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

# Taking over from the AI (and handing back)

> By the end of this guide, you'll know how to step into any conversation your AI is handling — and how to hand it back so the AI picks up again.

By the end of this guide, you'll know how to step into any conversation your AI is handling — and how to hand it back so the AI picks up again.

Your AI handles most conversations on its own, but sometimes a person should step in: a delicate question, a VIP customer, or a request the AI has escalated. Cura makes that switch instant, and only for the one conversation you choose.

## Before you begin

* Open a conversation in the **Inbox** that's currently handled by **your AI**.
* Taking over affects only that single conversation — never your other chats or channels.

***

<Steps>
  <Step title="Take over the conversation">
    When the AI is handling a conversation, the message box shows a **Take Over Chat** button instead of letting you type right away.

    * **Click Take Over Chat.** The AI steps aside immediately, and you become the handler.
    * The conversation now shows that a person is in control.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cura-2d9288ab/mTvBrm7WZR5GpnU1/images/inbox/conversation-view.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=mTvBrm7WZR5GpnU1&q=85&s=a99df187675e9518aabeb14dbfdd95ad" alt="A conversation in Cura with the Take Over Chat button above the composer" width="2880" height="1560" data-path="images/inbox/conversation-view.png" />
    </Frame>

    <Check>You're now in control of this conversation. The AI will not reply here until you hand it back.</Check>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reply as yourself">
    Once you've taken over, the message box is yours. Type your reply, add a saved reply with `/`, or attach a file — just as you would in any conversation.

    <Note>
      Taking over is per-conversation. It never switches your AI off for other customers or channels — they keep getting instant answers.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Hand back to the AI">
    When you're done and happy for the AI to resume, hand the conversation back.

    * **Reassign the handler to your AI.** In the conversation's **Conversation actions** (in the details panel), set the **Assigned Agent** back to **Cura AI**.
    * The AI resumes handling the conversation from that point.

    <Check>You've handed back — your AI is in control again and will respond to the customer's next message.</Check>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Approve a draft in Copilot mode

Full take-over is one way to step in. When your workspace **Mode** is set to **Copilot**, there's a lighter one: instead of sending on its own, Cura writes a **suggested reply** and pre-fills it straight into your **Reply** box for you to approve.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Read the suggested reply">
    When a customer writes in, Cura's draft appears as editable text in the Reply box of that conversation. Above the box, small chips show **which Service or FAQ** Cura drew on, so you can see where the answer came from at a glance.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Edit if you want to">
    If the draft is good as-is, leave it. To change a word, a price, or the tone, just edit the text — the moment you start typing, a small **edited** pill appears so you know you've changed it from Cura's original.

    <Tip>
      If the customer sends a follow-up while you're reading, Cura writes a fresh draft for the newer message and swaps it in. You'll always be approving a reply to the latest thing they said.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send it — or set it aside">
    * **Send:** click **Send**. The reply goes to the customer in their own channel, exactly like a message you wrote yourself.
    * **Don't send:** clear the box or reply in your own words instead. Nothing is delivered until you approve it.

    <Check>Only the replies you approve ever reach a customer — that's the promise of Copilot mode.</Check>
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Approving a Copilot draft is not the same as taking over. The draft lands in your Reply box automatically because the whole workspace is in Copilot mode — you don't need to press **Take Over Chat** first. For the full picture of Copilot, see [Draft mode (Copilot)](/ai-agent/draft-mode).
</Note>

## Get a one-off AI draft

Even when your workspace isn't in Copilot mode, you can ask Cura for a single suggested reply in any conversation. Look for the **AI Draft** button (a sparkle icon) in the composer — press it and Cura writes a suggested reply into your Reply box for you to review, edit, and send.

It's handy when the **Mode** is **Off** or **Autopilot** but you'd still like a hand with a tricky message, or when a chat is assigned to a teammate and you want to help without commandeering it.

<Info>
  There's a short cooldown between AI Draft requests, so give it a few seconds before asking for another. Cura needs a customer message to draft from, so use it after the customer has written in.
</Info>

## Troubleshooting

* **Can't hand back to the AI?** The AI may be unavailable for that conversation — for example, AI is switched off for that channel or for your organization. The selector will tell you why.
* **AI didn't reply after handback?** It responds to the *next* incoming message; it won't re-answer messages you already handled.

<Tip>
  There's no penalty for taking over "just in case." Step in whenever a human touch will help, and hand back the moment it's routine again.
</Tip>

***

### Related articles

* [Draft mode (Copilot)](/ai-agent/draft-mode)
* [The Inbox explained](/inbox/the-inbox-explained)
* [Replying to a customer](/inbox/replying-to-a-customer)
* [Assigning conversations to teammates](/inbox/assigning-conversations)
* [Private notes](/inbox/private-notes)