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Native chats

Native chats let you talk to a folder-based agent directly in CatalEx. They are available for every setup that runs agents on your computer and do not require Slack, WhatsApp or a messaging service.

Start a conversation​

  1. Open Agents and select your agent.
  2. Select Native chats.
  3. Choose New chat (the + button) in the conversation list.
  4. Send your message in the conversation that opens.

Answer any approval or input request in that conversation. Use Stop to interrupt an active turn. If a session cannot start, fix the reported cause and use Start new session when offered.

Verify from the terminal​

Find the agent’s native-chat channel:

catalex channels list

Use its ID to create a chat, then use the returned chat ID:

catalex chats create --channel NATIVE_CHAT_CHANNEL_ID --name "Setup check" --json
printf 'Reply with exactly: CATALEX READY\n' | catalex chats send CHAT_ID --wait
catalex chats history CHAT_ID

Replace the capitalized IDs with values returned by your commands. The setup check passes when the agent’s reply contains CATALEX READY. Then ask a question specific to the agent’s folder to verify its own tools and instructions.

Messaging conversations in the app​

Slack, WhatsApp and Google Chat conversations begin in their messaging app. Their channel view in CatalEx lets you inspect conversation history. Send the next message from the original messaging app.

Removing an agent or channel keeps chat history. Use the original conversation when retrying a message after a transient problem so you can inspect what already happened.