You can turn a Sidekick Spot Check into a Solink agent with the Convert to Agent button. The new agent inherits the settings of your spot check, and you can then review the settings and save the agent.
Sidekick turns off on December 31, 2026. Convert the spot checks that you want to keep before that date.
For more information about agents, see Agents: Getting Started.
Before You Start
Read this before you convert a spot check:
You can create and edit agents only in the Solink web platform, not in the Solink mobile app.
You need the Agents user permission. Admin users can turn it on from the Users page.
Converting a spot check does not delete it. Solink creates a new agent and keeps the spot check until December 31, 2026, unless you delete it first.
One agent can often replace several spot checks. For example, if you have spot checks that run at different times on different days, one agent can use all of those schedules. Look at what agents can do before you convert every spot check.
Settings That Carry Over
When you select Convert to Agent, Solink copies the following settings into the new agent:
Sidekick Spot Check Section | Agent Section |
Spot check name | Agent Name |
Prompt | Additional Context in the Prompt section |
Responses | Output fields in the Event Structure section |
Reports, Time Options, and Offset (Event Spot Check) | On event schedule with the same report and Snapshot timing |
Schedule and cameras (Scheduled Spot Check) | The same schedule in the Schedule section, and the same locations and cameras in Monitored Areas |
How to Convert an Event Spot Check
The steps in this section use the following example:
A retailer wants to make sure that employees follow its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for online order pickup. The spot check looks at the pickup area when a pickup event occurs, and reports if a customer collected an order.
A spot check can tell you that a pickup happened. An agent can also tell you if each step of your SOP happened, for example:
Did the customer sign the paper on the clipboard?
Did the employee help load the order into the vehicle?
Follow the instructions below to convert your Event Spot Check to an agent.
Step 1: Open the Spot Check and Convert It
To start the conversion:
In Sidekick, open the spot check that you want to convert.
At the bottom of the window, select Convert to Agent:
The new agent opens. The settings from the spot check are already filled in.
Step 2: Review the Agent Name and Prompt
Next, ensure the following:
The Agent Name is the same as the name of your spot check:
Your spot check prompt is now in the Additional Context field of the Prompt section:
Tip: Select Improve my prompt (under the Additional Context box) to make the prompt better. AI reads your prompt and asks you a few short questions, for example which situations look like a pickup but are not.
Tip: Show the agent what a correct result looks like. Under Reference Examples, upload images or short videos. For an SOP, a short video of an employee who follows the procedure correctly helps the agent know what to look for.
Step 3: Review the Analysis Settings
The default Analysis mode is set to Image. Spot checks also analyze images, so keep Image to get the same results as your spot check:
Tip: Select Video to analyze video clips instead of images. Video is better at finding motion and sequences, which helps with SOPs that have several steps. When you select Video, the estimated usage changes so that you can see the effect. Video analysis uses more agent hours than image analysis.
Step 4: Review the Schedule
For an Event Spot Check, Runs is set to On event with the report that you used in Sidekick. Your Time Options and Offset become the Snapshot timing.
In the following image, the agent captures a snapshot 29 seconds after the event starts:
You do not need to change these settings.
Note: If Solink does not process the events in your report in real time, a message tells you that results can take up to 24 hours to show.
Step 5: Review the Output Fields
In the Event Structure section, your spot check responses are Output fields. Their type is Text:
Tip: By default, the agent creates an event each time it runs. If you want events only for missed pickups, select Only in certain cases and describe the condition. You then get fewer events to review.
Tip: Add one output field for each step of your SOP, for example "Customer signed clipboard" and "Employee assisted with loading".
Step 6: Save the Agent
Before you save, you can use the Actions section to tell people what the agent finds.
When the agent flags something, they can send an email, a push notification, or an SMS message, so that someone at the location can act immediately.
To finish, select Save Changes. Your spot check is now saved as an agent.
How to Convert a Scheduled Spot Check
The steps are the same as for an Event Spot Check as outlined above, and all the settings carry over. The only difference applies to reviewing the schedule, described in this section (you review the schedule and the monitored areas of your spot check instead of a report).
Review the Schedule
The Schedule section has the schedule from your spot check. Make sure that it is correct. In this example, the agent runs every 4 hours, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, each day of the week:
Tip: If you have several Scheduled Spot Checks for different times or days, you can replace them with one agent. Select Every week, and set a different time range for each day.
Review the Monitored Areas
A scheduled agent does not start from an event. It monitors the locations and cameras in the Monitored Areas section. These carry over from your spot check. Make sure that the agent monitors the correct locations and cameras.
To change the monitored areas:
Select Add Monitored Area.
Search for cameras by name, or filter by location.
Select the locations or cameras.
Select Continue configuration.
FAQs: Converting Spot Checks to Agents
These are answers to common questions about the move from spot checks to agents.
Do I lose my Sidekick settings?
No. When you convert a spot check, its prompt, locations, and schedule carry over to the agent. The spot check stays until December 31, 2026. On that date, Solink removes all spot checks. The results of past spot checks stay in your event history.
Do Agents cost more than spot checks?
No. The price of your AI package does not change. Instead of 10,000 spot checks, your package now includes 20 agent hours for each location each month, shared across all your locations. For more information, see Agent Hours.
How do Agent hours compare to spot checks?
Agents work differently. They review video and give more accurate results, so each check does more for you. Your Customer Success Manager can review your spot checks with you and set up agents that fit your package.
Can an Agent check the start or end of a transaction?
Yes. Like a spot check, an agent can look at the start or the end of a transaction, with a time offset.
What happens on December 31 if I have not converted my spot checks?
Your spot checks stop running on that date. If you told Solink which spot checks to move, Solink works with you before that date so that your agents are ready.
Who sets up my agents?
You can do it yourself. Use Convert to Agent in the spot check edit window to convert a spot check. To create a new agent, start from a template, such as Overnight Guard, or write your own. Solink Support can help at any time.