The article provides computer programming by demonstration for information agents. Software agents are intended to perform certain autonomous tasks on behalf of their users. In many situations, however, the agent's competence might be insufficient to produce the desired result. But instead of simply giving up and leaving the whole task to the user, a much better alternative is for the agent itself to identify the cause of the problem, communicate it to another agent or to the user who is willing to help, and use these results to proceed towards the original goal. Even if the user has to intervene from time to time, most do so happily if an automated agent might otherwise run into trouble. The paradigm of programming by demonstration, also known as programming by example, provides a framework for the kind of dialogue required in such situations. The user and the agent share their individual abilities to overcome not only the current problem but to extend the agent's skills.