# Bot settings

The bot's profile card, every section of a bot's settings, what each one controls, and which settings follow you to your other devices.

Canonical page: https://themachine.myapps.ai/docs/desktop/bots/bot-settings

Each bot has its own settings: who it is, what it knows, what it can reach,
and how it behaves.

## The profile card

![Scout's profile card: its face, name, blurb, status, model, the goals it looks after, and quick actions](/images/docs/desktop/bot-profile-card.webp)

Click the bot's **avatar** in the chat header to open its profile card. It's
a quick look at the bot:

- its face, **name**, and one-line **blurb**,
- what it's doing now, like **Ready** or **Working**, and the model it runs on,
- **Looks after**: the goals you've given it on the
  [Responsibilities](/docs/desktop/bots/responsibilities) page, if any.

Below that are the things you'd reach for next:

| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| **New thread** | Starts a fresh thread with this bot. |
| **Responsibilities** | Opens its goals, schedule, and what wakes it. See [Responsibilities](/docs/desktop/bots/responsibilities). |
| **Kick** | Unsticks a turn that seems frozen. See [Troubleshooting](/docs/desktop/troubleshooting). |
| **All settings** | Opens the bot's full settings. |

Click anywhere outside the card to close it.

## Open a bot's settings

Any of these works:

- Click the bot's **name** in the chat header.
- Click the bot's **avatar** in the chat header, then **All settings**.
- Right-click the bot in the sidebar and choose **Edit Profile**.
- Click the **usage chip** in the chat header to open the **Usage** section.

Settings open in a panel on the right. Click a section to open or close it.
Type in the **Search** box at the top to jump to a setting.

Changes save as you go. Only **Memory** has its own **Save** button.

## The sections at a glance

![A bot's settings panel, with its sections listed](/images/docs/desktop/bot-settings.webp)

| Section | In one line | More |
|---|---|---|
| **Overview** | A summary of the bot, setup ideas, and a prompt preview. | [Below](#overview) |
| **Identity** | Picture, name, title, and blurb. | [Below](#identity) |
| **Soul** | The bot's standing instructions. | [Write a bot's Soul](/docs/desktop/bots/soul) |
| **Skills** | Extra know-how the bot can use. | [Skills and memory](/docs/desktop/bots/skills-and-memory) |
| **Memory** | Notes the bot keeps, which you can read and edit. | [Skills and memory](/docs/desktop/bots/skills-and-memory) |
| **Routines** | The bot's scheduled jobs. | [Automations](/docs/desktop/automations/overview) |
| **Channels** | Slack and other places it can answer. | [Channels](/docs/desktop/integrations/channels) |
| **Secrets** | API keys and passwords it needs. | [Secrets and webhooks](/docs/desktop/integrations/secrets-and-webhooks) |
| **Changes** | The history of changes to its project. | [Below](#changes) |
| **Access** | Apps, webhooks, and what needs your OK. | [Below](#access) |
| **Model** | Its default AI model. | [Choosing a model](/docs/desktop/models/choosing-a-model) |
| **Permissions** | Its default approval level. | [Approvals](/docs/desktop/models/approvals) |
| **Alerts** | Its notifications. | [Notifications](/docs/desktop/settings/notifications) |
| **History** | What happened in this thread, and what it cost. | [Below](#history) |
| **Usage** | Its turns, tokens, and cost. | [Below](#usage) |

## Overview

A plain-language summary of the bot.

**Setup ideas** appears while there's still something worth filling in:
**Name and title**, **Standing instructions**, **Connected apps**, and **A
routine**. Click one to jump to that section. They're optional: you can start
chatting straight away.

**Set up with the bot** sends `/setup` into the chat. The bot asks you a few
questions about what you want it to do, then updates its own settings. It's
the easiest way to set up a new bot.

Below that:

| Card | Shows |
|---|---|
| **Who it is** | Name, title, blurb, and the start of its Soul. **Read all** opens the **Soul** section. |
| **Does** | What it's set up to do, like the model it uses. |
| **Can reach** | The apps it can use. |
| **Won't** | Limits on what it can see or do. |
| **Prompt preview** | What the model sees at the start of every thread. |
| **Recent changes** | Its latest threads. **View all →** opens **History**. |

### Prompt preview

Click **Prompt preview** to unfold it. The heading shows its size, like
*Prompt preview · 1,240 bytes ≈ 310 tokens*. Inside, each part (**Agent**,
**Instructions**, **Workspace**) folds open to show its exact text. It's
useful for checking that your Soul says what you think it says, and for
seeing how much of every turn your instructions take up.

## Identity

How the bot looks and what it's called.

### Avatar

- **Upload image**: use your own picture. PNG, JPEG, GIF, or WebP, up to
  10 MB. To go back to the mascot, click the **trash** button next to it
  (**Remove custom image**).
- **Shape**: **Mascot**, **Circle**, **Rounded**, or **Square**.
- For the mascot, choose its **Expression**, **Color**, and **Body**.
- **Prop** (Plush mascots only): something the mascot holds. It swaps for a
  work tool while the bot is busy. **Surprise me** picks one for you, and
  **No prop** leaves its hands empty.
- **Reset mascot** goes back to the default.

Whether mascots are drawn **Classic** or **Plush** is one choice for all your
bots. Change it with the **Appearance** link under **Shape**, or in
[Settings → Appearance](/docs/desktop/settings/appearance#mascots).

