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What is an Agent?

Newton's Vision for the Future of Onchain Activity

Updated over a week ago

From Newton's perspective, an agent isn’t just automation—it’s a new type of user that works for you 24/7. Agents are programmable entities, often powered by AI, that operate on your behalf in the onchain world. They understand your intent, act accordingly, and interact with protocols without needing your constant input.

Unlike simple bots, Newton agents:

  • Are designed to work from smart accounts

  • Have rules to follow that are set by you

  • Have the potential to span multiple chains and systems

  • Are backed by verifiable logic and permissioned access, not unrestricted keys

💡 If you haven't already setup a Recurring Buy Agent you can do so following this guide: Add Your First Agent

Why Agents Matter

The Web3 user experience today still expects users to manually:

  • Sign every transaction

  • Navigate complex interfaces

  • Monitor changing conditions

Agents flip that around so that users move from simply doing things to setting strategies. Rather than interacting with every transaction, users define goals—and agents take care of the rest. Whether it’s rebalancing yield positions weekly, voting only on DAO proposals that meet certain criteria, or farming in-game resources while the player is offline, agents translate intent into continuous onchain action. They make “what you want to happen” programmable, secure, and autonomous.

How This Works

To enable agents, Newton’s ecosystem leans on smart wallets (e.g., ERC-4337 - Account Abstraction, ERC-7579 — Modular Smart Accounts) and delegated signing via session keys:

  • Smart Wallets allow permissions, modules, and automated logic

  • Session Keys grant limited-time or scoped access

  • Cross-chain tools allow agents to bridge activity without siloing

These features combine to make secure, composable delegation possible.

What Can an Agent Do?

Newton currently offers a Recurring Buy Agent with more agents coming soon. Here are a few examples of actions an agent might take:

Agent Type

What It Handles

Yield Manager

Rebalances positions and compounds rewards across protocols

Governance Voter

Automatically votes on DAO proposals based on rules or user-defined preferences

NFT Buyer

Buys assets based on rarity or pricing targets

Onchain Gamer

Executes gameplay actions, claims rewards, manages inventory

Newton Tackles Challenges Head-On

For agents to be reliable and widely adopted, the ecosystem must address a few key challenges—challenges that Newton is actively solving:

  • Security boundaries: Newton’s smart wallet infrastructure enforces strict, modular permissions so agents operate safely and predictably.

  • UX for configuration: Newton is exploring interfaces and tooling that make agent setup feel natural—even without writing code.

  • Agent coordination: With cross-agent communication and scoped delegation, Newton sets the groundwork for multiple agents to collaborate effectively.

Wrap-Up

Newton’s agents reframe how users engage with crypto systems. They’re not bots—they’re programmable actors with purpose, security, and freedom to operate onchain.

This is the shift from click to confirm to set and delegate. And it’s just beginning.

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