Can an agent running on a cyberdeck assist the decker via a teamwork test for relevant matrix actions?
Also, as cyberdecks can only run one copy of a program at a time, does this mean a deck can only run one agent-class program, or would you need two unique agents if you wanted to use two agents?
On page 246 of the core, under the Agents heading, it says
An agent runs as a program and can use programs running on the same device as them.
Therefore even though it counts as its own entity it is still a program of a specific type. You can however have multiple different agent programs installed, but they cannot run simultaneously and requires a system reboot to switch since it counts as a persona. The section then goes on to state:
When an agent is running, it has its own persona (and icon). An agent is about as smart as a pilot program of the same rating (Pilot Programs, p. 269).
So to continue to explore that, the Pilot Programs section states that:
and When faced with something novel or unexpected, or a complicated command, a Pilot program must make a Device Rating x 2 Test
Therefore I would say that teamwork is possible with an agent, but you do so at a risk. If the target action has a high difficulty rating, the agent program might have to make a test just to attempt to help. With the right specific commands it can be prepared to help, but I imagine that would take some preset conditions to let it know when to pile on without trouble.
