AI Agents Overview

AI agents in GudDesk are automated bots that can read customer messages, search your knowledge base, take actions, and resolve conversations — or hand off to a human when they can't help.

Unlike simple chatbots that follow scripted flows, GudDesk agents understand context and make decisions.

How Agents Work

1. A customer sends a message through the chat widget
2. The active agent analyzes the message intent
3. The agent searches your knowledge base and conversation history
4. It either resolves the conversation or escalates to a human
5. The entire interaction is logged in your inbox

Built-In Agents

GudDesk ships with three agents ready to use:

See Built-In Agents for detailed configuration guides.

Agent Capabilities

Agents can:

• Search the knowledge base and suggest relevant articles
• Resolve conversations when the answer is clear
• Escalate to humans when they can't help
• Collect information (email, order number, etc.) before routing
• Tag and prioritize conversations automatically
• Send follow-up messages after resolution

Enabling Agents

1. Go to Settings > AI Agents
2. Toggle on the agents you want to activate
3. Configure each agent's behavior (response style, escalation rules)
4. Set the agent order (which agent responds first)

AI Provider

Built-in agents use your knowledge base as their data source — no AI API key required for basic article suggestions.

For advanced capabilities (natural language understanding, complex reasoning), connect an AI provider:

1. Go to Settings > AI Agents > Provider
2. Add your ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
3. Advanced features activate automatically

Conversation Flow

Customer Message
       ↓
  GudBot (search KB, attempt resolution)
       ↓
  Resolved? → Yes → Auto-close conversation
       ↓ No
  TriageBot (route to correct team)
       ↓
  Human agent picks up

Next Steps

• Learn about built-in agents in detail
• Build a custom agent for your specific workflows