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Chatwoot

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Velocity7.5

Chatwoot retires Captain V1 and rebuilds its AI assistant as a structured, per-assistant behavior system.

ai-assistantcustomer-supportwhatsappvoice-callingautomationself-hosted
◆Current state
Chatwoot is in the middle of a significant architectural transition for its AI assistant layer. The original Captain V1 (free-form instructions) is being retired in the next self-hosted release in favor of a structured model with scenarios, response guidelines, guardrails, and a testing playground. Cloud users are already on the new system. Alongside this, two substantial releases expanded Captain's control surface: per-assistant custom tools, inactivity handling, and audience/schedule targeting. WhatsApp BSUID support and improved call recording controls round out a busy month in the communications layer.
◆Where it's heading
Chatwoot is shifting Captain from a chatbot add-on into a proper automation layer with auditable, testable behavior. Per-assistant tool isolation, audience segmentation, and schedule-based availability bring it closer to the model used by Intercom Fin and Zendesk AI. The V1 retirement removes a backward-compatibility constraint that was slowing this transition. The playground — which lets admins test assistant configurations before saving — removes the need to test in production, which was the practical barrier to iterating on Captain.
◆Prediction
The next likely move is a reporting layer for Captain — tracking resolution rates, handoff rates, and scenario effectiveness per assistant. The playground's 'Run details' view (showing which scenario handled a message and which tools ran) is the building block for that kind of analytics.

◆Recent moves

  1. 1mo ago

    Captain V1 is retiring: every account moves to the new Captain

    ⚡ SPARK

    Captain V1's free-form instructions are gone — all assistants now run on the structured model with scenarios, guidelines, and guardrails. For self-hosted installations, the next upgrade removes V1 entirely, requiring teams to migrate their assistant configurations before updating. Chatwoot ships a migration task that drafts FAQs and guardrails from existing V1 instructions.

  2. 1mo ago

    More control over Captain Assistant behaviour

    ⚡ SPARK

    Per-assistant custom tools (up to 50 per assistant), inactivity handling with three configurable outcomes, enable/disable toggles for individual scenarios and tools, and a playground for testing configurations before saving — Captain is now a fully isolated, per-assistant behavior system rather than a shared account configuration.

  3. 1mo ago

    Improved Help Center media uploads

    Help Center media uploads now show real-time progress as images appear immediately on paste or drop, support multiple concurrent uploads, and allow video uploads (MP4 up to 40MB) directly in the editor via a new /video command. Failed uploads stay in place with retry options rather than disappearing silently.

  4. 1mo ago

    Support for WhatsApp usernames and BSUIDs

    WhatsApp BSUID support lets Chatwoot handle conversations from customers who keep their phone numbers private — a necessary response to WhatsApp's username rollout. The platform handles the identity routing transparently; agents reply normally without managing BSUIDs themselves.

  5. 1mo ago

    Decide when calls are recorded and transcribed

    Call recording and transcription can now be enabled or disabled independently at the inbox level, giving teams the ability to comply with local consent requirements, keep recordings without generating transcripts, or disable both. This builds on the calling dashboard launched in August and addresses compliance flexibility that voice-heavy teams need.

  6. 1mo ago

    Guided manual setup for WhatsApp inboxes

    Guided WhatsApp manual setup walks users through Meta app configuration step-by-step, validates credentials and displays the phone number before creating the inbox, and shows a post-setup checklist covering webhook and subscription status. A usability improvement for initial setup, not a capability change.