Build with Bob
An option added to watsonx Orchestrate's Create an agent dialog in the August 2026 release, listed by IBM as a preview, that launches IBM Bob into a workspace wired to your Orchestrate tenant to generate agents, tools and workflows from natural language.
What happens when you use it
- Pick itChoose Build with Bob in the Create an agent dialog.
- Bob opensA Bob workspace opens, already connected to your Orchestrate environment.
- Describe the agentSay what you want the agent to do in plain language.
- Bob builds itBob writes the agent definition, its tools and its workflow. It can also improve agents you already have.
What it sets up behind the scenes
It configures two MCP servers. IBM developer advocates had been wiring these up by hand since January 2026.
- One searches the Orchestrate Agent Development Kit documentation
- One drives the Orchestrate command line
Release status
| Piece | Status |
|---|---|
| Build with Bob in Orchestrate | Preview |
| Orchestrate extension inside Bob | Generally available |
What it does not do
It connects two build tools to each other, not an agent to IBM i. The release notes never mention IBM i, Db2 for i or RPG. To reach IBM i data you still need a tool such as the IBM i MCP Server.
Related Terms
IBM Bob (Project Bob)
IBM's generally available AI coding agent for IBM i, built as a fork of Visual Studio Code and tuned for RPG, CL, DDS, and SQL. Reached GA on March 24, 2026; Bob 2.0 and the IBM i-specific Bob Premium Package for i shipped June 24, 2026.
watsonx Orchestrate
IBM's AI agent and automation platform for orchestrating multi-step business workflows across enterprise applications. Since August 2026 it can launch IBM Bob from its Create an agent dialog through a Build with Bob preview, but it still ships no IBM i or Db2 for i connector.
IBM i MCP Server
An open-source, IBM-published server implementing the Model Context Protocol (MCP), letting AI agents and LLMs query Db2 for i data and take defined actions on IBM i using natural language. In beta since October 2025.
Bob Premium Package for i
The IBM i-specific add-on to IBM Bob, generally available June 24, 2026. It gives Bob about 40 skills and workflows and about 30 tools that work directly against QSYS, the IFS, CL, SQL and Db2 for i on a live system.
watsonx
IBM's platform for AI and data, spanning watsonx.ai (foundation models and generative AI), watsonx.data (data store), and watsonx.governance (AI governance), with watsonx Assistant and watsonx Orchestrate built on top.