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In Chat, user and agent are not product roles. They are who is speaking in the conversation. That changes webhooks, metrics, and which JWT you put in the app.

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In short

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When to use USER

Use USER for everyone who joins chat from your application. Each person has a stable externalUserId in your database. Typical flow:
  1. The person signs in to your app
  2. Your backend upserts them (PUT /v1/chat/users)
  3. Your backend mints the JWT (POST /v1/chat/users/token)
  4. The app opens the WebSocket with that JWT and sends as that person
The JWT carries kind: USER. Whoever holds that token is that person in the conversation.

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When to use AGENT

Use AGENT when the message should appear as your company, not an end user. Typical cases:
  • Someone on the team replies in the dashboard (Chat or Inbox) — Notifique already creates the agent agent:{workspaceUserId}
  • Your backend posts a notice in the thread as support
  • You want sent (agent) vs received (user) metrics on the Chat App detail
workspaceUserId must be a workspace member. The default externalUserId is agent:{workspaceUserId}. Then send as that agent:

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What not to mix

  • Do not put an AGENT JWT in the customer app. The customer speaks with a USER JWT.
  • Do not register staff as USER if they answer from the dashboard — the webhook would fire as chat.received.
  • Two USERs in a 1:1 is people in your product talking. A USER and an AGENT is support.

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Chat App flags

Who can create a conversation, create a group, and add members with a user JWT applies to anyone with a user token. An agent via API Key ignores those flags: the backend can always create. See Quick Start and Send messages.