How Assist picks the right agent or template — and how to override it with @-mentions

Assist can either choose the right agent or template for you automatically, or let you pick exactly the one you want using an @ -mention. Most of the time, auto-routing is the fastest path. But when you know exactly which resource you need, @  gives you full control.

This article covers both — and when to use each.

What you'll learn

• What "auto-routing" means and how Assist decides which agent or template to use
• How @ -mentions let you manually call an agent, template, skill, knowledge item, or app
• When to lean on auto-routing vs when to use @
• How to chain multiple mentions in a single prompt
• Common pitfalls and how to fix them

Quick recap: agents vs templates

Before we dig in, two quick definitions:

• Agent — a specialist persona in Assist (e.g. an Email Writer agent that drafts emails in a specific tone).
• Output template — a pre-built document, image grid, or app that Assist fills in for you (e.g. an Email Draft template with fields for subject line, body, and variants).

Both agents and templates can be auto-routed to (Assist picks) or manually called (you pick).

Option 1 — Let Assist auto-route

The easy path. You type what you need in plain English and Assist works out the rest.

How it works:

1. You type a request into the composer — e.g. "Draft a follow-up email after a meeting I had yesterday — warm but direct."
2. Assist runs a few background lookups and shows them as inline chips — Used: Search Templates , Used: List Projects , Used: Search Knowledge . This is Assist checking what's already in your workspace before it acts.
3. If anything's ambiguous, Assist asks a small set of multi-choice clarifying questions before starting — never mid-execution.
4. Assist picks the best-matching agent or template (e.g. the Email Draft template) and starts drafting.

Use auto-routing when:

• You're not sure which template or agent fits
• You want Assist to explore your workspace and suggest the best match
• You're happy to answer a couple of clarifying questions to shape the output

Option 2 — Call it yourself with @

When you already know exactly which agent, template, skill, knowledge item, or app you want to use, type @  to pick it directly.

How it works:

1. In the chat composer, type @ . A picker slides up, grouped by resource type (Agents, Output Templates, Skills, Knowledge, Apps).
2. Start typing to filter — e.g. @email  narrows to email-related resources.
3. Select your choice. It becomes a coloured chip in the composer (e.g. @emailwriter ).
4. Write the rest of your prompt around the chip, then send.

Chaining mentions. You can combine multiple mentions in one prompt. For example:

"@emailwriter using the @Email Draft template, write a thank-you email for someone who helped me out this week."

This tells Assist: use this specific agent, with this specific template, for this specific task. No auto-routing, no guesswork.

Use @ -mentions when:

• You already know exactly which resource you want
• You want to force a specific template or agent you've used before
• You need to pin specific knowledge that auto-search might otherwise miss

Auto vs @  — when to use each

The takeaway: auto for exploration, @  for control.

Worked example

Say you want to draft an email.

Auto-routing path:

• You type: "Draft a follow-up email after a meeting I had yesterday — warm but direct."
• Assist shows Used: Search Templates  and surfaces the Email Draft template.
• It asks a couple of quick multi-choice questions — who the recipient is, the tone you want, and the desired next step.
• It drafts the email into the Email Draft output.

@ -mention path:

• You already know you want the Email Writer agent and the Email Draft template.
• You type: @emailwriter using the @Email Draft template, write a thank-you email for someone who helped me out this week.
• Both mentions become coloured chips in the composer.
• Assist uses exactly what you called — no clarifying questions about which template, straight to drafting.

Same end result. Different amount of control on the way in.

Tips & common pitfalls

• The picker refreshes per turn. If you've just created a new agent or template, it won't be @ -mentionable until you send your next message. Send anything (even a one-liner) and it'll show up.
• You can only @ -mention what you have access to. If a teammate's agent isn't showing up, they may not have promoted it out of their Private space yet.
• Don't over-mention. For general or exploratory requests, auto-routing is usually faster and gives you the clarifying-question step to shape the output.
• You can chain as many mentions as you like. Assist will honour all of them — agents + templates + specific knowledge items — in a single prompt.
• Mentions are colour-coded chips. Backspace over one to remove it cleanly.
• Routing improves as your workspace fills up. More agents, templates, and knowledge = better auto-matches over time.

Two ways in, one workspace. Let Assist choose when you're exploring — take the wheel with @  when you know exactly what you want.