To handle a conversation yourself you have two options: pause the AI agent for a while — it resumes on its own when the pause ends — or turn it off in that chat until you turn it back on. While paused, the chat shows "Agent paused" with the time it comes back; you can extend it with +10 min, up to 24 hours, or hand the conversation back early.
Turn the agent off in a chat
Use the conversation's Enable watsi agent / Disable watsi agent switch. When you turn it off, watsi reminds you that you'll have to answer messages manually. The agent doesn't reply in that chat again until you turn it back on.
Pause the agent
While the agent is paused, the chat shows the Agent paused badge with the time it resumes.
- +10 min adds 10 minutes to the current pause. A pause never lasts more than 24 hours.
- Tap the badge to hand the conversation back to the agent early.
- When the pause ends, the agent is simply available again: it doesn't send anything on its own.
If the customer writes during the pause and nobody on the team answers within a few minutes, the agent picks up that message so the customer isn't left without a reply. The chat marks it as "Agent resumed".
When you reply yourself
Depending on how your workspace is set up, replying in a chat may show the bar "You replied. What should I do with the agent?" with Pause 10 min, Turn off in this chat or letting the agent continue.
On WhatsApp numbers in coexistence, replying from the WhatsApp Business app on your phone also pauses the agent.