> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://hercules.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Agent channels

> Put your Hercules Agent in Slack, GitHub, Linear, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, Telegram, WhatsApp, or X. @-mention it and it answers right there in the thread.

<Note>
  Agents is in private beta, so things may change. If you hit a problem, tell us via [Support &
  feedback](/docs/company/contact).
</Note>

Channels let your team talk to an Agent from the chat tools they already use. Add the Agent to a channel, @-mention it, and it answers right there in the thread.

Go to **Agents** → open an Agent → **Build** → **Channels**. Every platform has a card on that page. Click one to connect it, or to manage what it's already connected to.

<div className="screenshot aurora">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zeus-0f6dadbf/AUzCpLx0wjCzKFM0/images/agents/channels-main.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=AUzCpLx0wjCzKFM0&q=85&s=1ac0e740665f73702563c0938d214b71" alt="Agent channels page showing cards for Slack, GitHub, Linear, Telegram, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, WhatsApp, and X" width="1876" height="852" data-path="images/agents/channels-main.png" />
</div>

### Which platforms are supported?

| Platform            | Where it answers                              | How you connect it     |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| **Slack**           | Channels and threads, when @-mentioned        | OAuth                  |
| **GitHub**          | Issue and pull request comment threads        | OAuth                  |
| **Linear**          | Issue comment threads                         | OAuth                  |
| **Telegram**        | Groups your bot is added to                   | A bot token            |
| **Microsoft Teams** | Teams channels and chats, when @-mentioned    | Your own app's details |
| **Google Chat**     | Spaces, when @-mentioned                      | Your own app's details |
| **WhatsApp**        | Everyone who messages your business number    | Your own app's details |
| **X**               | Public mentions and DMs from your bot account | Your own app's details |

<Note>
  Discord isn't available for new connections right now, so a new setup would never answer.
  Organizations that connected it earlier can still manage what they have.
</Note>

### How do I connect a platform?

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Channels">**Build** → **Channels**.</Step>
  <Step title="Pick the platform">Click its card.</Step>

  <Step title="Sign in">
    Slack, GitHub, and Linear use OAuth (a secure login that signs you in with your existing
    account). Telegram needs a bot token, and Teams, Google Chat, WhatsApp, and X need the app
    details you create on their side.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose where it answers">
    Pick which channel, repository, team, space, or chat the Agent should reply in.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Invite the bot">
    Follow the instructions shown, then @-mention the bot to start a conversation.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Once you've picked a channel, the page shows you exactly what to type to reach the Agent there.

### How do I get the bot into a channel?

It depends on the platform:

* **Slack**: run `/invite @Hercules` in the channel, then start a message with the bot's name. If your Organization connected its own Slack app, invite that bot by its name instead. The Channels page names the right one once the channel is set up
* **GitHub**: @-mention the Hercules app in an issue or pull request comment
* **Linear**: @-mention the Hercules app in an issue comment
* **Microsoft Teams** and **Google Chat**: @-mention the bot in the channel or space
* **Telegram**: add your bot to the group, then start a message with its @-name
* **WhatsApp**: message the connected business number
* **X**: mention the bot account publicly, or DM it

### What if my channel isn't in the list?

Type its ID in by hand. Here's where to find it:

| Platform            | Where the ID is                                                                  |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Slack**           | Channel name → View channel details → the ID is at the bottom                    |
| **GitHub**          | The repository's full name, as in `github.com/owner/repo`                        |
| **Linear**          | Settings → Teams → the team's ID                                                 |
| **Microsoft Teams** | Channel → ⋯ → Get link to channel → the `19:…@thread.tacv2` part of the address  |
| **Google Chat**     | Open the space and take the last part of the address, typed as `spaces/<value>`  |
| **Telegram**        | Forward a message from the bot to `@userinfobot`, which replies with the chat ID |
| **WhatsApp**        | The phone number ID from WhatsApp → API Setup                                    |
| **X**               | `public` for mention threads, `dm` for direct messages, one for each             |

Hercules can only list channels the bot can see. In Slack that's public channels, plus private ones it's been added to. Telegram has no list at all, so you always type the chat ID.

### Additional FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can one Agent answer in several channels?">
    Yes, as many as you need. The ones you've set up are listed above the platform cards.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I turn one channel off without disconnecting?">
    Yes. Each one has its own on/off switch, so you can pause the Agent in one channel and leave the
    rest running.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use my own Slack app instead of the Hercules one?">
    Yes. Slack is the one platform where you can register your own app instead of installing the
    shared Hercules one.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do channel conversations show up in Run history?">
    Yes. Every reply the Agent gives in a channel is a run, with a full record of what it did. See
    [Run history](/docs/agents/run-history).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does the Agent read everything in the channel?">
    No. In a channel it answers when @-mentioned, and then follows that thread, so replies inside it
    don't need another mention. Direct messages are different: on WhatsApp and in X DMs, someone
    messaging your Agent is enough on its own, and the conversation carries on from there.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My platform isn't listed">
    Click **Suggest a platform** under the cards and tell us which one you need.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>