Meet your Gent.

From hello to your own Gent.

You'll need Telegram, a name for your agent, and an API key from the AI provider you want to use. Your Gent begins private to you. You can have a conversation before adding money to its wallet.

1. 01

   Meet the manager

   Open @gentarcbot in a private chat, send /start, and choose Create a Gent. If you've already created one, choose My Gents to find it.

   ↳/start
2. 02

   Give it a name and a Telegram identity

   Choose a name and an available username ending in bot. In Telegram's @BotFather, send /newbot and register that same username. BotFather gives you the token that connects your new bot to Gent. Keep it for the secure connection step.

   You can add an image later. Telegram's BotFather guide explains the registration process.

3. 03

   Choose what it helps with

   Select Everyday assistant, Payments & money, or Research & ideas, or describe your own starting role. This gives your Gent direction; you can refine its personality later.

4. 04

   Connect its AI securely

   Choose Connect AI securely. Enter the BotFather token in the settings page, select your AI provider, add its API key, and choose a model. Search the model list or enter an exact model ID, then select Verify & connect.

   Gent checks the bot's username and makes a short AI request before saving the connection. Enter credentials only in this settings page, never as a chat message. See AI & billing for account and model requirements.

5. 05

   Review tools and spending rules

   Check the available tools and your per-request, daily, and network-fee limits. Turn on Always ask if you want to approve every payment. Finish with Looks good · Launch, then use the button to open your Gent's own chat.

6. 06

   Start with something small

   Introduce yourself and give your Gent one clear task. Try the prompt below, check its answer, and adjust the style. You'll find Wallet and Settings in your Gent's menu whenever you need them.

   YOUR FIRST MESSAGEHelp me plan my day. Ask me about my priorities, then turn them into a short checklist.

Your choice of mind.

Gent connects to your AI account. Choose OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, or OpenRouter, then select a model your account can access. Each person using a Gent connects their own provider.

What pays for what?

An API account may need its own billing or credits even if you have a subscription to the provider's chat app. Gent's USDC spending caps do not limit charges billed directly by your AI or connected service provider.

Change a model or reconnect

1. Open AI settings in your Gent, or send /ai.
2. Open the secure settings page. Choose the provider, key, and model you want to use.
3. Select Verify & connect and return to your chat.

Changing providers clears the previous provider's key and model selection. If verification fails, check API billing, the key's permissions, and access to that exact model. Wallet controls remain available even when no AI provider is connected.

Just say what you need.

Give your Gent an outcome, the context it needs, and the format you prefer. “Compare these three articles in five bullets, with links” is easier to act on than “research this.” Add a budget when a task might use a paid service.

A CONVERSATION WITH SCOUTExample

AskRememberPay

You

Give me a short summary of what's happening on Arc, with sources. Use free sources only.

Scout

I'll check the main updates and include links so you can read more. I'll stick to free sources.

Try it in your Gent's chat.

Give it something to remember

Say “Remember that I prefer short summaries” or “Save the project deadline as October 12.” Ask to see, update, or forget a note at any time. You can also review Settings → Memory & reminders → Saved notes.

Gent uses recent messages, summaries of older conversations, relevant original messages, and saved notes to keep context. If an earlier detail is missing, give it a distinctive name, topic, or date and ask it to search the conversation. Memory helps with continuity; it isn't a guarantee that every detail appears in every answer.

Set a reminder that comes back to you

Include what, when, and your time zone: “Remind me tomorrow at 9 AM, New York time, to send the proposal.” Check the scheduled time in Gent's reply. Review reminders under Settings → Memory & reminders → Reminders, or ask to cancel one.

Start fresh without losing your setup

Choose Settings → New conversation → Start fresh to clear this private conversation's saved history, search index, and summary. Your wallet, financial records, AI connection, spending rules, saved notes, and reminders stay. Messages already in Telegram also stay there. Remove notes and cancel reminders separately when you want those cleared.

A wallet that speaks your language.

Your wallet belongs to your account within a Gent. If someone invites you to their Gent, you get a separate wallet; you don't share the creator's funds. Open Wallet or send /balance to see your balance, /assets for tokens, and /activity for payment history.

Add funds to your wallet

1. In your Gent's private chat, choose Deposit or send /deposit.
2. Read the asset and network on the deposit card. Copy the full wallet address from its caption, or scan the QR code.
3. In the sending wallet or exchange, select that same network and check the destination address. The QR contains the wallet address; it does not select a network or set an amount for you.
4. After the transfer confirms, open Wallet and refresh. Use the transaction record to investigate a deposit that hasn't appeared.

Keep some USDC available for network fees as well as the amount you want to send. A balance in your Arc wallet does not automatically fund your Circle service balance.

