Zendesk AI agent ticket takeover: 2 new role permissions

Jay Biros, Founder. Checked against Zendesk help center articles on October 19, 2026.

Short answer: Zendesk added two permissions to custom roles: Take over AI agent ticket and Edit AI agent ticket properties. The first lets an agent stop the AI agent and take the conversation. The second lets an agent add internal notes, tags and custom field values while the AI agent keeps talking. Zendesk's rollout ran from October 6 to October 12, 2026.

This post covers what changed, what each permission allows, what happens on a takeover, and how to set both in a custom role.

Who this is for: Zendesk admins who run AI agents on a plan with custom roles (Customer Service Suite Enterprise or Enterprise Plus, Employee Service Suite Professional, Enterprise or Enterprise Plus, or Support Enterprise).

What changed with AI agent tickets?

Before this update, an AI agent ticket was read-only for as long as the AI agent was talking to the customer. Now, admins and agents with permission can do three things during the conversation:

• Add an internal note. For example, @mention a teammate to add them as a follower, or note something about how the AI agent is doing. Public replies stay off until someone takes over.
• Add tags and update custom fields at any time.
• Take over the ticket to stop the AI agent and put a person in control.

Adding a note, a tag or a field value does not interrupt the AI agent. The conversation continues until it is resolved, escalated or taken over.

What's an AI agent ticket? Zendesk creates one when a customer starts a conversation with a messaging or voice AI agent. On messaging, it stays an AI agent ticket until the conversation is escalated to a human agent. On voice, it always becomes a regular ticket once the AI agent finishes the call.

Example: a customer asks the AI agent about a late order. A team lead watching the ticket adds the tag vip and an internal note that @mentions the shipping lead. The AI agent keeps talking. If the customer then asks for a refund the AI agent can't give, the team lead clicks Take over and replies to the customer directly.

What do the 2 new permissions allow?

Both permissions sit in the custom role editor, under Tickets, in the "Interacting with tickets" group.

What happens when someone takes over?

When an agent clicks Take over (Zendesk places it in the bottom right corner), Zendesk does five things:

1. The AI agent stops working on the ticket.
2. The ticket becomes editable instead of read-only.
3. The ticket's Support type changes from AI agent to Agent.
4. The agent who clicked becomes the assignee.
5. A message in the ticket events view records the takeover.

Watch out: Zendesk's docs don't describe a way to hand a taken-over ticket back to the AI agent, and the person who takes over becomes the assignee. Give this permission to people who should own the customer from that point on.

How do I set the permissions in a custom role?

1. In Admin Center, click People in the sidebar, then select Team > Roles.
2. To change a role, click its options icon and select Edit. To make a new one, click Create role, or hover over a role, click the options icon and select Clone.
3. In the Tickets permissions, find the "Interacting with tickets" group.
4. Turn on Take over AI agent ticket, Edit AI agent ticket properties, or both, for this role.
5. Click Save.
6. Repeat for every role that works AI agent tickets. Zendesk's announcement says: "If you use custom roles, review the new AI agent ticket permissions and grant them to the roles that need them."

Zendesk's announcement doesn't say which existing roles get these permissions turned on by default, so open each role and check it rather than assume.

Which roles should get which permission?

Here is a starting point using the three system custom roles Zendesk lists. Zendesk describes Advisors as people who configure Zendesk, don't solve tickets and can make private comments; Staff as agents whose main job is solving tickets; and Team leads as having wider access, including reading and editing all tickets. The yes and no choices below are our suggestion, not a Zendesk default.

What should I know before I turn this on?

• Triggers wait. Zendesk says business rules such as triggers and automations "cannot act on AI agent tickets," and that they take effect once the ticket is escalated to a human agent. So a tag you add mid-conversation won't fire a trigger while the ticket is still an AI agent ticket.
• Followers get email. An @mention in an internal note adds that agent as a follower, and followers get email notifications for comment updates.
• Everyone else stays read-only. Zendesk says that for users without permission, AI agent tickets are read-only.
• Plans differ. Editing and takeover are documented for all Suites (Team to Enterprise Plus) and Support (Team, Professional, Enterprise). Custom roles, where these two permissions live, need the plans listed at the top.

Recap

• Two new custom role permissions: Take over AI agent ticket and Edit AI agent ticket properties. Zendesk rolled them out October 6 to 12, 2026.
• Edit lets people add notes, tags and field values without stopping the AI agent. Take over stops the AI agent and makes the agent the assignee.
• Review every custom role now, because Zendesk doesn't say which roles have them on by default.

For how AI agent conversations are billed, see Zendesk AI resolution tiers: check your bill. For setting up roles around the people who use your helpdesk, see Four people use your helpdesk. One is the customer.

FAQ

Can an agent reply to the customer without taking over?

No. While the AI agent is in the conversation, only the Internal note tab is available in the composer. The Public reply tab isn't available unless you take over the ticket.

Does adding a note or tag stop the AI agent?

No. Notes, tags and custom field updates don't interrupt the conversation. Only a takeover does.

Who becomes the assignee after a takeover?

The person who clicked Take over. The ticket's Support type also changes from AI agent to Agent.

Which plans have custom roles?

Customer Service Suite Enterprise or Enterprise Plus, Employee Service Suite Professional, Enterprise or Enterprise Plus, and Support Enterprise.

Verified against (checked October 19, 2026):

• Zendesk help, Announcing AI agent ticket takeover and editing, announced October 6, 2026
• Zendesk help, Interacting with AI agent tickets
• Zendesk help, Creating custom roles and assigning agents
• Zendesk help, Understanding AI agent tickets for AI agent only conversations

Want a second pair of eyes on your Zendesk roles and AI agent setup? See how we work on Zendesk and AI agent setup, check our pricing, or start with a helpdesk audit.

Book a free 15-minute call