Agent-backed scopes
Agent-backed scopes let you extend nullplatform to support all kinds of deployment environments—whether you're shipping PL/SQL apps, static frontends, or something entirely custom.
Heads up: custom scopes are now called Agent-backed scopes
We’ve renamed custom scopes to agent-backed scopes to better reflect how they work with the nullplatform agent.
- All functionality remains the same, but you’ll now see the updated term in the UI, CLI, and documentation.
- Any existing custom scopes you’ve created will continue to work without changes.
Why use agent-backed scopes?
Agent-backed scopes give you the power to:
- Extend nullplatform with your own runtime logic and custom infrastructure
- Keep the developer experience unified — there's no UI difference between standard and agent-backed scopes
- Use the full platform toolkit — scopes work with approvals, parameters, policies, entity hooks, and more
- Model your real-world environments — including business-specific configs and deployment behaviors
Scopes vs. services
Agent-backed scopes are technically a type of service, but they’re meant for different use cases.
- Scopes represent units of execution tied to an application's lifecycle (like a deployment or environment).
- Services have broader lifecycles that aren’t always connected to a single application.
Tip: If your dependency is tightly coupled to how a specific app is deployed or promoted, a scope is likely the right fit.
You can read more in our services documentation.