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

# How the messenger answers

> Where AI answers come from, what they cost, and what happens when the help center has no answer.

The messenger answers each question from your help center. Your team can read every conversation under **With the AI** in the inbox, and takes one over by replying, or when the visitor asks for a person.

## Where answers come from

The messenger uses the same sources as your help center's answers: published articles, web pages, and files under **Help center**, then **Sources**. Drafts are not used. It finds the passages that fit the question best and writes from those alone.

- Answers are two to four sentences, in the language the visitor writes in.
- Sources the answer uses are listed under it, numbered, and open in a new tab.
- The last few questions and answers in the conversation are taken into account, so visitors can ask follow-ups.

![The messenger: a visitor's question, the answer with its numbered source, and Talk to a person](https://apuqtiwclzoqhluvxsdm.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/help-center/f6500f88-5de9-4129-8896-8a10e08ffa09/af/afb7f071079726128f387027a10da529.png)

To change an answer, change the source. Answers use the new text as soon as it is published.

## This helped

Under the latest answer from the help center, the visitor can select **This helped**, and the button changes to "Glad that helped." A visitor who answers only with thanks, like "Thanks, that worked", counts the same. Either one marks the conversation **Resolved** in the inbox. See [Find a conversation](https://chat.sh/help/articles/find-a-conversation).

## When the help center has no answer

The visitor sees: "Nothing in the help center covers that yet. Tap Talk to a person and someone on the team will help." The **Talk to a person** button shows under that message.

The conversation is not handed over by itself. The visitor decides.

An answer can also say the help center does not cover part of a question. Neither uses a credit. Both kinds are listed under **Not in the help center** in [Messenger analytics](https://chat.sh/help/articles/messenger-analytics), with a **Write it** link to start the missing article. In the inbox, the conversation shows under **With the AI**, then **Needs a look**, once the visitor has been quiet for 30 minutes.

## Support addresses in your articles

If an article says to email support, the messenger leaves that out and points to **Talk to a person** instead, so visitors stay in the conversation.

## Credits

Each AI answer uses one credit. The messenger and your help center's answers share the same monthly credits.

Free:

- Questions the help center does not cover, fully or in part. When an answer says so, its credit is given back.
- Greetings and thanks, which get a short reply
- Questions in the **Preview** on the **Settings** page
- Replies from your team

Credits reset on the first of each month. See [AI credits and pages](https://chat.sh/help/articles/ai-credits-and-pages).

When the month's credits are gone, visitors see: "AI answers are paused right now. Tap Talk to a person and someone on the team will help." They can still reach your team.

## Limits

- A question can be up to 500 characters.
- One visitor can ask 10 questions a minute and 60 an hour.
- One help center can take 1,000 questions an hour across all visitors.

Over a limit, the visitor sees: "That is a lot of questions at once. Wait a minute, then ask again."

## After a person takes over

Once a visitor asks for a person, or a teammate replies, the AI stops answering in that conversation. It cannot be handed back. The visitor can start a new conversation from the conversations list to ask the AI again. See [Talk to a person](https://chat.sh/help/articles/talk-to-a-person).

## Files

The AI does not read attachments. Visitors can attach files only after a person has taken over.