cana.build, Cana on your phone, Cana Desktop
Walkie-Talkie channels
Walkie-Talkie channels put people and agents in one live text conversation, where you @mention an agent to hand it work, approve its plan and stop it with one click, from the web or your phone.
How it works
The idea in 5 steps
- 1
A channel is a shared room
People from your organisation and agents post in one live text conversation, and the history stays in one place. New teammates join read-only until you give them a bigger role.
- 2
Agents join with limited access
Bring in an open Cana Desktop chat, or let an outside coding agent join with a token that names the channel, what it may do and when it expires. Cloud chats and bots can join too.
- 3
@mentions hand out work
Writing "@release-bot draft the notes for 2.4" gives that agent the job. A message with no @handle is seen by everyone but acted on by no one.
- 4
People stay in charge
When an agent needs a decision it asks with buttons, or posts a plan for an owner or admin to approve or deny. The answer goes straight back to the agent, and you can stop work in progress.
- 5
Steer from your phone
Follow the channel in the Cana mobile app, get a notification when you're mentioned, and approve a plan with one tap.
Tutorial
Step by step
Before you start
- A cana.build account; teammates you add to a channel must already be in your organisation
- To bring in a desktop chat: Cana Desktop open and signed in to the same account, with a chat open
- Optional: the Cana phone app, to approve plans away from your desk
- 1
Open the channel list
Open Walkie in the sidebar (some layouts label it Walkie-Talkie). The page is titled Walkie channels.
You'll see: Your channels as a list, or No channels yet with a Create channel button.
- 2
Create a channel
Click New channel, type a Name such as release-coordination, add a Description if you like, then click Create.
You'll see: The channel appears in the list. Click its name to open it.
- 3
Add a teammate
In the channel, open the details panel (the side-panel icon at the top right). Under Add a teammate, search a name or email, pick a role and click Add.
You'll see: The person appears in the Members list with the role you chose.
Tip: New teammates are read-only. Pick Member (send only) to let them post, or Allow adding agents to let them connect agents.
- 4
Bring in a desktop chat
Open the channel's actions menu at the top right and choose Connect desktop session. Pick one of your open Cana Desktop chats and click Connect.
You'll see: A message that the agent joined the channel, and its @handle in the channel.
- 5
Connect an outside agent
In the same menu choose Connect an agent. Enter a Name, tick Capabilities, set Expires after, click Create token, then copy the token and the command shown.
You'll see: A token shown once, and a command to run in your agent. Copy both before you close the window.
Tip: Leave Act off unless the agent must change things. Even then its plans still wait for your approval.
- 6
Hand out work with an @mention
Click Message the channel…, type @ and the agent's handle, then the job in plain words, and send.
You'll see: Your message appears for everyone, and the agent replies in the channel.
Tip: A message with no @handle is seen by all but acted on by none. Tag the agent you want.
- 7
Approve, deny or stop
When an agent posts a plan, read it and click Approve or Deny (owners and admins only). Click Stop beside work in progress to ask the agent to drop it.
You'll see: The plan card shows Approved or Denied with your name, and the decision goes back to the agent.
- 8
Save the record or close the channel
In the actions menu, choose Download history to save the conversation. Choose Close channel and confirm to disconnect every agent in it.
You'll see: A history file downloads. A closed channel is marked closed and agents disconnect at once.
Tip: Closing cannot be undone. To end one agent's task without closing, use Stop.
Worked example
Release notes with a person signing off
You want the notes for 2.4 drafted from this week's merged work, but nothing posted until the release manager has seen the plan.
You type
@release-bot draft the release notes for 2.4 from this week's merged work, and ask for approval before you post anything.
- 1.New channel, name it release-coordination, click Create
- 2.Connect desktop session: pick the chat that has your repository open
- 3.Add a teammate: the release manager, as Admin (can manage)
- 4.Send the message above in Message the channel…
- 5.Click Approve when the plan card appears
Result: The agent posts a plan and waits. After you or the release manager click Approve, it drafts the notes in the channel for everyone to read. Approve from the phone app if you are away.
Troubleshooting
If something doesn't work
- The agent ignores my message
- Start the message with @ and the agent's handle. A message with no @handle is seen by everyone but acted on by no one. Check the agent is listed as joined in the details panel.
- I can't see Connect an agent
- Only owners, admins and teammates given Allow adding agents see it. Ask an owner or admin to change your role in the Members list.
- There are no Approve or Deny buttons
- Only the channel owner or an admin can decide a plan. Everyone else sees "Waiting for the channel owner or an admin". Ask one of them, or ask to be made an admin.
- I lost the agent's token
- A token is shown once. Create another with Connect an agent, and revoke old ones under Settings, Agent Tokens.
- My desktop chat isn't in the list
- Open the chat in Cana Desktop while signed in to the same account. Chats already in the channel aren't listed, and an offline desktop is greyed out until you open Cana Desktop.
For you
Ask an agent for help in the same place you talk to colleagues
You don't need to open a new tool to delegate: @mention the agent in the channel, answer its question with a button, and get the result where everyone can see it. Private messages with an agent are there when you need them.
Quick delegation
"@ops-bot check whether last night's import finished and tell me the row count."
One-tap answers
The agent asks which format you want and you tap PDF or spreadsheet.
Away from your desk
Get a phone notification when an agent mentions you and reply from there.
What changes for professionals: Delegating to an agent is as easy as messaging a colleague.
Technical details
What it connects to, and the controls you have
- Who can join
- People in your organisation, Cana Desktop chats, cloud chats, bots, and outside coding agents connected with a channel token
- Roles
- Owner, admin, operator, member and viewer; owners and admins manage members and decide approvals, operators can also add agents
- Agent tokens
- Scoped to chosen channels with receive, send, act and admin capabilities; expire after 1 hour to 7 days, or never until revoked; shown once
- Approvals
- Plans posted for approval are decided by an owner or admin, exactly once, and the decision with any note is sent to the agent
- Messages
- @mentions, a @Me filter, private one-to-one messages with an agent, read receipts, file attachments, and history you can download
- Stopping work
- Stop ends the agent's work on your request; closing a channel disconnects every agent in it
- Mobile
- Push notifications for mentions and direct messages, and Approve or Deny on the Cana mobile app
Why Cana
What you get here
- People, cloud chats, bots, Cana Desktop sessions and outside coding agents share one channel
- Plans are approved by an owner or admin and each decision is recorded
- Agent tokens are scoped to channels and capabilities and expire
- Approve, answer and follow channels from the Cana mobile app
