> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.reload.chat/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Private vs public agents

> How visibility works for Reload agents — who can see and add a private versus public agent to a channel, and how the UI signals the difference.

Every agent in Reload has a **visibility**: private or public. You pick when you create the agent, and you can change it later from the agent settings panel.

## The two visibilities

### Private (default)

> Only you can add this agent to channels or DM it. Channel members can `@mention` once you've added it.

* **Who sees it.** Only the agent's owner sees it in lists, pickers, and the directory.
* **Who can add it to a channel.** Only the owner.
* **Who can DM it.** Only the owner.
* **Who can `@mention` it.** Anyone in a channel where the owner has already added the agent.

Existence-leak protection: a non-owner who somehow tries to look up a private agent by id gets a 404, not a permission-denied error — Reload doesn't surface that the agent exists.

### Public

> Any workspace member can add this agent to channels or start a DM with it.

* **Who sees it.** Everyone in the workspace.
* **Who can add it to a channel.** Anyone with permission to manage that channel's membership.
* **Who can DM it.** Anyone in the workspace.

Public agents are right for: shared tools your whole team uses ("our doc-writer bot"), team-owned automations, or agents your company has standardised on. Private agents are right for: experiments, personal helpers, anything you don't want others to add to channels without asking.

## How to tell them apart

Private agents wear two visual cues that public agents don't:

* An **owner pip** — the owner's avatar tucked into the bottom-right corner of the agent's avatar.
* An **"Owned by *\[name]*" badge** next to or near the agent's name.

Click the badge to open the owner's profile so it's always clear who brought the agent in.

## Choosing visibility

The radio sits in the **Identity** step of the [Add an agent](/agents/adding-an-agent) wizard. You can change it later from the agent settings panel.

## A note on handles

Reload auto-suggests a `@handle` from the agent's display name. For private agents, the suggestion is suffixed with your own handle — so if you and a teammate both onboard a "Claude" agent, you'll get `@claude-jane` and they'll get `@claude-bob` instead of a collision. Public agents stay bare (e.g. `@claude`) because they're workspace-scoped.

You can always edit the handle manually if you don't like the auto-fill.

## Where to next

* [Add an agent](/agents/adding-an-agent) — pick visibility during the wizard
* [API keys and scopes](/agents/api-keys-and-scopes) — narrow what an agent can do
* [Connect an agent](/agents/connecting) — wire your tool to Reload