> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.revve.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Publishing & Versioning (Chat Agents)
> How drafts, publishing, and version history keep your live Chat Agent safe while you iterate.
This page covers **Chat Agents** specifically. Campaigns and Voice Agents use the same underlying draft/publish/version pattern, implemented separately for each, with their own product-specific nuances — see [Campaign Versioning](/docs/campaigns/campaign-versioning) and [Voice Agent Versioning](/docs/voice-agents/voice-agent-versioning).
Revve uses a **draft-based editing workflow** to protect your live Chat Agent from accidental changes. This guide explains how drafts, publishing, and version history work for Chat Agents.
## How It Works
Your Chat Agent always has two states:
1. **Published version** — The version currently serving live conversations. Visitors interact with this version.
2. **Working draft** — Your in-progress changes. Only visible to you in the dashboard, never to visitors.
Changes you make in edit mode are saved to the **draft**. They don't affect the live agent until you **publish**.
## Editing Workflow
### 1. Start Editing
From any Chat Agent page, click the **Start Editing** button in the top-right corner to enter edit mode.
When you start editing:
* A **working draft** is created based on the current published version.
* An **editing lock** is acquired so other team members can't edit simultaneously.
* The top bar turns yellow showing: `Editing: Working draft (based on v1)`.
* A timer shows how long you have the editing lock.
### 2. Make Changes
Navigate between tabs (Basic, Appearance, Knowledge, Advanced Settings, etc.) and make your changes. Click **Save Changes** on each tab to save your edits to the draft.
Saving changes updates your draft, not the live agent. Visitors won't see any changes until you publish.
### 3. Stop Editing or Publish
When you're done, you have two choices:
* **Publish** — Click the **Publish** button to create a new version and make your changes live.
* **Stop Editing** — Click **Stop Editing** to release the editing lock. Your draft is preserved and you (or a teammate) can resume editing later.
If you navigate away without saving, you'll see a "Leave without saving?" confirmation dialog.
## Publishing a New Version
### From the Top Bar
While in edit mode, click the **Publish** button in the top-right corner. You can add an optional publish note to describe your changes.
### From the Versions Tab
Navigate to the **Versions** tab to see your draft and all published versions.
The Versions tab shows:
**Your Draft**
* **Based on** — Which published version the draft was branched from (e.g., "v1").
* **Created** — When the draft was created.
* **Publish** button — Click to publish this draft as a new version.
**Published Versions**
A table of all previously published versions:
| Column | Description |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Version** | Version number (v1, v2, v3...) with an "Active" badge on the current live version. |
| **Note** | The publish note you added when publishing. |
| **Published by** | The team member who published this version. |
| **Published** | When the version was published. |
| **View** | Click to inspect the configuration of a past version (read-only). |
## Version History
Every time you publish, a new **immutable version** is created. This gives you a complete audit trail of your agent's configuration over time.
### Viewing a Past Version
Click **View** on any published version to inspect its configuration. The page enters **read-only mode** so you can review settings without accidentally modifying anything.
### Active Version
The version with the **Active** badge is the one currently serving live conversations. When you publish a new version, it automatically becomes the active version.
## Draft Lifecycle
| State | What it means |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **No draft** | The agent is using its latest published version. Click "Start Editing" to create a draft. |
| **Draft exists, not editing** | A draft was created but no one is actively editing. The draft is preserved. Click "Start Editing" to resume. |
| **Draft exists, editing** | Someone is actively editing. The top bar shows the editor's name and a lock timer. |
### Editing Lock
Only one person can edit a Chat Agent at a time. When you start editing:
* Other team members see "Ready to edit" with the option to start editing (which would release your lock).
* The lock has a time limit shown in the top bar (e.g., "Only you can edit until Mar 19, 1:41 PM").
* If you stop editing or the lock expires, the draft becomes available for others.
## Best Practices
1. **Write publish notes** — Describe what you changed (e.g., "Updated greeting message and added FAQ about pricing"). This helps your team understand the history.
2. **Test before publishing** — Use the **Preview** tab to test your agent with sample conversations before making changes live.
3. **Publish incrementally** — Make small, focused changes and publish frequently rather than batching many changes into one version. This makes it easier to identify which change caused an issue.
4. **Review in Versions** — If your agent's behavior changes unexpectedly, use the Versions tab to compare the current version with a previous one and identify what changed.
## Summary
```
Start Editing → Make Changes → Save Changes (to draft) → Publish (goes live)
→ Stop Editing (draft preserved)
```
Your live agent is always safe. Drafts let you experiment freely, and the version history gives you a complete record of every change.