> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.nlpearl.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Hand-Off

> Hand the conversation off to a human agent, with an optional message from Pearl and notifications to your team.

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The **Hand-Off** node passes the conversation from Pearl to one of your human agents. When it triggers, Pearl stops replying in the chat and the conversation waits for a human to pick it up from the NLPearl platform. You can optionally have Pearl send a closing message first, and notify your team by SMS, email, or API.

Think of it as the text-chat equivalent of transferring a call to a live agent.

## How it works

When the flow reaches the Hand-Off node, Pearl stops responding to the customer in the text chat. The conversation itself stays open - it simply waits for you to step in.

<Note>
  A hand-off only stops Pearl from replying. It does **not** close or end the conversation. The customer can keep writing, and their messages wait for you in **Human Takeover**.
</Note>

## When the hand-off triggers

There are two ways to reach the Hand-Off node. Use either, or both together.

### From a previous node

Connect a transition from any node to the Hand-Off node. When the flow follows that transition, the hand-off runs. Use this when the hand-off is a fixed step in your flow - for example, right after a "Talk to sales" choice.

### With a condition

In the **When to trigger** field, describe in plain language the situations where Pearl should hand the chat off - for example, *"If the client asks to speak to a human."* Pearl evaluates this throughout the conversation. Up to 250 characters.

<Tip>
  Combine both: a fixed transition for the obvious path, and a **When to trigger** condition to catch everything else.
</Tip>

## What Pearl says before leaving

Use the **Say (Optional)** field to have Pearl send one last message before it stops replying - for example, to let the customer know a human is taking over. Up to 500 characters, and you can insert variables. Leave it empty for a silent hand-off.

## Notify your team

When a hand-off happens, alert your team so someone picks the conversation up quickly. You can set up notifications across three channels and add up to **3 of each** - mix them freely.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="SMS">
    **To** - one or more phone numbers to text.

    **Content** - the message to send. Up to 1,000 characters; supports variables.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Email">
    **From** - the sender address. Defaults to Pearl's default email address.

    **Recipient Emails** - one or more recipients. *Required.*

    **CC** - optional addresses to copy.

    **Subject** - the email subject. *Required.*

    **Content** - the email body. Up to 2,000 characters; supports variables.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="API">
    **Name** - a label for this call, for your own reference.

    **URL** - the endpoint to call, with the HTTP method (GET, POST, …). *Required.*

    **Headers** - optional key/value pairs sent with the request.

    **Credentials** - enable to include authentication credentials with the request.

    **Test API** - send a test request to confirm your setup before saving.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Note>
  You can add up to **3 notifications per channel** - so up to 3 SMS, 3 emails, and 3 API calls. Use the **+** button to add another within a channel.
</Note>

<Tip>
  Most fields accept variables through the **{'{+}'} Variable** button - the farewell message, SMS and email content, even the API URL - so you can drop in details like the customer's name or the conversation reference.
</Tip>

## Take over the conversation

After a hand-off, pick the conversation up yourself from the NLPearl platform. Open **Human Takeover** - available both during the live chat and after it - to read the customer's messages and reply directly.

<Info>
  New to taking over conversations? See the [Human Takeover guide](/pages/text/human_takeover) for the full walkthrough.
</Info>