Change sets versus Agentforce DX for agent deployment
Key Takeaway
Agents are metadata. Move them with change sets from Setup between affiliated orgs, or with Agentforce DX through Salesforce CLI when a version control system is the source of truth. With either tool, you activate the agent after you deploy it.
Agentforce defines agents through metadata, like any other Salesforce customization. So you move an agent from a sandbox to production with standard Salesforce deployment procedures, such as change sets or Agentforce DX (AFDX). Either one gives you a structured, consistent way to move agent configurations between environments. Change sets are the option you build and deploy from Setup pages. Agentforce DX is the pro-code option: it uses Salesforce CLI and VS Code and keeps agent metadata in a version control system.
Test in a sandbox before you deploy
Test the agent in a sandbox before you deploy it to production, because testing agents in production can modify CRM records. Testing also consumes API requests and credits.