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Channels define when your agent starts running. Connect your agent to external events so it responds automatically to messages, emails, or other events.
To trigger an agent on a recurring basis, use schedules.

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Add a channel

To add a channel:
1

Edit your agent

Open your agent in the Fleet inbox. Next to the agent name, click the Edit Agent icon.
2

Add the channel

In the Channels section, click + Add and select the channel you want to add.

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Add a Gmail channel

The Gmail channel activates your agent when new emails arrive in your inbox. To add a Gmail channel:
  1. In the Channels section, click + Add.
  2. Select the Gmail section and click Connect Gmail Account.
  3. Enter the email address you want to monitor.
  4. Click Confirm.
  5. Authenticate with your Google account.
  6. After completing authentication, click I’ve completed authentication.
Your agent will now activate when new emails arrive in your inbox. To let your agent read and respond to emails, add Gmail tools in the Tools section. Available Gmail tools include reading emails, sending replies, creating drafts, managing labels, and marking messages as read. See Tool integrations for the full list.
The Gmail channel only monitors your primary inbox. The following emails do not activate the channel:
  • Alias emails: Messages sent to an email alias rather than your primary address.
  • Mailing list emails: Messages received through a mailing list or group.
  • Emails outside the inbox: Messages that skip the inbox due to filters, or that land in spam, trash, or other folders.

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Add a Slack channel

The Slack channel activates your agent when messages are posted in a specific Slack channel. For full setup instructions including OAuth authorization, bot invitation, and tool configuration, see Integrate Slack with an agent.

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Pause and resume channels

You can pause and resume channels without removing them. To pause all channels:
  1. In the Fleet inbox, open your agent.
  2. Next to the agent name, click the Edit Agent icon.
  3. In the Channels section, click Pause channels button to pause all channels.
To resume all channels, click Resume channels button.

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Thread behavior

How threads are marked depends on whether the agent uses channels:
  • Chat agents (no channel): Responses mark the thread as unread. Viewing the thread marks it as read.
  • Channel-based agents: Responses keep the thread as read by default.
You can manually mark any thread as read or unread at any time.
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