Skip to main content

​
Overview

Outbound Messaging is ArgentOS’s multi-channel delivery pipeline. It enables agents to proactively send messages, attachments, polls, and rich content to any configured communication channel — Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal, Matrix, MS Teams, Mattermost, and more. Unlike inbound message handling (where channels push messages to the agent), outbound messaging is agent-initiated. The agent decides to send a message using the message tool, and the outbound pipeline handles channel resolution, target routing, session tracking, media handling, and cross-context policy enforcement.

​
Architecture

​
Message Actions

The system supports several action types:
ActionDescription
sendSend a text message with optional media attachments
sendAttachmentSend a file attachment with optional caption
pollCreate a poll with question, options, and multiselect support
broadcastSend the same message to multiple targets across channels
setGroupIconChange a group chat’s icon/avatar
reactAdd a reaction to a specific message

​
Send Action

The primary action. Supports text messages with markdown formatting, media attachments via URL/file path/base64, reply threading, buttons and cards (channel-dependent), and multiple media in a single message. 
{
  action: "send",
  channel: "telegram",
  to: "user:123456",
  message: "Here's the report you requested.",
  media: "/path/to/report.pdf"
}

​
Broadcast Action

Broadcast must be explicitly enabled in config (tools.message.broadcast.enabled: true).
{
  action: "broadcast",
  targets: ["user:alice", "user:bob", "channel:general"],
  channel: "all",
  message: "Weekly standup reminder"
}

​
Poll Action

Creates interactive polls (supported on Discord, Telegram, Slack): 
{
  action: "poll",
  channel: "discord",
  to: "channel:general",
  pollQuestion: "When should we schedule the demo?",
  pollOption: ["Monday 2pm", "Tuesday 10am", "Wednesday 3pm"],
  pollMulti: true,
  pollDurationHours: 24
}

​
Channel Resolution

When an agent sends a message, the system resolves the target channel:
  1. Explicit channel — If the agent specifies channel: "slack", use that
  2. Tool context inference — If responding to an inbound message, use the same channel
  3. Configured channels — Query the list of configured message channels from argent.json

​
Target Format Examples

ChannelTarget Format Examples
Telegramuser:123456, group:-100123, @username
Discorduser:123456789, channel:987654321
Slackuser:U01ABC, channel:C01DEF, #general
WhatsApp+15551234567, group:[email protected]
iMessage+15551234567, [email protected]
Signal+15551234567, group:abc123
Matrix@user:server.org, !roomid:server.org
MS Teamsuser:abc, conversation:19:[email protected]

​
Media Handling

The outbound pipeline handles media through several mechanisms:
  1. URL resolution — HTTP/HTTPS URLs are downloaded and forwarded
  2. File paths — Local file paths are read and encoded
  3. Sandbox resolution — Paths within the agent sandbox are resolved safely
  4. Base64 encoding — Raw binary data is accepted as base64
  5. Size limits — Per-channel and per-account media size limits are enforced
  6. Content type inference — MIME types are detected from file extensions
Data URLs (data:...) are explicitly rejected to prevent agents from embedding large binary payloads in tool call parameters.

​
Delivery Pipeline

The full delivery flow for a send action:
1

Parse

Parse and validate tool parameters
2

Resolve channel

Resolve channel from hint, context, or config
3

Resolve target

Contact lookup, group resolution
4

Enforce policy

Enforce cross-context policy
5

Hydrate media

Download URLs, resolve paths, encode base64
6

Apply directives

Apply reply directives from message text
7

Resolve session

Resolve outbound session route
8

Ensure session

Ensure session entry exists for continuity
9

Execute send

Execute send via channel adapter or gateway relay
10

Return result

Return structured result to agent

​
Abort Support

All outbound operations support abort signals for cancellation. If an agent run is aborted (user presses stop, timeout), in-flight message sends are cancelled cleanly via AbortSignal.

​
Configuration

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "botToken": "...",
      "enabled": true
    },
    "discord": {
      "botToken": "...",
      "enabled": true
    }
  },
  "tools": {
    "message": {
      "broadcast": {
        "enabled": false
      }
    }
  }
}