Send a payment

1. Send /send to open the guided flow, or describe the amount, asset, and recipient in chat.
2. Use a wallet address, a resolvable ENS name, or a Gent handle. For an unknown Telegram handle, provide the wallet address obtained directly from the recipient.
3. Check the destination, asset, amount, network, and fees. A clear request can execute automatically within your rules; turn on Always ask before requesting it if you want a review every time.
4. Open Receipt or Activity for the outcome. A submitted transaction still needs confirmation.

Understand a trade before approving it

Ask for a quote first if you're exploring a swap. A quote doesn't place an order. Check the exact token or contract, sell amount, estimated output, minimum receive, slippage, and maximum fees. Quotes expire after two minutes; request a new one if needed.

A trade approval can cover both the required token allowance and the swap. A token allowance alone is not a completed trade. The final receipt shows actual output when confirmed, which can differ from the estimate. Available routes depend on the token and liquidity.

Helpful, within your boundaries.

Open Settings → Wallet & limits → Spending rules in your Gent. Review the saved values before making a payment. Gent checks these rules when a request executes; the AI cannot raise its own limits.

Public-network defaults are $0.50 per request, $5 per day, and a $0.10 network-fee ceiling. Your saved settings take precedence. Available funds must also cover the action and its fees.

Choose when Gent asks

With automatic payments enabled, an eligible request within your rules can execute from your instruction. Switch to Always ask for approval on every payment. Approval applies to that exact request; it doesn't authorize unrelated spending or increase your limits.

Approvals, expiry, and stopping

Payment requests expire after five minutes; trade quotes after two. Read the details while they're current. If a request expires, obtain a fresh review. Changing a limit or switching to Always ask affects work that has not yet committed, but cannot reverse a submitted payment.

Use /stop or /cancel to stop further steps during a task. For an action already submitted, check its existing receipt instead of sending the same payment again.

Tools when a task needs them.

Gent can discover paid research, data, and creative services through Circle's marketplace. Services are purchased per request from a separate Circle service balance, with your spending rules applied.

Make your first service request

1. Ask Gent to find a service for a specific task and budget. For example: “Find research services for a company summary under $0.05. Show me the options before purchasing.”
2. Inspect the service, required inputs, and quote. Discovery and a quote do not authorize a purchase.
3. Check your service balance. If you want to fund it, make a separate, explicit request such as “Add $1 to my Circle service balance.” Review the funding action and its fees.
4. Request the quoted service. An eligible purchase can execute within your automatic limits; Always ask or an above-limit request requires approval.
5. Review both the returned result and the service receipt. Keep the existing receipt if the result is still processing.

Two balances, one clear choice

Your Arc wallet and Circle service balance are separate. Adding money to one doesn't make it available in the other. Outstanding service purchases can reserve part of the service balance, so the amount available for a new request may be lower than its total balance.

To move service funds back, request a withdrawal to your own wallet. Withdrawals require approval and an onchain waiting period; follow the withdrawal's status and completion instructions.

Payment and delivery are different events

A provider may return the result immediately or accept a job for processing. A queued job is not a delivered result. Payment acceptance and final onchain settlement are also separate. Refreshing a service receipt checks payment status; it does not automatically retrieve every provider's queued job.

A little more capable.

Connect services you use through MCP, a standard that lets an AI work with a service's tools. Each connection is private to your account in that Gent. Start by describing the capability you need or providing the service's hosted HTTPS MCP endpoint.

Connect, then use

1. Ask Gent to find a suitable MCP server, or share the endpoint from the provider's documentation. Gent can inspect the available tools before connecting.
2. If the service needs a credential, open Settings → Connections & voice and enter it there. Public servers may not require a key.
3. Review the connection's tools and access. Choose whether calls should run automatically or ask each time.
4. Describe the task you want performed. Send /toolkit to see saved servers, and use Connections & voice to update credentials or disconnect.

Set permission for each connection

Saved MCP connections run autonomously by default, including tools that change information in the connected account. Enable Always ask before calling this server when you want to review each call. This is a separate setting from payment approvals.

A connection doesn't grant access to your wallet's private key or override Gent's spending rules. Charges billed by the service itself are outside your Gent USDC budget. Check the provider's access scopes and billing before connecting an account.

Which connections work?

Use a hosted HTTPS server with Streamable HTTP support. For authenticated servers, Gent accepts provider-issued bearer credentials through secure settings. Desktop-only servers, legacy SSE connections, and providers requiring an OAuth sign-in flow aren't supported by this connection flow.

If a connected action times out, check its outcome with the service before repeating it. A missing response doesn't prove the action failed.

Sometimes, it's easier to talk.

