Interfaces: Frontend vs Desk

Huf provides two distinct interfaces for interacting with AI agents. Understanding when to use each is key to getting the most out of Huf.

Overview

Frontend Interface (/huf)

What It Is

The frontend is a user-focused interface optimized for chatting with agents and viewing agent-related information without entering the Frappe Desk.

Access: Navigate to https://your-site.com/huf

Who It’s For

• End users who need to interact with agents
• Non-admin users who don’t need full Frappe Desk access
• Customer-facing interactions (with proper permissions)

Current Capabilities

Available Now:

• Real-time chat with agents
• View conversation history
• User-specific sessions

Coming Soon:

• Agent discovery/browsing
• Quick tool invocation
• Conversation management
• Mobile-optimized views
• Shared conversations
• User dashboards

When to Use Frontend

Use /huf when you want to:

• Provide a clean, focused chat experience
• Give users access to agents without Frappe Desk training
• Build customer or team-facing agent interactions
• Keep the experience simple and uncluttered

Current Limitations

The frontend is under active development. Right now:

• Limited to chat interactions
• No agent configuration (use Desk for this)
• Not all agent features are exposed yet

Roadmap: The frontend is expanding rapidly. We’re adding agent browsing, tool shortcuts, conversation management, and more. Check the GitHub repo for the latest updates.

Desk Interface (/app)

What It Is

The Desk is the full Frappe administration interface where you configure, manage, and monitor everything in Huf.

Access: Navigate to https://your-site.com/app → Switch to Huf workspace

Who It’s For

• Administrators setting up agents
• Developers creating custom tools
• Operations teams monitoring agent performance
• Anyone who needs full control and visibility

Full Capabilities

Configure:

• Create and edit agents
• Set up AI providers and models
• Define agent tools and functions
• Configure triggers (schedule, doc events)
• Manage permissions

Monitor:

• Agent Run logs (every execution)
• Conversation history (all users)
• Token usage and costs
• Tool call details
• Error tracking

Manage:

• User permissions for agents
• Agent settings and defaults
• LiteLLM configuration
• Tool discovery cache

When to Use Desk

Use /app (Desk) when you need to:

• Create or modify agents
• Add new AI providers or models
• Create custom tool functions
• Set up scheduled or event-driven agents
• Monitor agent performance and costs
• Debug issues or view detailed logs
• Configure system-wide settings

DocTypes in Desk

Key DocTypes you’ll work with:

Comparison Table

Typical Workflows

For End Users

1. Access /huf on desktop or mobile
2. Select or discover an agent to chat with
3. Interact naturally via chat
4. View conversation history
5. (Future) Quickly invoke common tools

For Administrators

1. Access /app and switch to Huf workspace
2. Create agents, providers, models
3. Define tools and configure triggers
4. Test agents via Agent Chat in Desk
5. Monitor runs and costs
6. Iterate and improve based on logs

Future Roadmap

Frontend Expansion

We’re actively building:

• Agent Browser: Discover and launch agents easily
• Tool Shortcuts: Quick access to common actions
• Conversation Management: Archive, search, export chats
• Mobile App: Native mobile experience
• Public Agents: Share agents externally (with permissions)
• Voice Input: Speak to agents directly
• Rich Media: Images, files, structured data in chat

Desk Enhancements

Ongoing improvements:

• Better analytics and dashboards
• Advanced agent debugging tools
• Cost optimization recommendations
• A/B testing for agent prompts
• Version control for agents

Best Practices

For Organizations

• Admin users: Work exclusively in Desk to configure everything
• End users: Direct them to /huf for clean, focused interactions
• Permissions: Use Frappe’s role-based permissions to control access
• Training: Train admins on Desk, end users only need /huf

For Developers

• Build custom tools in Desk via Agent Tool Function
• Test thoroughly in Desk before exposing to frontend
• Monitor logs in Agent Run to debug issues
• Iterate: Use Agent Run insights to improve prompts and tools

Security & Permissions

Both interfaces respect Frappe’s permission system:

• Frontend: Users see only agents they have permission for
• Desk: Standard Frappe roles (System Manager, custom roles)
• Agents: Inherit the permissions of the user running them
• Tools: Execute with the current user’s permissions

Important: Agents always run with the permissions of the user who triggered them. An agent cannot access data the user doesn’t have permission to see.

What’s Next?

Now that you understand the two interfaces:

• Agents - Learn what agents are and how they work
• Providers & Models - Connect to AI services
• Tools - Give agents capabilities
• Quick Start - Build your first agent (uses Desk)

Questions or feedback on the frontend? We’d love to hear from you! Open an issue or discussion on GitHub .