### Name, title, and blurb

| Field | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| **Name** | What you call the bot. Shown everywhere. | *Scout* |
| **Title** | A short role, shown above the name in the sidebar. | *Researcher* |
| **Blurb** | One line on what it does. Shown in lists, on the phone, and to other bots. | *Finds and compares products and competitors, with sources.* |

Long standing instructions belong in the **Soul**, not the blurb. **View
full** next to the blurb opens it in a larger window.

You can also rename a bot by double-clicking its name in the sidebar, or with
the pencil next to its name in the chat header.

## Soul

The bot's standing instructions: who it is and how it should work. It's the
single most useful setting. See [Write a bot's Soul](/docs/desktop/bots/soul).

## Skills and Memory

**Skills** lists extra know-how the bot can use, each with an on/off switch.
**Memory** is the bot's own notes, which you can read and edit. See [Skills
and memory](/docs/desktop/bots/skills-and-memory).

## Routines

The bot's scheduled jobs, with buttons to create a new one, see run logs, and
open the full Automations page. See [Automations](/docs/desktop/automations/overview).

## Channels

Other places the bot can answer, like Slack. See
[Channels](/docs/desktop/integrations/channels).

## Secrets

API keys and passwords the bot's computer gets. See [Secrets and
webhooks](/docs/desktop/integrations/secrets-and-webhooks).

## Changes

A history of every change to the bot's project, newest first. Click one to
see exactly what changed. Click **Show older** to go further back. Useful for
seeing what a bot changed, and when.

## Access

What the bot can reach, and what it needs your OK for.

- **Connected apps**: the apps connected to this bot. Click **Connect an
  app…** to add one. See [Connected apps](/docs/desktop/integrations/connected-apps).
- **Webhooks**: outside services that can start this bot. See [Secrets and
  webhooks](/docs/desktop/integrations/secrets-and-webhooks).
- **What needs your OK**: choose, for each kind of action, whether the bot
  asks you, goes ahead, or never does it. See [below](#what-needs-your-ok).
- **Always allowed**: a list of standing grants, with **Remove** next to each.
  Approval requests from Machine bots have no **Always allow** button, so this
  list stays empty and shows *Nothing standing yet*. To stop a bot asking
  about one kind of action, set that row to **Allow** in **What needs your
  OK** instead.

### What needs your OK

![The What needs your OK card, with a Default, Ask, Allow, or Block choice for each kind of action](/images/docs/desktop/approval-rules.webp)

Each row is one kind of action:

| Row | Covers |
|---|---|
| **Send or post** | Emails, messages, posts, invites. |
| **Delete** | Removing files, records, or messages. |
| **Change files** | Writing and editing files on its computer. |
| **Run commands** | Programs and scripts on its computer. |
| **Open the web** | Fetching pages and searching. |
| **Use This PC** | Your own screen, files, and apps. |
| **Change its own setup** | Its routines, skills, profile, and model. |
| **Everything else** | Anything that fits none of these. |

For each row, pick one:

| Choice | What happens |
|---|---|
| **Default** | The [approval level](/docs/desktop/models/approvals) decides. The button shows what that means right now, like **Default · Ask**. |
| **Ask** | The bot always stops and asks you first. |
| **Allow** | The bot goes ahead without asking. |
| **Block** | The bot is never allowed to do it. It stops and says *Blocked by your rules*. |

A rule you set always wins over the approval level. For example, set **Send
or post** to **Ask** on your *Inbox* bot, and it checks with you before every
email, even on **Approve for me**. See [Approvals](/docs/desktop/models/approvals#what-needs-your-ok).

## Model

**Default model**: the AI model used for group chats and new threads. It also
changes the current thread if the bot is idle. Other existing threads keep
their model.

Reasoning effort is set from the message box, not here. See [Choosing a
model](/docs/desktop/models/choosing-a-model) and [Reasoning
effort](/docs/desktop/models/reasoning-effort).

## Permissions

The bot's **Approval level**: whether it asks you before running commands and
changing files. It's the **default for new threads**. Existing threads keep
their own level: change it from that thread's message box. See
[Approvals](/docs/desktop/models/approvals).

## Alerts

**Notifications**: switch notifications on or off for this bot. When on,
you're told when it finishes, has a question, needs approval, or hits an
error. See [Notifications](/docs/desktop/settings/notifications).

## History

A record of what happened in the current thread, newest first. Each row says
when, who did it (you or the bot), and what was done, including anything that
failed and why.

When the thread has cost something, the top row sums it up, for example
*This thread has cost $0.42 — $0.30 model, $0.12 compute, over 18 requests*.

## Usage

How much this bot has been used: turns, tokens, and cost. **All bots →**
opens your usage for every bot. See [Usage and
billing](/docs/desktop/settings/usage-and-billing).

## What follows you to other devices

Most of a bot's settings are kept on Machine, so they're the same on every
computer and phone where you sign in. A few stay on the device where you set
them.

| Same on all your devices | Only on this device |
|---|---|
| Name, title, blurb, and Soul | A custom avatar image, and the avatar's shape |
| Mascot color, expression, body, and prop | **What needs your OK** rules |
| Default model, skills, and secrets | |
| Notifications | |
| Approval level, per bot and per thread | |
| Which team the bot is in, whether it's pinned, and its folders | |

Whether mascots look **Classic** or **Plush** is an app setting, chosen per
device in [Appearance](/docs/desktop/settings/appearance).