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

# Take a helpdesk inbox live in stages

> Every Zendesk, Front and Gorgias inbox has a Rollout setting that decides which conversations Aide acts on in your helpdesk.

Every Zendesk, Front and Gorgias inbox has a **Rollout** setting that decides which conversations Aide acts on in your helpdesk. Move through its four stages to go live gradually. It is in Integrations > your helpdesk > Inboxes. For connecting a helpdesk and the other inbox settings, see [Connect Zendesk, Front or Gorgias](https://docs.aide.app/integrations/connect-helpdesk.md).

## Set the rollout

1. Open **Integrations**, pick the helpdesk and open **Inboxes**.
2. Select **Settings** on an inbox. To set every inbox that doesn't have its own value, select **Edit defaults** under **Connection defaults**.
3. Under **Rollout**, choose a value for **Reply to**, then save.

Each inbox row also has two switches: **Reads**, for whether Aide reads the inbox, and **AI answers**, which puts a deployed agent on it. The row says which agent answers it.

## The four stages

| Reply to | Conversations Aide acts on in the helpdesk | Everything else |
| - | - | - |
| Watch only | None | Stays inside Aide |
| Test senders only | Those from the senders you list | As in Watch only |
| A share of conversations | The percentage you set | As in Watch only |
| Everyone | All of them | Nothing |

**Watch only.** The option reads "Watch only: Aide drafts in Aide, writes nothing to" followed by your helpdesk's name. Aide decides what it would do and drafts its reply inside Aide. It writes nothing to your helpdesk: no note, draft, reply, tag, field or status change. Each write it held back is listed in Activity.

**Test senders only.** List the senders under **Test senders**: email addresses, `@domain` for everyone at a domain, or phone numbers like +15551234567. Conversations from those senders are handled for real. Use your own address to see Aide's work on a real ticket before any customer does.

**A share of conversations.** Set **Share of conversations (%)** from 1 to 100. Aide picks by conversation, not by message, so a conversation is in or out of the share for its whole life.

**Everyone.** Aide acts on every conversation in the inbox.

A draft counts as an AI reply at every stage, including a draft kept inside Aide in Watch only. See [What counts as a billable AI reply](https://docs.aide.app/billing/billable-replies.md).

## Sent or drafted

Past Watch only, Aide writes to your helpdesk, but that doesn't mean it sends. Under **Replies** in the inbox settings, **Send replies** decides: on, Aide sends for topics set to AI Agent and drafts the rest; off, Aide only drafts and your team sends.

Even with **Send replies** on, Aide drafts instead of sending when:

* The helpdesk doesn't take Aide's replies on that kind of ticket. The switch is disabled with the reason when no ticket type in the inbox does.
* A teammate has already replied on the conversation, or Aide has handed it off.
* The conversation was opened from a contact form; see [Sender rules for automated mail, contact forms and pasted conversations](https://docs.aide.app/aide-helpdesk/sender-rules.md).

**Aide answers and hands back**, under **Who handles conversations**, needs a rollout past Watch only.

## See what each inbox does

AI Agent > Per channel lists every inbox your agent answers, with what happens to a reply there:

* A badge for the rollout: **Shadow** for Watch only, **Test senders only** or **Partial rollout**. An inbox set to Everyone has no badge.
* **Drafts only** or **Doesn't reply** when Aide won't send there, followed by the reason, for example "Sending replies is off in this inbox's settings." or "Aide doesn't post public replies."

## The Activity log

Select **Activity** on the helpdesk's integration page. It has two tabs:

* **Writes to** your helpdesk: every reply, note, tag and status change Aide made or held back, with its status (Queued, Applying, Applied, Failed or Skipped), how it was sent, the number of attempts and when. Open a write to read Aide's text and open the conversation. A failed write can be retried.
* **Events from** your helpdesk: each event the helpdesk sent Aide, with its status (Received, Processing, Processed, Ignored or Failed). Payloads aren't kept.

A skipped write says why: "Watch only: not sent", "Someone else took over the conversation", "Overtaken by a newer reply", "The reply window had closed", "The channel can't do this", "The connection was removed" or "Not in your plan". A failed write says what the helpdesk answered, for example "The helpdesk refused this write" or "The conversation was merged into another".

The **Status** section of the integration page counts the last 7 days: writes done in your helpdesk, **Watch only, not sent**, **Failed** and **Waiting now**. Each number opens Activity filtered to it.

## Who can do this

Owners and admins change inbox settings.


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