Channels
Channels connect a Distri agent to a messaging platform, so your users talk to it from Telegram, Slack, WhatsApp, or Discord instead of a web chat. A message arriving on the platform starts (or continues) an agent thread; the agent's reply goes back to the same conversation.
Channels run on Distri Cloud, which receives the platform webhooks and routes them to your agents. They aren't part of the self-hosted open-source build.
How it works
- A bot is a configured platform integration (its token, the
agent_idit routes to, and how it triggers). One bot per platform app. - A channel is a single conversation with that bot (a DM, a group, or a server channel), backed by its own agent thread.
When a message comes in, the gateway resolves the channel to your workspace and agent, runs a turn, and streams the reply back to the platform.
Providers
| Platform | Notes |
|---|---|
| Telegram | Fully supported, DMs and groups. |
| Slack | Workspace-scoped. |
| Direct messages. | |
| Discord | Server-scoped. |
Triggering
A bot's trigger mode decides when the agent responds:
- All: every message in the conversation.
- On-mention: only when the bot is @-mentioned (the sane default for busy groups).
Connecting
Users link a conversation to your workspace with a short handshake: send
/start to the bot, follow the connect link, and pick the workspace. From then
on, messages route to the agent.
Every channel also understands a few built-in commands:
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
/start | Begin / connect the conversation. |
/stop | Stop the agent in this conversation. |
/reset | Clear the thread and start fresh. |
/status | Show the current connection. |
/help | List available commands. |
Related
- Workflows: a workflow's
replystep posts messages (with buttons) back to a channel. - Configuration: workspace API keys used to authorize channel traffic.