Skip to main content

​
Overview

The Google Chat channel connects ArgentOS to Google Workspace Chat, enabling your agent to communicate through Google’s enterprise messaging platform. The integration uses the Google Chat API with HTTP webhook delivery.

​
Capabilities

FeatureSupported
Direct messagesYes
Group conversationsYes
Threaded repliesYes
ReactionsYes
Media attachmentsYes
StreamingBlock streaming (coalesced delivery)
Native slash commandsNo
Google Chat messages are limited to 4,000 characters per message. ArgentOS automatically splits longer responses into multiple messages.

​
Setup

1

Create a Google Chat App

  1. Go to the Google Cloud Console
  2. Create or select a project
  3. Enable the Google Chat API
  4. Navigate to APIs & Services > Google Chat API > Configuration
  5. Configure the Chat app:
    • App name: Your agent’s name (e.g., “Argent”)
    • Avatar URL: Optional agent avatar
    • Description: Brief description of your agent
    • Functionality: Enable both “Receive 1:1 messages” and “Join spaces and group conversations”
    • Connection settings: Select “HTTP endpoint URL”
    • HTTP endpoint URL: Your gateway’s public webhook URL
2

Configure ArgentOS

Add the Google Chat configuration to ~/.argentos/argent.json:
{
  "channels": {
    "googlechat": {
      "enabled": true,
      "replyToMode": "off",
      "dm": {
        "allowFrom": ["users/123456789"]
      }
    }
  }
}
3

Set Up Allow List

The allowFrom field controls which Google Workspace users can interact with your agent:
{
  "dm": {
    "allowFrom": [
      "users/123456789",
      "[email protected]"
    ]
  }
}
User identifiers can be in any of these formats — the system normalizes them:
  • users/123456789 (Google Chat user ID)
  • googlechat:users/123456789
  • user:users/123456789

​
Multi-Account Configuration

For multiple Google Chat app instances: 
{
  "channels": {
    "googlechat": {
      "accounts": {
        "primary": {
          "dm": {
            "allowFrom": ["users/111"]
          }
        },
        "support": {
          "dm": {
            "allowFrom": ["users/222", "users/333"]
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

​
Threading

Google Chat supports threaded conversations. Configure the reply-to mode: 
{
  "channels": {
    "googlechat": {
      "replyToMode": "off"
    }
  }
}
ModeBehavior
offReplies are sent as new messages (default)
alwaysReplies are always threaded
autoThread when the original message is in a thread
When threading is active, the agent receives thread context including the current thread ID and whether a reply reference exists.

​
Group Conversations

​
Mention Requirements

In group conversations, you can require that the agent be mentioned before it responds: 
{
  "channels": {
    "googlechat": {
      "groups": {
        "requireMention": true
      }
    }
  }
}

​
Tool Policy

Control which tools are available in group conversations: 
{
  "channels": {
    "googlechat": {
      "groups": {
        "toolPolicy": "restricted"
      }
    }
  }
}
PolicyDescription
fullAll tools available
restrictedLimited tool set for group safety
noneNo tools in group conversations

​
Block Streaming

Google Chat uses block streaming mode — the agent collects its full response before sending, rather than streaming tokens incrementally. This is due to Google Chat API limitations on message editing frequency.

​
Aliases

The Google Chat channel ID can be referenced by any of these aliases:
  • googlechat (canonical)
  • google-chat
  • gchat

​
Troubleshooting

  1. Verify the HTTP endpoint URL is reachable from Google’s servers
  2. Check that the user’s ID is in the allowFrom list
  3. Verify the Google Chat API is enabled in your Cloud Console
  4. Check gateway logs for incoming webhook events
  1. Verify replyToMode is set to always or auto
  2. Ensure the original message is in a thread (for auto mode)
  3. Check that the thread ID is being passed correctly in the webhook payload
  1. Verify requireMention is configured correctly
  2. Ensure users are mentioning the Chat app by its configured name
  3. Check that the mention detection is parsing the Google Chat mention format