ChatGPT Agents let you connect an OpenAI assistant to your WhatsApp numbers in TimelinesAI. The agent automatically replies to incoming WhatsApp messages on your behalf.
Key facts you need to know:
You can assign an agent to a specific WhatsApp number or to "All Numbers" (covers all current and future numbers in your workspace).
Only one active agent per WhatsApp number is allowed.
Agents work with direct chats only; group chats are not supported.
The agent automatically disables itself in a chat as soon as an outgoing message is sent by anyone other than the agent — a human teammate or any automation (Workflow Builder, Zapier/Make, the Public API, or a CRM). Once disabled, it won’t re-join the chat — even for new incoming messages — until it’s re-enabled.
To use the ChatGPT Agents, you need:
An OpenAI account with an API key and sufficient token balance.
A TimelinesAI workspace with available automation credits.
To set up, follow the instructions below:
Go to Settings → ChatGPT Agents (https://app.timelines.ai/openai/assistants/settings/),
Add your OpenAI API key, then click "Connect an Agent" to link an OpenAI assistant to a WhatsApp number.
For the full step-by-step setup guide, see ChatGPT Agents for WhatsApp.
Connecting multiple WhatsApp numbers:
Each seat (user profile) in TimelinesAI connects to one WhatsApp number.
To connect 3 numbers, you need 3 seats.
You can then assign one ChatGPT agent to "All Numbers," so it responds across all connected numbers automatically.
Price:
Each agent reply uses 1 TimelinesAI automation credit + OpenAI tokens (billed by OpenAI based on your usage).
Re-enabling the agent in a chat
If an agent was disabled in a chat (manually, or automatically after an outgoing message), turn it back on from the chat’s details sidebar using the ChatGPT Agent toggle ("enable for this chat"). After re-enabling, the agent only responds to messages received after it was re-enabled — not to messages that arrived while it was off.
Why did my agent stop replying in a chat?
The most common reason is the automatic disable described above — for example, a follow-up message sent by an automation in that chat. You can confirm it in the chat itself: the chat’s event log shows "ChatGPT Agent auto-disabled due to outgoing message from human agent" at the moment it happened. This appears in the chat’s in-app event log; it does not appear in the agent Activity Log.
Troubleshooting:
Check the Activity Log for agent performance details. If an agent shows a red "Fix issues" flag, it usually means the OpenAI API key is invalid or has insufficient balance.
In case of any questions, contact our dedicated customer support team.