> For the full page index, fetch https://echonova.ai/llms.txt # Agent status The two statuses an agent can hold, what each one allows, and exactly what archiving does and does not stop. An agent is either `active` or `archived`. Archiving is what the portal's **Pause Agent** button does, it is reversible, and it is the only way to retire an agent. This page lists what each status allows, what the portal calls the two statuses on each screen, and what archiving leaves running. ## The two statuses | Value | What it means | | ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `active` | The agent can be edited, tested and reached. This is the status a new agent is created with | | `archived` | The agent is read-only and cannot start a session from the portal. It still exists, with all of its configuration, and can be restored at any time | The portal uses different words for the same two values depending on where you are looking. | Screen | Active reads | Archived reads | | ---------------------------------------- | ----------------- | --------------------- | | Agents list, status column | **Active** | **Archived** | | Agents list, section heading | **Active agents** | **Archived** | | Agents list, row menu | **Archive** | **Restore to active** | | Agent detail, header chip | **Live** | **Archived** | | Agent detail, the button beside the chip | **Pause Agent** | **Restore** | The control above the agents list reads **Show archived**. Pressing it switches the list to the archived agents, and it then reads **Viewing archived**. **Pause Agent** is the portal's word for archiving. Pausing an agent and archiving it are the same change. ## What each status allows | Action | Active | Archived | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Edit any field | Yes | No. The write is refused with `Cannot edit archived agent. Restore via /status first.` | | Use the Settings, Persona, Voice, Knowledge and Tools controls | Yes | No. Every control on those tabs is disabled | | Start a session from the portal | Yes | No. The start is refused with `Cannot start a session on an archived agent` | | Press **Test** | Yes | No. The button is disabled, and the list row's tooltip reads **Archived. Restore to test** | | Appear in the default agents list | Yes | No. The archived ones are behind **Show archived** | | Count toward the plan's agent limit | Yes | No | | Be offered as a bot on a [Genesys Cloud](/docs/agents/genesys-chat) connection | Yes | No | | Be counted in the usage warning when you delete a tool or a knowledge source | Yes | No. The confirm dialog counts only the agents you can see | | Keep its conversations, transcripts and analytics | Yes | Yes. Nothing recorded is removed | ## Changing the status The status is the one field that can change while the agent is archived, because it is the only way back. **Pause Agent** and the row menu's **Archive** set it to `archived`; **Restore** and **Restore to active** set it back to `active`. There is no delete: every remove action archives, and the agent stays. In the portal, the chip and the button beside it switch straight to the other status, with no confirmation step. A success toast reads **Agent archived** or **Agent restored**. On the list, the row flips first and reverts with **Couldn't archive the agent. Try again.** or **Couldn't restore the agent. Try again.** if the change fails. Restoring is the one direction that can be refused. Moving an agent back to `active` counts the workspace's active agents first and checks the plan's agent limit, so a workspace already at its limit has to archive another agent or upgrade before it can restore this one. ## What archiving does - The agent leaves the default list and moves behind **Show archived**. - A banner appears under the header reading **This agent is archived. It can't take calls or start a session until you restore it.** The banner refers to sessions started from the portal; channels bound to the agent are covered in the next section. - Editing is refused, and every editing control is disabled. - Sessions can no longer be started from the portal, so **Test** is disabled. - The plan's active-agent count drops by one, which frees a slot for another agent. ## What archiving does not stop Archiving stops the sessions you start from the portal. It does not stop a connected channel: a message or call on a channel bound to an archived agent is answered, and those turns are charged. [Channels overview](/docs/agents/channels-overview) lists every channel and how each one is disconnected or moved. > [!WARNING] > To stop an agent answering on a channel, disconnect the channel or bind it to > another agent. Archiving alone leaves the channel answering and charging. | Thing | What archiving does to it | | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | A session already running | Nothing. It keeps going, keeps recording turns and keeps charging credits until it ends on its own or the caller hangs up | | Channels bound to the agent | Nothing. They stay bound and stay connected | | An inbound message on a text channel | It is answered and charged | | An inbound or outbound telephone call | It is answered and charged | | Conversations, transcripts and analytics | Kept in full | | Knowledge, tools, secrets and connections | Kept. Nothing is unlinked | ## Get it right Taking an agent out of service is two steps, in this order: stop its channels, then archive it. **Recommended** - Disconnect each connected channel, or bind it to the agent that takes over, then press **Pause Agent**. The agent can no longer be tested or edited, and its slot on the plan is freed. **Less effective** - Pressing **Pause Agent** and leaving the channels bound. Customers still reach the agent, and the conversations are still charged. ## Retiring an agent Archiving is the only way to retire an agent, and it is reversible. An archived agent stays in the archived list with all of its configuration and history, does not count against the plan's agent limit, and cannot be started from the portal. To remove its conversations, open each one and press **Delete**; see [Data retention](/docs/agents/data-retention). ## Errors | Message | When | What to do | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | `Cannot edit archived agent. Restore via /status first.` | Any write to an archived agent other than its status | Restore the agent, then edit | | `Cannot start a session on an archived agent` | Starting a portal session on an archived agent | Restore the agent, then press **Test** | | `Workspace has reached the maximum number of agents allowed by the current plan` | Restoring an agent, or creating one, while the workspace is at its plan limit | Archive another agent or upgrade the plan | | **Couldn't change status** | The status change failed | The toast carries the reason underneath. Try again | | **Your workspace is over the agents limit for the current plan. Archive some agents or upgrade your plan to create new ones.** | The agents list, when the workspace is over its limit | Archive agents you are not using | ## FAQ ### Does archiving stop my WhatsApp number or phone number? No. A channel bound to an archived agent keeps answering and charging. Disconnect the channel or bind it to another agent first; the steps are on [Connect WhatsApp](/docs/agents/whatsapp-connect) and [Voice with Twilio](/docs/agents/voice-twilio). ### Does an archived agent cost anything? Not by itself. It does not count against the plan's agent limit and starts no sessions from the portal. A channel still bound to it does start conversations, and those are charged. ### Can I delete an agent permanently? No. Archive it. The agent, its conversations and its analytics stay, and the agent can be restored at any time. ### Why can't I restore an agent? The workspace is at its plan's agent limit. Archive another agent or upgrade the plan, then restore. ### Is pausing different from archiving? No. **Pause Agent** sets the status to `archived`, and **Restore** sets it back to `active`. ## Related - [Test your agent](/docs/agents/test-your-agent): the session type archiving stops - [Channels overview](/docs/agents/channels-overview): the channels archiving leaves answering, and how to stop them - [Human handoff](/docs/agents/human-handoff): the channels where the agent can hand a conversation to a person - [Working hours](/docs/agents/working-hours): the other setting people reach for to stop an agent - [What a turn costs](/docs/agents/what-a-turn-costs): what a channel bound to an archived agent still charges - [The agent overview tab](/docs/agents/agent-overview-page): where the status chip and **Pause Agent** sit - [What is an agent](/docs/agents/what-is-an-agent): the agent the status belongs to - [Create an agent](/docs/agents/create-an-agent): the plan's agent limit at creation - [Data retention](/docs/agents/data-retention): what archiving keeps