead of building everything from scratch, you start from what already works and customize it to your needs.
Governance
Section titled “Governance”Governance is the set of controls that keep AI safe and accountable at scale — approvals, permissions, guardrails, and audit logs. In Rival, governance is the foundation, not an add-on: admins decide what’s allowed before anything runs across teams.
Looking for a quick one-line lookup instead? See the Glossary.