# Conversation history tools for AI

Let an AI feature look up the current visitor's earlier conversations and recover tool results from its current session.

*Release 3.3 · admin, operator*

**Settings › AI › Features**

## What it is

**Enable Conversation History Tools** lets an AI feature look up earlier conversations for the visitor it is helping. It can use an existing summary or read public conversation messages. A separate **Enable Tool Call History Tools** option lets the agent recover results from tools it has already used in the same session.

## Who uses it and why

- Administrators choose whether an AI feature can consult prior conversations and its own tool results.
- Operators can ask a visitor-aware assistant to check earlier contact before responding.

## Where to find it

Open the relevant supported feature in **Settings › AI › Features**. The editor includes **Enable Conversation History Tools** and **Enable Tool Call History Tools**. These are agent capabilities, rather than a separate history search screen for operators.

## How it works

1. The agent lists recent conversations for the current visitor. By default, the search can also include other visitor identities linked to the same contact.
2. It can narrow its request by dates, channel, status, conversation reference and whether to include tickets or other conversations.
3. The list returns conversation details and any available summary. The agent can then read messages from a selected accessible conversation.
4. Transcript reads return public visitor and operator messages. They exclude private notes and system messages.

Tool call history is separate. The agent can list calls made in the current AI session and retrieve a retained result when it needs more detail. This does not search tools used in every earlier conversation.

## Configure it

With the **Settings** role and the **AI** permission, or the **Developer** role, enable the required history options on the feature. Both start off. Explain in the agent's instructions when it should check previous contact or recover an earlier tool result.

Review contact linking before relying on cross-channel history. Conversation tools need visitor context; a standalone **Team Chat** agent has no selected visitor to search.

### Settings

| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Conversation History Tools | Settings › AI › Features | website | Off | Settings role, Developer role | Allows the agent to list and read conversations belonging to the current visitor or visitors linked to the same contact. |
| Enable Tool Call History Tools | Settings › AI › Features | website | Off | Settings role, Developer role | Allows the agent to list and re-read tool results retained in its current session. |

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Settings | Configure history tools when AI is allowed under Settings Permissions. |
| AI | Allows AI configuration within Settings Permissions. |
| Developer | Configure AI feature history tools. |

## Limits and good to know

- Conversation lists return 20 results by default, with a maximum of 50 per request.
- Message reads return up to 200 messages by default, with a maximum of 500 per request. The default order is oldest first.
- Both tickets and other conversations are included by default.
- The agent can request only the current visitor's history instead of linked-contact history.
- History lookup is bounded and may not return every historical match.
- A conversation outside the current visitor or linked contact is rejected. Enabling history does not grant a website-wide customer search.
- Missing or removed history cannot be recovered by enabling these tools.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Requires** [AI run limits](AI-014.md): AI flow execution provides the built-in history tools and session context.
- **Configured in** [Roles and permissions](ADM-008.md): AI configuration permissions control who can enable the tools.
- **Configured in** [AI feature settings and change history](AI-001.md): The feature controls whether each history capability is available.
- **Works better with** [AI conversation summaries](AI-009.md): Existing conversation summaries can accompany history results.
- **Works better with** [Contact merge preview and assignment](CRM-004.md): Linked contact identities can extend lookup beyond the current visitor identity.
- **Related** [Conversation history and search](CHAT-024.md): The conversation tools read stored conversations also available for review in History.
- **Related** [Internal comments](CHAT-014.md): Conversation history tools return public messages and exclude private notes and system messages.

### Used by

- **Enhances** [AI functions and required inputs](AI-016.md): Supported agents can inspect previous tool results when tool history is enabled.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why can the agent not find an earlier conversation from another channel?

The visitor identities may not be linked to the same contact. The conversation may also fall outside the search filters, available history or bounded results.

### Can the agent read private operator notes through these tools?

No. Conversation message reads include public visitor and operator messages only.

### Why does the Team Chat agent say conversation context is unavailable?

Standalone Team Chat agents run without a selected visitor. Visitor history tools need that context.

### Why can the agent not recover a tool result from yesterday's session?

Tool call history belongs to the current AI session. It is not a cross-session archive.