# Open a conversation for a customer

`POST /contact-centre/conversations` · Rivier · inbox

Open a conversation for a customer. It is matched to a contact by number or email, given service targets from its queue, and routed by skills and load (or to the queue's AI agent first).

- Scope: inbox:write
- Mcp: rivier_cc_open
- Graphql: Mutation.inboxContactCentreConversationCreate
- Sdk: desk.conversations.open
- Cli: desk open

## Request body

`application/json`

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "channel": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": [
        "email",
        "sms",
        "whatsapp",
        "voice",
        "chat"
      ]
    },
    "queueId": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "uuid"
    },
    "customer": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "name": {
          "type": "string",
          "maxLength": 120
        },
        "phone": {
          "type": "string",
          "maxLength": 40
        },
        "email": {
          "type": "string",
          "maxLength": 320
        },
        "contactId": {
          "type": "string",
          "format": "uuid"
        }
      },
      "additionalProperties": false
    },
    "subject": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 200
    },
    "priority": {
      "type": "number",
      "enum": [
        0,
        1,
        2,
        3
      ]
    },
    "skills": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string",
        "minLength": 1,
        "maxLength": 40
      },
      "maxItems": 30
    },
    "tags": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string",
        "maxLength": 40
      },
      "maxItems": 20
    },
    "text": {
      "type": "string",
      "maxLength": 4000,
      "description": "What the customer said first"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "channel",
    "customer"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": false
}
```

## Responses

- `201`: Success
- `400`: The request was malformed
- `401`: No valid credential
- `403`: The credential lacks the scope, origin or address
- `429`: Over the key's rate limit; see Retry-After

## Example

```sh
curl -X POST 'https://api.rivier.ai/contact-centre/conversations' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer $KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "channel": "email",
  "customer": {
    "name": "string",
    "phone": "string",
    "email": "string",
    "contactId": "string"
  }
}'
```