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

# Takeover — Human Takes Over the Conversation

> Temporarily pause the AI Agent and take control of the Conversation, with configurable automatic return

**Takeover** is the fastest way for an attendant to take over a Conversation without permanently stopping the AI Agent. Instead of transferring the Conversation to a permanent human queue, you pause the AI, respond as needed, and it returns automatically when you signal — or after the configured timer expires.

<img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/timelyai-65a58741/images/screenshots/placeholder-takeover-panel.png" alt="Active Takeover panel with timer" className="rounded-lg border" />

## How Takeover works

The system uses the `ai_pause_logs` table to record each event in the pause lifecycle. The possible states are:

| State                 | Meaning                                   |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| `pause_activated`     | Human took over — AI stopped responding   |
| `interaction_blocked` | Agent message blocked during active pause |
| `auto_resume`         | Timer expired — AI returned automatically |
| `force_resume`        | Attendant ended the pause manually        |
| `extend_pause`        | Attendant extended the pause duration     |

<Note>
  While Takeover is active, any attempt by the AI Agent to send a message is recorded as `interaction_blocked` and discarded. The contact never receives a duplicate response.
</Note>

## Activating Takeover

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Conversation in the Inbox">
    Go to [Inbox → Live Chat](/en/guides/inbox/chat-history) and select the Conversation you want to take over.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Pause AI'">
    In the Conversation header, click the **Pause AI** button. A modal confirms the action and displays a field to set the duration.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the pause duration">
    Choose how long the AI will be paused: **15 min**, **30 min**, **1 hour**, **2 hours**, or **indefinite**. The Workspace default is configurable in Settings → Support.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Take over and respond">
    From this point on, only you send messages. The timer appears in the header with a countdown.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Automatic return

When the timer expires, the system executes the automatic resume:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Auto Resume" icon="clock-rotate-left">
    The AI Agent returns control of the Conversation without human intervention. An `auto_resume` event is recorded in the log with the reason `"timer_expired"`.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Force Resume" icon="hand">
    The attendant clicks **Return to AI** before the timer runs out. The `force_resume` event is recorded immediately.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  If you need more time, click **Extend pause** before the timer reaches zero. Each extension records an `extend_pause` event with the new duration, maintaining a complete audit history.
</Tip>

## Audit and logs

Each action in the Takeover lifecycle is persisted in the `pause-logger` Edge Function with the following fields:

* `conversation_id` — which Conversation was paused
* `action` — the event type (see table above)
* `reason` — descriptive text of the reason
* `duration_minutes` — configured duration (when applicable)
* `triggered_by` — attendant ID or `"system"` for auto-resumes
* `previous_ai_mode` / `new_ai_mode` — before and after the mode change

You can query the complete history of a Conversation via API:

```bash theme={null}
POST /functions/v1/pause-logger
{
  "action": "get_timeline",
  "conversationId": "<id>"
}
```

The response returns events in chronological order, useful for audits and SLA reports.

## Configuring the default timer

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Workspace Settings">
    Navigate to **Settings → Support → Takeover**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the default duration">
    Choose the default value that appears pre-selected when an attendant activates Takeover.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable automatic return">
    Enable or disable auto-resume. If disabled, the pause remains indefinite until the attendant ends it manually.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The duration configuration is per Workspace. Different Teams can have different default times — useful for separating Sales (long pauses) from Support (short pauses).
</Note>