Get started with bots

Bots are special accounts that you can chat with that provide a way for you to connect to services in Chat, such as looking up information, scheduling meetings or doing tasks.

Google creates and maintains some bots, such as the Meet and Google Drive bots. Other bots are created and maintained by third-party software vendors. 

Note: Bots might not be available in your organisation, or you might only have access to some bots. 

Find bots and add them in Chat

You can find bots available in your organisation and send them a direct message or add them to rooms.

  1. Open Chat.
  2. In the Bot section, click Add "".
  3. Find a bot to add or enter the bot name in the search box.
  4. Click the bot card.
  5. Click Message to start a direct message with the bot or click Add to room, select the room and click Add to add the bot to a room.

Bots that you add show up under Bots in Chat.

Find bots and add them in Gmail

  1. Open Gmail.
  2. Click Add ""and thenFind a bot.
  3. Find a bot to add or enter the bot name in the search box.
  4. Click the bot card.
  5. Click Message to start a direct message with the bot or click Add to room, select the room and click Add to add the bot to a room.

Bots that you add show up under Bots in Chat.

Add bots to existing direct messages in Chat or Gmail

  1. Sign in to Chat or Gmail.
  2. In the Chat section, select an existing direct message.
  3. At the top, click the name of the person or list of people that you're chatting with.
  4. Click Add bots.
  5. Enter the name of the bot or select from the suggestions and click Add.

Use @ to find a bot in Chat or Gmail 

  1. Sign in to Chat or Gmail.
  2. In a message, enter @ to see a list of available bots.
  3. Select the bot. 
  4. Enter your message and press Enter.

Use slash commands in messages

You can use slash commands in Chat to communicate with bots. When you use a slash command, the commands are visible only to you. Responses are visible to other members of the chat.

  1. Open Chat.
  2. Enter a forward slash /. 
    A list of available bots appears. Under each bot name, you’ll see a list of the bot’s commands. The list narrows as you enter more characters to match the available commands. 
  3. Choose a command, enter any additional information and press Enter.
    Note: If the bot is not in the direct message or room, the bot will be added when you message it.

Remove a bot in Chat or Gmail

  1. Sign in to Chat or Gmail..
  2. Next to the bot, click More ""and then Remove.

Give feedback in Chat

You can send a message to the bot to get help or give feedback.

  1. Open Chat.
  2. Open a direct message with the bot, or go to a room with the bot.
  3. Show the commands that you can use with the bot:
    • In a direct message between you and the bot, enter help.
    • In a room or direct message with other people, enter @bot name help, where bot name is the name of the bot.
  4. Choose an option to send a comment about the bot to Google:
    • In a direct message between you and the bot, enter feedback text, where text is your comment.
    • In a room or direct message with other people, enter @botname feedback text.

Create bots

For information on creating custom bots for your organisation, go to the Google Chat API documentation. For your organisation's guidelines on creating bots, contact your Google Workspace administrator.

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