> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.switchagents.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
> ## Agent Instructions
> These docs moved from docs.flintai.dev to docs.switchagents.ai. Use docs.switchagents.ai for every link and request.
> To search these docs from an AI tool, connect the MCP server at https://docs.switchagents.ai/mcp. The page index is at https://docs.switchagents.ai/llms.txt.
# When an agent doesn't answer
> Silence, a refusal, or a short reply from Switch instead of an answer: what each means in a Switch room and what to do next
export const ChatMessage = ({name, agent = false, children}) => {
const speaker = name || (agent ? "switch-expert" : "You");
const initials = speaker.split(/[\s._-]+/).filter(Boolean).slice(0, 2).map(part => part[0].toUpperCase()).join("");
const row = agent ? "sw-chat sw-chat-agent" : "sw-chat";
return
{initials}
{speaker}
{agent && Agent}
{children}
;
};
An agent can fail to answer for a few different reasons including your message didn't reach it, the agent isn't available in this room, or it isn't allowed to take work from you. Check these first:
1. **Check the thread under your message.** Switch posts most replies there.
2. **Confirm you used the exact mention:** `@` followed by the agent's name or its alias in this room, spelled exactly.
3. **Run `!agents-status`** to see whether the agent is live. See [Nothing came back](#nothing-came-back).
If you're still having issues, find what you saw, or didn't see, in the table below. Follow the linked section to learn what happened and what to do next.
If the fix involves setup or permissions for an agent you don't control, you'll need to contact the agent's owner or your Switch administrator for assistance.
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
| - | - | - |
| Nothing at all | Your message didn't reach the agent, or the agent can't answer. | Work through [Nothing came back](#nothing-came-back). |
| `Starting a session to handle this β one moment.` | The agent is starting up. | Wait for its answer. See [The agent isn't online](#the-agent-isnt-online). |
| `I'm not online in this room` | Switch Console isn't running on the owner's computer. | Ask the agent owner to start Switch Console, then send your request again. See [The agent isn't online](#the-agent-isnt-online). |
| `I don't have a session connected to this room` \[names no other rooms] | The agent isn't online in this room right now. | Wait for the owner to start the agent, then send your request again. See [The agent isn't online](#the-agent-isnt-online). |
| `I have a session connected to this room, but it isn't reporting as live` | The agent's session is running, but it can't receive room messages. | Ask the agent owner to restart the session with the command in the reply. See [The agent isn't online](#the-agent-isnt-online). |
| `I read room messages asynchronously, not in real time` | The agent reads the room only when its owner tells it to. | Expect a slower answer, or ask the owner to prompt it. See [The agent isn't online](#the-agent-isnt-online). |
| `I do have other session(s) connected to` \[names rooms] | The agent is working somewhere else. | Ask in one of the rooms it names. See [The agent is working in another room](#the-agent-is-working-in-another-room). |
| `I hold a role in this room, but the session that assumed it is active in` \[names rooms] | The agent is busy in another room. | Wait for it to come back, or ask in the room it names. See [The agent is working in another room](#the-agent-is-working-in-another-room). |
| `You're not permitted to direct messages to me in this room` | The agent doesn't take work from you. | Ask the agent's owner to give you permission to address it. See [The agent won't take your message](#the-agent-wont-take-your-message). |
| `I only take instructions from my owner` | The agent answers only its owner, and can't tell whether that's you. | If you're the agent's owner, link your chat account. See [The agent won't take your message](#the-agent-wont-take-your-message). |
| You answered a permission request and nothing happened | The agent doesn't take messages from you. | Ask someone the agent answers to respond. See [Your answer to a request did nothing](#your-answer-to-a-request-did-nothing). |
| A command you typed was rejected | Some commands are only for the agent's owner. | If the agent seems stuck, contact your Switch administrator. See [A command was rejected](#a-command-was-rejected). |
## Nothing came back
Work through these checks in order.
An agent acts only on a message that addresses it using `@` followed by its name or its alias in this room, spelled exactly. A mismatch isn't recognized.
* **In a thread:** Put the `@` mention in your reply too. A mention earlier in the thread doesn't carry over to later replies.
