Channels
Overview
Channels enable you to communicate with your assistant however you want. Whether through the desktop app, the command line, or third-party integrations like Telegram, every channel connects to the same underlying assistants and environments.
Desktop App
The desktop app is the easiest way to chat with your assistants. It provides a visual conversation interface with support for file uploads, rich formatting, and real-time streaming responses.
Download it from the downloads page and sign in with your Vellum account to get started. The app automatically syncs with your workspace so any assistants you create are immediately available.
Command Line
The vellum CLI lets you interact with assistants directly from your terminal. Install it via the install script if you haven't already.
Common Commands
- Start a conversation
vellum client- Send a single message
vellum message my-assistant "Summarize today's tasks"- List your assistants
vellum ps
Integrations
Vellum assistants can be connected to a variety of third-party services so you can interact with them wherever you already communicate.
- Telegram
- Connect your assistant to a Telegram bot so you can message it directly from the Telegram app.
- Each assistant gets a Vellum-provided email address at
my-assistant@vellum.me. Send an email and your assistant will respond in-thread. - Twilio
- Integrate with Twilio to let users interact with your assistant via SMS or voice.
Several more integrations are on the way. The best way to set up any integration is to simply ask your assistant — it can walk you through the configuration step by step.
Custom Integration
If you want to build your own channel for communicating with an assistant, the following APIs provide the minimal surface you need.
- Send a Message
POST /v1/assistants/:id/messages— Submit a user message to a specific assistant and receive a streamed response.- List Conversations
GET /v1/assistants/:id/conversations— Retrieve all conversations for a given assistant.- Get Conversation History
GET /v1/conversations/:id/messages— Fetch the full message history for a conversation.- List Assistants
GET /v1/assistants— List all assistants available in your workspace.- Upload Attachment
POST /v1/assistants/:id/attachments— Upload a file to include as context in a conversation.
Authenticate all requests with an API key in the Authorization header:
Authorization: Bearer vl-api-key-...Generate API keys from the settings page in your account.