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

# Turn your agent on

> Take your Brilo agent live so real callers reach it, and turn it off again quickly if you need to.

Your agent goes live when a phone number is attached to it in the **Deployment** tab and your account
is on a paid plan. Nobody can reach your agent before that, so you can build and test in private for
as long as you like. Detaching the number takes it off again immediately.

## Before you start

* A paid plan. Taking an agent live needs one, and the Free plan is for building and testing.
* A phone number, either bought from Brilo or one you already own. See
  [Buy a phone number](/phone-numbers/buy-a-phone-number).
* A test call you are happy with. See
  [Test your agent yourself](/go-live/test-your-agent-yourself).
* Run [the go live checklist](/go-live/go-live-checklist) first if this is your main business number.

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Deployment tab">
    Open the agent you want to take live and go to **Deployment**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Attach your phone number">
    Choose the number this agent should answer and attach it. The number shows as attached once it is
    done.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Call the number yourself">
    Ring it from your own phone before you tell anyone else. This confirms the attachment worked
    rather than assuming it did.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tell your team">
    Say what your agent now answers, what it will transfer, and who to tell when a caller reports
    something odd. An agent going live without your team knowing is how bad calls go unreported.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## You know it is live when

* The number shows as attached in the **Deployment** tab.
* You called the number from your own phone and your agent answered.
* The call appears in your call history straight afterwards.

## Turning it off again

Detach the number in the **Deployment** tab. Callers stop reaching that agent immediately, and calls
already in progress finish normally. Nothing about your agent, its instructions, or its knowledge is
lost, so you can attach the number again whenever you want.

If you are handing calls back to your team, remember to undo any forwarding you set up at your phone
provider as well. See [Use your existing number](/phone-numbers/use-your-existing-number).

## What else you can do here

* [Decide what can be put on a schedule](/calls/business-hours-and-after-hours), including transfer hours.
* [Route different callers to different teams](/calls/route-calls-to-the-right-team).
* [Attach the number to a different agent](/phone-numbers/assign-a-number-to-an-agent) when you want
  to swap.
* [Turn on texting for the same number](/channels/text-messages).
* [Watch the first calls closely](/reports/find-and-listen-to-a-call) on your first live day.

## If it did not work

**You are asked to pick a plan.** Taking an agent live needs a paid plan. See
[Plans and what they include](/supported/plans).

**The number is attached but nobody reaches your agent.** Call it yourself to confirm. If it rings
with no answer, see [My agent is not answering](/calls/my-agent-isnt-answering).

**Your existing business number still rings your old phone.** Forwarding at your provider has not
taken effect. See [Use your existing number](/phone-numbers/use-your-existing-number).

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I turn my agent on for real callers?">
    Attach a phone number to it in the **Deployment** tab, on a paid plan. That is the whole step:
    once a number is attached, anyone who dials it reaches your agent. Call it yourself first to
    confirm.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need a paid plan to go live?">
    Yes. The Free plan is for building and testing, including browser test calls, and taking an agent
    live for real callers needs a paid plan. See
    [Plans and what they include](/supported/plans).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I turn my agent off in a hurry?">
    Detach the number in the **Deployment** tab. Callers stop reaching that agent immediately and
    nothing is lost, so this is the safe thing to do if something is going wrong on live calls. If you
    forwarded an existing number, undo that at your provider too.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does turning it off affect calls in progress?">
    No. Calls already connected finish normally, and no new calls reach the agent. The same applies
    when you attach a number to a different agent: the switch affects the next call, not the current
    one.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I have my agent answer only after hours?">
    Not from within Brilo: a number attached to an agent is answered whenever it rings. Do it at your phone
    provider instead, by forwarding to Brilo outside your hours or only when nobody picks up. See
    [Business hours and after hours](/calls/business-hours-and-after-hours).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I get charged when my agent is on but nobody calls?">
    No. Your plan is the fixed part of your bill, and calls use minutes only when they actually
    happen. An agent sitting attached to a quiet number costs nothing beyond the number itself. See
    [What will this cost me](/account/what-will-this-cost-me).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is my agent on but still not answering?">
    Usually the number is attached to a different agent than you think, or your existing business
    number is not forwarding to the Brilo number. Ring the Brilo number directly to tell those two
    cases apart. See [My agent is not answering](/calls/my-agent-isnt-answering).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Go live checklist](/go-live/go-live-checklist) before your main number points at Brilo
* [Test your agent yourself](/go-live/test-your-agent-yourself) if you have not called it yet
* [Business hours and after hours](/calls/business-hours-and-after-hours) to answer only some hours
* [Find and listen to a call](/reports/find-and-listen-to-a-call) to check your first live calls
* [My agent is not answering](/calls/my-agent-isnt-answering) if callers are not getting through