Contacts & Access
What are contacts & access?
Contacts are the people and systems your agent can communicate with. By default, every agent can talk to its owner — but you can add additional contacts to loop in teammates, clients, or external systems.
Each contact has two independent communication permissions:
- Inbound — the contact can send messages and instructions to your agent
- Outbound — your agent can proactively message the contact
You control both per contact, so you can set up people allowed to send instructions (inbound), notification recipients (outbound), or contacts permitted in both directions.
Default contacts
When you create an agent, the owner is automatically an allowed contact with full inbound and outbound permissions. No setup needed — you can start chatting immediately.
Adding contacts
There are two ways to add contacts:
1. Ask your agent
The simplest approach: message your agent and ask it to add someone.
"Loop my teammate Will (will@example.com) into this thread."
Your agent will request contact permission on your behalf. Once you approve, the contact is added.
2. Via the agent settings page
Add contacts directly from the agent configuration page at https://your-deployment.example/app/agents/{id}/settings. This gives you full control over inbound and outbound permissions from the start.
Contact permissions explained
| Permission | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Inbound only | The contact can message the agent and ask it to perform tasks. Sending replies or proactive messages to that contact also requires outbound permission. |
| Outbound only | The agent can send messages, alerts, or reports to the contact. The contact cannot initiate conversations. |
| Both | Full two-way communication — the contact can instruct the agent, and the agent can reach out proactively. |
Common patterns:
- Teammate contact: Both inbound and outbound — they can message the agent and receive updates
- Status alerts: Outbound only — the agent sends daily summaries to a Slack email or distribution list
- Client access: Inbound only — clients can send requests; enable outbound access as well if they should receive replies
- One-way input: Inbound only — a source can provide information; outbound permission is needed if it should receive answers
Contact access does not create a collaborator invitation, grant timeline access in the web app, or confer Organization administration. A separate Can configure permission lets a contact instruct the agent to change its charter or schedule where supported; it is distinct from inbound/outbound communication and from UI management authority. See Collaborators And Ownership.
Contact limits
The number of additional contacts you can add per agent depends on your plan. The limit is displayed on your agent settings page as "contact slots" and on the pricing page.
Contact slots are shared between allowlist entries (external contacts your agent can message) and collaborators (teammates who can chat and exchange files with your agent). Adding a collaborator consumes a contact slot just like adding an external contact.
Upgrading your plan increases the contact cap. Contact packs are also available as add-ons if you need more contacts without changing plans.
Supported channels
Contacts can communicate with your agent through:
| Channel | Example |
|---|---|
| teammate@company.com | |
| Web chat | Direct chat in the deployed application |
Your agent's available channels depend on what's configured in its settings. See Channels and Contacts for setup details.
Organization contacts
If your agent is owned by an organization, contacts can be managed at the org level for consistency across multiple agents. See Organizations and Contact Access for details on org-wide contact management.
Managing contacts & access
- View contacts: The Contacts & Access section on the agent settings page shows all current contacts, their permissions, and collaborators
- Add contacts: Click Add Contact on the agent settings page, or ask your agent to request permission
- Add collaborators: Click Add Collaborator to invite teammates who can chat and exchange files
- Remove contacts: Revoke access from the agent settings page at any time
- Modify permissions: Toggle inbound/outbound independently without removing the contact
Next steps
- Create your first agent — see contacts in action
- Channels and Contacts — configure email and chat
- Contact Access — org-level contact management
- Organizations — team workspaces and shared contacts