Co-Admin

How workspace admins find, use, and manage AI Workspace Co-Admin in the Vendschat dashboard.

How to open Co-Admin

Sign in to Vendschat.
Ensure the correct workspace is active (workspace switcher is in Settings, not the main header).
In the left sidebar, click AI Workspace Co-Admin.
URL: /co-admin.

The nav item uses the workspace agent icon and shows the label AI Workspace Co-Admin. It is selected when the path starts with /co-admin.

Access control

/co-admin is an always accessible route — available even when a member’s role limits them to Chat only.
/agent is also listed as always accessible (legacy or alternate path; primary product surface is /co-admin).
Co-Admin still only returns data for the workspace tied to the current session.

When Co-Admin is unavailable

If the server returns 503 with “Co-Admin is not configured”, the deployment is missing OPENROUTER_API_KEY. This is an environment configuration issue — not something end users fix in Settings.

Page layout

The Co-Admin page is a full-height split view:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  [Sidebar - hidden on mobile]  │  Main chat area           │
│  ┌──────────────────────────┐  │  ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│  │ [+ New chat]             │  │  │ Greeting or messages│ │
│  │ [Search chats________]   │  │  │                     │ │
│  ├──────────────────────────┤  │  │                     │ │
│  │ Pinned                   │  │  │                     │ │
│  │   • Thread title         │  │  │                     │ │
│  │ Today                    │  │  │                     │ │
│  │   • How many channels?   │  │  ├─────────────────────┤ │
│  │ Yesterday                │  │  │ [Message composer]  │ │
│  │ Previous 7 days          │  │  └─────────────────────┘ │
│  └──────────────────────────┘  │                          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Hidden on small screens (mobile:hidden). Contains:

Control	Action
New chat	Starts a fresh conversation (new server-side chat id)
Search chats	Filters history by title text
Chat rows	Click to switch conversation; hover ⋯ for Rename, Pin/Unpin, Delete
Pinned section	Pinned chats appear first with a pin icon

Date groups for unpinned chats: Today, Yesterday, Previous 7 days, then Mon DD style dates.

Main chat area

State	What user sees
Empty new chat	Centered greeting: “Just ask” — Ask a question about your workspace, inbox, campaigns, or channels.
Loading	“Loading chats…” or “Loading conversation…”
Active chat	Scrollable messages, composer docked at bottom
Streaming	Stop button available while model is responding
Error	Regenerate option when the stream fails

Composer behavior

Multi-line textarea; Enter sends, Shift+Enter new line.
Send disabled while status is streaming or submitted.
Auto-focus returns to composer after a reply finishes.
Variant centered on empty state; docked when messages exist.

Chat history (server-backed)

Co-Admin conversations are not ephemeral browser-only storage.

Property	Detail
Scope	Per user + per workspace
Storage	Backend `co_admin_chat` and `co_admin_chat_message` tables
Title	Auto-derived from first user message (max 120 characters)
Preview	Last message preview (max 200 characters)
Pin	`is_pinned` + `pinned_at`; pinned chats sort to top
List limit	Default 50 chats per list request (max 100)
Message page size	30 messages per page (`CO_ADMIN_MESSAGES_PAGE_SIZE`)
Older messages	Scroll near top → Load older fetches previous page

Action	How
Rename	⋯ → Rename → Save (Escape cancels)
Pin	⋯ → Pin / Unpin
Delete	⋯ → Delete (removes chat and messages)

Prefetch: hovering a chat row may prefetch messages for faster switching.

Workspace scoping

Every API call includes the active workspaceId from the user session.

Switching workspace in Settings changes which live data Co-Admin tools return.
Chat history is separate per workspace — switching workspace shows a different sidebar history.
If workspaceId is missing from the chat request, the agent API returns 400 (“workspaceId is required for Co-Admin tools”).

Training note for Co-Admin: When users ask “my channels” or “our inbox”, always interpret as current workspace unless they name another workspace (which Co-Admin cannot access).

How replies render

Markdown

Standard markdown for headings, lists, bold, links.

Charts (required format)

When the assistant presents a chart (trends, comparisons, distributions), it must use a fenced chart block with JSON — not Mermaid xychart-beta, not a markdown table labeled as a chart. Supported type values: line, bar, area, combo, scatter, pie. Example bar chart:

{
  "title": "Messages Sent (Last 7 Days)",
  "type": "bar",
  "labels": ["Mon", "Tue", "Wed", "Thu", "Fri"],
  "yAxisLabel": "Sent",
  "series": [{ "name": "Sent", "type": "bar", "data": [120, 98, 145, 132, 110] }]
}

The frontend parses these blocks and renders interactive charts in the message stream.

Tables

Markdown tables are for tabular data only when the user asks for a table — not as a substitute for charts.

Agent turn limits

Maximum 6 tool-call steps per user message (stopWhen: stepCountIs(6)).
Complex questions may combine overview + doc search + analytics within that budget.
If a question needs more, Co-Admin should answer in parts or ask the user to narrow the scope.

Mobile experience

The history sidebar is hidden on mobile. Users on phones still get the main chat and composer but manage history with reduced visibility — they may need desktop for pin/rename/delete unless a mobile history pattern is added later.

Co-Admin vs navigating the dashboard yourself

Task	Dashboard path	Co-Admin shortcut
See channel list	Settings → Channels	“List our channels”
Webhook list	Settings → Integrations → Webhooks	“List webhooks”
Inbox totals	Chat (filters)	“Workspace overview” / open thread counts
WhatsApp analytics	Analytics	“WhatsApp delivery last 30 days” + chart
Product how-to	Help docs / explore Settings	Natural language question

Co-Admin does not replace deep configuration UIs — it orients users and surfaces summaries faster.

Common UI troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	What to tell the user
Empty sidebar	New workspace or no prior chats	Click New chat and ask a question
“Loading conversation…” stuck	Network or auth	Refresh; re-login
Generic error on send	OpenRouter or backend	Try again; contact admin if 503 persists
Wrong workspace data	Wrong workspace selected	Switch workspace in Settings
No chart visible	Model used table instead of `chart` JSON	Ask “show that as a chart”

More Q&A: Limitations & FAQ.

Getting started

Use cases

Inbox

Channels

AI Agents

Templates & broadcasts

Integrations

Analytics

Billing

Legal

Co-Admin — navigation, UI, and chat experience

How to open Co-Admin

Primary navigation

Access control

When Co-Admin is unavailable

Page layout

Left sidebar (desktop only)

Main chat area

Composer behavior

Chat history (server-backed)

Sidebar actions

Workspace scoping

How replies render

Markdown

Charts (required format)

Tables

Agent turn limits

Mobile experience

Co-Admin vs navigating the dashboard yourself

Common UI troubleshooting

​How to open Co-Admin

​Primary navigation

​Access control

​When Co-Admin is unavailable

​Page layout

​Left sidebar (desktop only)

​Main chat area

​Composer behavior

​Chat history (server-backed)

​Sidebar actions

​Workspace scoping

​How replies render

​Markdown

​Charts (required format)

​Tables

​Agent turn limits

​Mobile experience

​Co-Admin vs navigating the dashboard yourself

​Common UI troubleshooting

​Related documents

How to open Co-Admin

Primary navigation

Access control

When Co-Admin is unavailable

Page layout

Left sidebar (desktop only)

Main chat area

Composer behavior

Chat history (server-backed)

Sidebar actions

Workspace scoping

How replies render

Markdown

Charts (required format)

Tables

Agent turn limits

Mobile experience

Co-Admin vs navigating the dashboard yourself

Common UI troubleshooting

Related documents