Skip to main content
Interactive sessions enable ongoing conversations between users and agents, maintaining context across multiple comments without restarting workflows.
For basic agent setup, see Agent Session Action and Agent Differences.

​
How Sessions Work

Comment Routing

Comments route directly to active sessions instead of creating new workflows.

Context Preservation

Full conversation history maintained throughout the session.

Graceful Termination

Sessions can be ended with keywords or interrupted by slash commands.

Timeout Control

Configurable duration limits prevent sessions from running indefinitely.

​
Session vs Standard Workflows

​
Standard Workflow

Each mention or slash command creates a new workflow execution: 
User: "@overcut review this"     → New workflow starts (mention trigger)
User: "What about line 45?"      → No workflow triggered (plain comment)
User: "@overcut /help"           → New workflow starts (slash command)

​
Interactive Session

One workflow handles multiple comments: 
User: "@overcut review this"     → Workflow starts, session becomes active
User: "What about line 45?"      → Routes to active session (plain comment)
User: "/done"                    → Routes to session, triggers completion signal, ends

​
Comment Routing Rules

When a comment is posted, Overcut follows this logic:
1

Check for Active Session

Is there a session currently active for this PR/issue?
2

Route to Session

If yes, comment goes directly to the active session (no new workflow)
3

Evaluate Triggers

If no active session, evaluate triggers normally and potentially start new workflows

​
Session Configuration

​
Comment Handling Options

Interactive sessions provide two key configuration options that control how they respond to user comments:

Listen to Comments

Controls whether the session accepts and processes new comments from users.

Keep Session Open for Comments

When enabled, session waits for user replies after agent responses before proceeding.

​
Configuration Details

ParameterDescription
Listen To CommentsWhether the session accepts new comments during execution. When false, the session will not accept new comments and will end when the agent completes its current step.
Keep Session Open For CommentsWhether to pause and wait for user input after agent completes. When true, the session will wait for an additional time for user reply.
Max Duration (minutes)How long session stays active. When the session reaches the max duration, it will end and the flow will continue to the next step.

​
Session Termination

Sessions end when any of these conditions are met:

Time Limit

maxDurationMinutes timeout reached

Manual Commands

/done (ends session) or /quit (terminates workflow)

Slash Commands

Any other slash command terminates session and starts new workflow

New Sessions

Starting a new session terminates the existing one

​
Manual Termination Commands

Two built-in commands provide direct session control:
  • /done: Completes the current session step gracefully
  • /quit: Terminates the entire workflow immediately

​
Slash Command Interruption

Other slash commands provide immediate user control: 
User: "@overcut help with this bug"  → Session starts
User: "Can you explain the error?"   → Routes to session  
User: "/review"                      → Session terminated, review starts
What happens:
  1. Session receives termination signal
  2. Session cleared from database (stops comment routing)
  3. Agent gets 5 minutes to wrap up gracefully
  4. New slash command workflow queues or starts

​
Best Practices

Choose Appropriate Timeouts

Match session duration to expected interaction length

Use Built-in Exit Commands

Use /done to end sessions or /quit to terminate workflows

Design for Interruption

Expect users to use slash commands to change direction

Plan Complementary Workflows

Design workflows that work well together when users switch between them

​
When to Use Sessions

✅ Good for:
  • Interactive help and support
  • Answering questions about code changes
  • Collaborative problem-solving
  • Expected back-and-forth conversation
❌ Not suitable for:
  • Independent automation tasks
  • One-time analysis or reviews
  • Tasks that don’t require follow-up

​
FAQ

Yes! Use /done or /quit commands, or any slash command to terminate gracefully.
  • Comment events (including mentions): Route to the active session
  • Slash commands: Terminate the session and start new workflow
  • Other events (labels, PR opened): Create new workflows that queue normally
Only one active execution can be active at a time.
Yes! Sessions work consistently across GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps.

Agent Session Action

Basic session setup and multi-agent coordination

Advanced Trigger Execution

How triggers, queuing, and slash commands work

Agent Differences

When to use different agent action types

Slash Commands

Setting up and using slash command triggers