Send a voice note or supported audio file in your Gent's private chat. Gent transcribes it, then handles the request through the same conversation and spending rules as a typed message.

Before your first voice note

Your AI connection can provide transcription when its provider, model, and account support it. Otherwise, add a speech key in Settings → Connections & voice. Transcription is billed by the speech provider, separately from your USDC balance.

1. Finish or cancel any active setup or payment draft, then record your request.
2. Keep the recording under 10 minutes and 10 MB. State names, amounts, and times clearly.
3. Read the reply and expand the transcript if something sounds wrong. Correct an unclear amount or recipient before approving an action.

Recordings and transcripts

Gent retains audio only for the request; the transcript becomes part of your conversation history. Telegram and your speech provider have their own retention policies. Forwarded recordings are treated as quoted material, rather than permission to execute instructions in the recording.

If transcription fails, send a shorter recording or type the request. Use /stop to cancel further work; a provider request already accepted can still incur a charge.

A Gent for the way you work.

Open @gentarcbot, choose My Gents, and select an agent. From there, open its chat, review Auto-pay, or enter Settings. Each Gent is its own Telegram bot.

Shape its personality and appearance

Use AI & personality in your Gent's settings to adjust its style and role. Be specific: “Keep answers concise, explain unfamiliar terms, and use checklists for plans.” Personality instructions don't replace payment permissions.

Change image updates the Gent's menu image. Its Telegram profile photo is managed separately through @BotFather. To stop an agent's activity temporarily, pause it from the manager. Pausing preserves its wallet, AI connections, and conversations.

Invite someone to a Gent

Use an invite for the Gent you want to share. Each invite can be used once and only for that Gent. The invited person joins in a private chat, receives a separate wallet, and connects their own AI provider. Your provider account, private conversations, and funds aren't shared with them.

Bring a conversation into a group

Join the Gent and connect your own AI account privately first. In a Telegram group, mention its username or reply to one of its messages. Requests use the asking person's AI account.

Group replies are visible to the group. Private balances, payments, and wallet controls stay in private chat. Gent keeps group history separate by group, topic, and requesting person; your private conversation isn't used as the group's history.

Use /reset@your_bot or /clear@your_bot, replacing your_bot with the Gent's username, to clear your conversation context in that group or topic.

Know what stays where.

Your private chat history, saved notes, wallet, and service connections are scoped to your account in a Gent. The AI provider processes the conversation context needed to answer you. A tool or paid service receives the inputs needed for the request you give it.

Keep credentials in secure settings

Gent stores provider keys, bot tokens, and connection credentials encrypted. Enter them only in the settings page opened from Telegram. Don't send API keys, bot tokens, or wallet private keys in chat. If a key is exposed, revoke it with its provider and connect a replacement.

Images aren't kept by Gent after their request, although descriptions can remain in the conversation. Starting a new conversation clears Gent's saved conversation history, not Telegram's own messages or separately saved notes.

Back up your wallet key

Gent manages the wallet and retains an encrypted copy of its signing key. You can export an encrypted backup through Settings → Wallet & limits → Export key.

1. Open the export page from your own Gent in Telegram.
2. Match the code in the browser with the Telegram message, then choose Approve export.
3. Choose an encrypted JSON backup and protect it with a strong, unique password. Keep the file and password somewhere you can recover securely.
4. If you specifically need the raw private key, reveal it only in a private setting. Anyone holding that key can control the wallet.

Export links expire after five minutes and are restricted to the approved browser session. Open a new link if one expires. Raw keys clear from the page after 60 seconds or when you leave or hide it; copying a key can leave it in your device's clipboard.

When something needs a nudge.

Start with the existing setting, task, or receipt. Check what happened before repeating an action, especially one that moves money or changes a connected account.

AI or setup isn't connecting

A deposit hasn't appeared

Compare the transaction's destination, asset, and network with your Gent's deposit card. Check whether it has confirmed, then refresh Wallet or Activity. Funds sent on a different network won't appear in the selected network's balance. Keep the transaction hash when investigating; it identifies the transfer without exposing a private key.

Read a payment's state

A service charged or queued, but no result arrived

Ask Gent to check the existing purchase by its receipt or action reference. A provider's queued job, a payment accepted by Circle, and a delivered result are different records. Gent may need the provider's documented retrieval method to collect a queued result.

An unresolved purchase can keep funds reserved. A timeout or a missing payment lookup is not proof of a refund. Clear cancels eligible unsigned requests; for uncertain signed requests, it dismisses the activity entry while preserving its receipt and spending hold. Clearing doesn't retry the purchase or refund it.

Useful commands, in one place

Use these in your Gent's private chat. The manager's /start opens creation and management instead.

A few things you might be wondering.