---
title: Chat with Elastic Agent Builder agents
description: Learn how to chat with AI agents in Agent Builder, inspect reasoning steps, and manage conversation history through the UI or API.
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/chat
products:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless
  - Elastic Observability
  - Elastic Security
  - Elasticsearch
  - Kibana
applies_to:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless: Generally available
  - Elastic Stack: Generally available since 9.3, Preview in 9.2
---

# Chat with Elastic Agent Builder agents
**Agent Chat** is the chat interface for natural language conversations with your [agents](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/agent-builder-agents).
The chat GUI and programmatic interfaces enable real-time communication where you can ask questions, request data analysis, and receive immediate responses from your configured agents.
<note>
  The chat UI is available in both standalone and flyout modes. For more information, refer to [Chat UI modes](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/standalone-and-flyout-modes).
</note>


## Get started

<tip>
  Refer to the [getting started](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/get-started) guide if you need to enable the feature and ingest some data.
</tip>

Find **Agents** in the navigation menu to begin chatting.
You can also search for **Agent Builder** in the [global search bar](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/find-apps-and-objects).
This takes you to the chat GUI:
![Annotated screenshot of the Agent Chat GUI with numbered callouts highlighting the chat input (1), agent selector (2), model selector (3), conversations panel (4), and more actions menu (5)](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/images/agent-builder-chat-UI-get-started.png)

1. [Chat input area](#start-a-chat-and-select-an-agent)
2. [Agent selector](#select-a-different-agent)
3. [Model selector](#select-a-different-model)
4. [Conversation history](#find-conversation-history)
5. [Key actions menu](#access-key-actions)


## Agent Chat GUI


### Start a chat and select an agent

Use the text input area to chat with an agent in real time. Check the agent selector to see which agent is active. To switch agents, refer to [Select a different agent](#select-a-different-agent).
![Text input area for chatting with agents](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/images/agent-builder-chat-input.png)

<note>
  Conversations with agents consume tokens. To understand how usage is calculated, refer to [Token usage in Elastic Agent Builder](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/monitor-usage).
</note>


#### Select a different agent

<applies-to>
  - Elastic Stack: Generally available since 9.3
</applies-to>

Use the agent selector to switch agents, to navigate to the agent management section, or to create a new agent. An agent's behavior is defined by its custom instructions and available tools. Switch agents when you need different capabilities for your tasks.
![Agent selector dropdown and message input field](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/images/agent-builder-agent-selector.png)


#### Select a different model

<applies-to>
  - Elastic Stack: Generally available since 9.3
</applies-to>

Use the model selector to switch the underlying [model](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/models) the agent uses to generate responses. Switch models to prioritize faster responses, lower costs, or more complex reasoning, depending on your use case.
![Image description](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/images/model-selector.png)


### Access key actions

<applies-to>
  - Elastic Stack: Generally available since 9.3
</applies-to>

This menu is your hub for key management actions. You can quickly access important pages from here.
![More actions menu button](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/images/more-actions.png)

This opens a panel with links to key actions and management pages including agent, tool, and settings management.
![The expanded more options menu panel](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/images/more-actions-menu-options.png)


### Find conversation history

Use the chat history panel to access previous conversations.
![Chat history panel showing conversation list](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/images/agent-builder-chat-history.png)


### Inspect tool calls and reasoning

Expand the **Reasoning** section to see how the agent handles your request. This provides a detailed breakdown of the agent's reasoning steps, the tool calls it makes, and the responses it receives. The agent runs tools in a loop until it achieves its goal or [exceeds the maximum conversation length](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/limitations-known-issues#conversation-length-exceeded).
![Reasoning panel showing tool calls and execution steps](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/images/reasoning-steps.png)

Select **Inspect response** to view detailed information about individual tool calls and responses.
Select **View JSON** to view the full raw response data. For more information, refer to [Monitor token usage](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/monitor-usage).

## Agent Chat API

The Agent Chat API provides programmatic access to chat functionality through REST endpoints.

### Quick overview

For a quick overview of the REST API for conversations, refer to [Chat and conversations API](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/explore-analyze/ai-features/agent-builder/kibana-api#chat-and-conversations).

### API reference

For the complete API reference, refer to the [Kibana API reference](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/kibana/operation/operation-get-agent-builder-conversations).