Media Agent
The Media Agent's role in local entertainment automation — media search, playback workflows, and streaming integration.
Role
The Media Agent is responsible for local entertainment automation. Given a media request, it searches for matching titles, evaluates availability on supported platforms, identifies stream sources, and initiates playback to a connected device.
Status: Implemented (media search, streaming integration, and playback control operational)
Architecture note
Some capabilities of the Media Agent were initially prototyped in a shared runtime with the Research Agent. The architecture models them as separate logical agents because their responsibilities, tools, and risk profiles are different. The Media Agent is focused on entertainment automation and real-time media control; the Research Agent is focused on structured information gathering and synthesis.
Responsibilities
| Responsibility | Status |
|---|---|
| Media search (by title, genre, query) | Implemented |
| Platform availability evaluation | Implemented |
| Streaming source identification | Implemented |
| Playback initiation to connected device | Implemented |
| Local entertainment automation | Implemented |
| Media-specific tool integration | Implemented |
How the Media Agent operates
When a media request is received:
- The agent searches for titles matching the request using configured media tools.
- It evaluates availability across supported streaming platforms.
- It selects a streaming source and constructs the appropriate playback command.
- It initiates playback to the target connected device.
The Media Agent operates in a priority-oriented mode: an active media request takes precedence over background tasks.
Streaming integration
The current implementation integrates with:
- Stremio — for streaming catalog discovery and source selection
- Chromecast — for playback targeting to a locally connected display
Supporting tools
The Media Agent uses media-specific utilities for catalog queries, title matching, and format resolution. These tools are scoped to media operations and not shared with the Research Agent.
Relationship with the Orchestration Agent
The Orchestration Agent delegates media requests to the Media Agent. The Media Agent does not initiate work independently — it receives tasks from the Orchestration Agent or the user and reports completion.
Separation from the Research Agent
The Media Agent and the Research Agent are modeled as separate logical agents. Key distinctions:
| Dimension | Media Agent | Research Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Primary goal | Playback automation | Structured research |
| Task format | Real-time requests | File-based task queue |
| Output | Initiated playback | Artifact files + report |
| Latency | Low (interactive) | Batch (background) |
| Tools | Streaming platforms, device APIs | Search adapters, transcript APIs |
Future work
- Media Organizer — automated local media library management
- Plex/Radarr Integration Hub — connection between media discovery and local media server
- Stremio Addon Server — custom Stremio addon for lab-curated sources
- Expanded platform support — additional streaming services and device targets
Related pages
→ Research Agent — separate agent for structured research → Orchestration Agent — delegation and coordination → System Overview — Media Agent in the full architecture