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An object is a single record within a data collection — the individual unit of structured information that your agents read, create, and update. If a collection is analogous to a table, an object is a single row in that table. Every object belongs to exactly one collection and conforms to that collection’s attribute schema. Objects can be created manually through the Layest UI, generated automatically by agents at runtime, or imported in bulk from a CSV or JSON file.

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What Is an Object?

Each object stores values for the attributes defined in its parent collection. For example, in a Customer Leads collection with attributes for Name, Email, Status, and Created At, a single object might look like: Every object is assigned a unique, immutable Object ID when it is created. Agents and integrations use this ID to reference specific records reliably, even if the object’s field values change.

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Creating and Managing Objects

You can create objects one at a time directly in the Layest UI — useful when you want to seed a collection with a few initial records or add a record outside of an automated workflow.To create an object manually:
1

Open the collection

In the sidebar, navigate to Data → Collections and click the collection you want to add a record to.
2

Click New Object

Click the New Object button in the top-right corner of the collection view. A form panel opens on the right side of the screen.
3

Fill in the attribute fields

Enter values for each attribute. Required attributes are marked with an asterisk. Optional attributes can be left blank.
4

Save the object

Click Save. The object appears immediately in the collection list and is available to any agent with read access to the collection.
Editing an object:Click any object row to open its detail panel. Edit the field values you want to change and click Save. Changes take effect immediately.Deleting an object:Open the object’s detail panel, click the ⋯ More menu in the top-right corner of the panel, and select Delete Object. Confirm the deletion in the prompt. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone from the UI.

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Object IDs and Agent References

When Layest creates an object — whether manually, via import, or by an agent action — it assigns a unique Object ID in the format obj_xxxxxxxxxx. This ID never changes, even if you edit every field on the object. Agents use Object IDs to target specific records in update and delete operations. For example, an agent that resolves a support ticket calls the update action with the ticket’s Object ID to flip the status attribute to resolved. You can see an object’s ID in its detail panel under the Metadata section. When building agent instructions, you can direct the agent to store an Object ID in a variable and reuse it across multiple steps in the same workflow:

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Searching and Filtering Objects

The collection view provides several ways to find the objects you need:
  • Search bar — performs a full-text search across all text attributes. Results update as you type.
  • Filters — click Add Filter, choose an attribute, and set a condition (equals, contains, greater than, etc.). Stack multiple filters and switch between AND / OR logic.
  • Sort — click any column header to sort. Click again to reverse the sort order.
  • Saved views — save a combination of filters and sorts as a named view for quick access.

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Object History and Audit Trail

Every change to an object is recorded in its History tab. Open any object’s detail panel and click History to see a timestamped log of every create, update, and delete event, along with:
  • The attribute that changed
  • The previous value and the new value
  • Who or what made the change (a user name or an agent name)
  • The exact timestamp in UTC
The audit trail is read-only. You cannot edit or delete history entries. Use the history log to debug unexpected agent behavior, satisfy compliance requirements, or understand how a record evolved over time.