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Channels

Channels define how an agent receives requests and delivers results. The segment is split into two directions:

  • Incoming: channels that receive requests.
  • Outgoing: channels that deliver results.
Agent ChannelsSnapshot of Protean AI Platform

You add a channel to a direction by clicking its tag (e.g. + MCP); remove it with the delete icon on its card.

Chat​

The Chat channel makes the agent available in Protean AI's interactive conversation interface. It receives chat requests over HTTP and delivers chat responses over HTTP. This is the channel you enable for a normal chat-style assistant.

Chat is shared (bidirectional): toggling it affects both Incoming and Outgoing. Removing it from one direction removes it from both.

note

An agent must have the Chat channel enabled before you can start a conversation with it. See Using an Agent in Chat.

MCP​

The MCP channel exposes the agent itself as an MCP server, so other agents and external clients can call it as a tool. Like Chat, MCP is shared (bidirectional).

This is what makes agent-to-agent composition possible: an agent must have the MCP channel enabled to be selectable as a sub-agent or external agent in another agent's Sub-Agents configuration.

Announcement​

The Announcement channel lets an agent broadcast to, or receive announcements from, other agents. You use it as an advanced pattern for multi-agent coordination, where agents need to signal each other rather than answer direct chat or tool calls. Unlike Chat and MCP, Announcement is not bidirectional: you add it to Incoming and Outgoing independently, so an agent can listen for announcements without broadcasting any, or broadcast without listening. This matters when you want fine-grained control over which agents originate signals and which only react to them.

Email​

note

Email channels (inbound and outbound) are coming soon and are currently not available in the interface.

tip

For a standard assistant you only need Chat. Add MCP when you want other agents to call this one, and Announcement only when building coordinated multi-agent workflows.