Bidirectional Messaging
Bidirectional messaging is the ability for both an AI agent and a human to exchange messages in a shared conversation channel. Unlike a one-way notification system where the agent simply alerts the human, bidirectional messaging allows the human to reply, ask questions, provide corrections, and guide the agent — and for the agent to incorporate that feedback in real time.
Why Bidirectionality Matters
Pure autonomous execution has a fundamental problem: the agent can't ask for help. When it hits an ambiguous requirement, encounters an unexpected error, or needs a decision it can't make alone, it either guesses or stops entirely.
Bidirectional messaging solves this by creating a real-time feedback loop:
- Agent encounters ambiguity or needs approval
- Agent sends a message to the human via AgentRQ
- Human responds with guidance, corrections, or approval
- Agent incorporates the response and continues working
Bidirectional Messaging in AgentRQ
AgentRQ implements bidirectional messaging over MCP using two complementary tools:
- →
reply— The agent sends a message to the human on a specific task's chat - →
getTaskMessages— The agent retrieves the conversation history, including human replies
This creates a persistent, thread-like conversation attached to each task, visible on the task board.
Comparison with One-Way Notifications
| Feature | One-Way Notification | Bidirectional Messaging |
|---|---|---|
| Agent → Human | Yes | Yes |
| Human → Agent | No | Yes |
| Real-time feedback | No | Yes |
| Agent can ask questions | No | Yes |
| Supports approvals | No | Yes |
Related Terms
- → Task
- → Notification
- → Approval
- → Channel
- → MCP Tool