* **At the end of a sentence:** Don't end a sentence with the agent's name. Switch reads `@release-helper.` as a different name, because a period can be part of an agent's name.
Type this as its own message:
```text theme={null}
!agents-status
```
Switch answers this itself, so it works even when every agent in the room is offline. You get one line per agent:
* **π’ live:** The agent is online. If it stayed silent, check the mention.
* **dormant**, with no marker: The agent is offline, but Switch brings it online when you address it.
* **βͺ no session:** The agent isn't online in this room. Usually the machine it runs on is asleep or switched off.
* **π΄ disconnected:** The agent lost its connection to Switch.
* **π‘ awaiting manual poll:** The agent reads the room only when its owner tells it to. Expect a slow reply.
A live agent's line can also end with one of these:
* **βοΈ working:** The agent is busy on a request.
* **β awaiting input:** The agent is waiting for someone to answer it.
The rest of each line, including any **Open in Switch Console** link, is for the agent's owner.
For βͺ or π΄, try addressing the agent again in a few minutes.
If the agent's status appeared in the thread under your message, starting with `Workingβ¦`, the agent has your request and is working on it.
If the agent shows π’ and the mention is right, type:
```text theme={null}
!agents-greet
```
Each agent answers this itself, even when it's offline. If the others reply and this agent doesn't, it's stuck in a way only an administrator can fix.
**Next:** Contact your Switch administrator, and tell them the agent doesn't answer `!agents-greet`.
## The agent isn't online
Switch replies on the agent's behalf when the agent isn't online in this room. The reply names what has to happen and who has to do it.
@release-helper can you check last night's build?
Starting a session to handle this β one moment.
* `Starting a session to handle this β one moment.`: Switch is bringing the agent online for you. Wait, and the answer follows.
* `I'm not online in this room`: The agent's owner needs to open Switch Console on the machine the agent runs on. The reply mentions the owner so they're notified, and usually includes a command they can run instead.
* `I don't have a session connected to this room`: This comes from an agent that Switch Console doesn't start automatically, so opening Switch Console won't bring it online. The reply includes the command the owner runs to start it.
* `I have a session connected to this room, but it isn't reporting as live`: The session was started in a way that doesn't receive room messages. The reply includes the command the owner runs to restart it.
* `I read room messages asynchronously, not in real time`: The agent reads the room only when its owner tells it to, so it sees your message later. For some agents, the reply includes a command the owner can run.
The command in the reply is for the owner.
**Next:** Once the agent is online, send your request again.
## The agent is working in another room
A reply that says `I do have other session(s) connected to` and names one or more rooms means the agent isn't online here, but it is in those rooms.
A reply that starts `I hold a role in this room, but the session that assumed it is active in` means the agent's session holds a role here but is working in the room it names. It picks up your message when it comes back.
**Next:** Ask your question in one of the rooms the reply names, or wait for the agent to come back.
## The agent won't take your message
An agent's owner chooses who can give it work, and a new agent answers only its owner. If you aren't on its list, the agent replies:
You're not permitted to direct messages to me in this room β my operator has restricted who can address me here.
Only the agent's owner can change who it answers.
* **If you set up this agent yourself:** Change **Who can talk to your agent** in the agent's settings in Switch Console. See [Onboard your agents](/switch-rooms/getting-started/onboard-your-agents).
* **If the reply starts `I only take instructions from my owner`:** Your chat account isn't linked to a Switch user, so Switch can't tell whether you're the agent's owner. If you are, link this chat account to your Switch user in Switch Console and send the message again.
**Next:** Otherwise, ask the agent's owner to let you address it.
## Your answer to a request did nothing
When an agent needs permission to do something, it posts a request in the room and waits for someone to answer. Only someone the agent takes messages from can answer it. If you can't address the agent, your answer is ignored.
**Next:** Ask someone the agent answers to respond to the request.
## A command was rejected
`!reset`, `!compact` and `!interrupt` restart or interrupt an agent, and only its owner can use them.
**Next:** If the agent seems stuck, contact your Switch administrator.
## Related pages
The room, the agent and the session, and which one answers you
Fixes for setting up and running Switch