Taking over a chat from your AI agent
Press Take over to reply yourself; the AI pauses in that chat until you return it.
Updated
At the top of an open chat, a bar says who's handling it:
| It says | What it means |
|---|---|
| AI active | Your agent answers this chat |
| You're replying · AI paused | You took it over: you reply, and your agent stays quiet in this chat |
| Handled by and a teammate's name | A teammate took it over |
| Paused · awaiting takeover | Your agent is paused here and nobody has taken the chat |
| AI is off | The AI can't answer yet: your agent isn't set up, or there are no credits (on Connect, until you buy some) |
| Channel disconnected | The channel is no longer connected, so nobody can reply here |
Take over makes the chat yours: your agent pauses in this chat only and the reply box opens for you. Other chats aren't affected.
Return to AI hands the chat back: your agent answers the customer's next messages. It doesn't go back and answer a message already waiting. If the AI can't answer yet, Return to AI explains why instead, with a link to fix it for the owner.
The reply window. On WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram the bar also shows how long you can still reply, for everyone who opens the chat: for example "Reply window: 21 h left", in gold in its last 2 hours ("Reply window: 1 h 40 min left"), then "Reply window closed 3 days ago" (see Replying to a customer yourself).
On WhatsApp with the Business app, a reply you send from the phone app also pauses your agent in that chat, so a customer never gets two answers. A teammate can also send your AI agent reactivation phrase in the chat to turn your agent back on (Settings → Agent).
Only the workspace owner can switch the AI on or off for every chat; any teammate can take over or return a single chat.
Replying needs a plan or a live free trial. Once a trial or plan has ended, Take over, Return to AI and the reply box stay where they are, but pressing them says "Your free trial has ended" or "Your plan has ended", with Choose a plan for the owner; teammates are asked to tell the owner. New messages still arrive (see When your trial or plan has ended).