---
app: agent
audience:
  - owner
since: 0.1.3
ui_only: false
agent_actions:
  - tool: app_channel_access
    permission: confirm
    example: make Tono's Telegram private, only my number
  - tool: app_channel_status
    permission: auto
    example: is the Sales WhatsApp public?
agent_examples:
  - who can message Sari?
  - stop strangers from talking to my assistant
llm_weight: normal
title: Who can chat
description: Public or private per channel — who an agent answers, and what strangers get.
editUrl: true
head: []
template: doc
sidebar:
  order: 3
  hidden: false
  attrs: {}
pagefind: true
draft: false
---

import { Steps, Aside } from "@astrojs/starlight/components";
import { AgentAsk, Shot } from "@components";

**Who this is for:** an owner deciding which agents face the public and which are private.

## The two modes

| Mode | Who gets answers | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| **Public — anyone** | everyone who writes | customer service, sales, reception |
| **Private — listed ids only** | the numbers / ids you list | your own desk agent, staff-facing agents (HR, finance) |

Strangers writing to a **Private** channel are ignored — no reply, no pairing code. (Early versions handed out a pairing code; pressing **Save** on the row once fixes any row still doing that.)

## Steps

<Steps>

1. Open **Settings → Accounts**, find the agent's row under the channel, press **⋮ → Edit**. <Shot src="agent/channels/who-can-chat.png" alt="The Who can chat radio buttons on a channel row" />

2. Pick **Public — anyone** or **Private — listed ids only**. For Private, fill the allowed ids: phone numbers with country code and no + for WhatsApp, user ids for Telegram, addresses for email.

3. Press **Save**. The agent's gateway restarts so the new policy applies at once.

</Steps>

<Aside type="note">
  Email is always allow-listed: an agent only reads mail from the senders you list.
</Aside>

## Ask your agent

<AgentAsk />

## Limits & safety

- Public channels get whatever the agent's role allows it to say. Keep customer-facing roles on read-only tools (prices, stock, order status) and let drafts flow to the Review tab.
- A Private channel used for owner notifications (Settings → Office → **Escalations to your phone**) needs the explicit `platform:chat_id` target so only your chat can approve social posts.

## Troubleshooting

- **My own messages are ignored** — your number is missing from the Private list (or has a + or spaces).
- **Customers get no answer on a Public number** — the agent is asleep or the number disconnected; check the row's status badge.

## Related

[Link WhatsApp with a QR code](/agent/channels/whatsapp-qr/) · [Channels overview](/agent/channels/overview/)