# Set up the AI agent

> Name it, choose its tone and decide when it answers.

The AI agent answers customer questions in the widget from the material you give it, and guides people through your product. It works around the clock, and it hands over to your team when a person is needed.

Only admins and owners can change the agent.

## Before you start

The agent needs something to answer from. [Add knowledge sources](https://tirver.com/help/add-knowledge-sources.md) first. Without them it has nothing to cite and will hand most conversations over.

## Settings

Open **AI agent**, then **Behavior**.

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| On or off | Switch the agent on for your workspace. It is off until you turn it on. |
| Name shown to customers | Up to 40 characters. The default is Tirver AI. |
| Tone | Friendly and brief, Neutral, or Formal. |
| When it answers | Answer at any time, or only outside business hours. |
| Extra instructions | Up to 4,000 characters of guidance, for example "always offer the mobile app link when someone asks about notifications". |
| Topics it may help with | Leave empty to let it answer anything your sources cover. |
| Topics to stay away from | For example legal advice or competitor comparisons. |

Select **Save changes** to apply them.

## Outside business hours only

If you choose to answer only outside business hours, the agent steps aside while your team is online. It uses the hours you set under [business hours](https://tirver.com/help/business-hours-and-away-message.md). With no hours set, every hour counts as outside them, so the agent answers all the time.

## The agent never talks over your team

When a conversation is assigned to a person, the agent stops replying to it. It also stops once it has handed a conversation over.

Next: [test the agent](https://tirver.com/help/test-the-agent.md), then set your [handoff rules](https://tirver.com/help/handoff-rules.md).

Source: https://tirver.com/help/set-up-the-ai-agent