> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.convai.com/api-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.convai.com/api-docs/no-code-experiences/chat-experiences/prerequisites.md).

# What you need to use Chat Experiences

What a Convai account needs before you can build a chat experience, which characters you can add to a room, and what to do if the controls are missing.

Creating and running a chat experience takes a Convai account, at least one character, and the Chat Experiences controls on **My Experiences**.

### Account requirements

| Requirement            | Detail                                                                                                                                         |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Convai account         | Signed in at <code class="expression">space.vars.dashboard\_url</code>.                                                                        |
| Dashboard access       | **My Experiences** present in the left sidebar. Chat experiences are created and reopened from that page, and there is no other entry point.   |
| At least one character | One of your own characters, or one someone has shared with you by ID. A room needs at least one character before you can send a message to it. |

### Characters you can add to a room

A room is the text conversation that opens when you start a chat experience. You add characters from inside it, in the **Add characters to the room** dialog. It has two tabs, and each lists a different set of characters:

| Tab                    | What it lists                                                                                                                                                          |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **From my workspaces** | The characters in the workspace you are working in, most recently edited first. The grid shows the eight most recent, and **Show all** expands it to the full list.    |
| **By character ID**    | Characters you look up by ID. Enter one ID per line to look up several at once. Use this tab for a character someone has shared with you from outside your workspaces. |

A character joins with its own persona and receives the experience's brief on top of it. The brief comes from the room type and the purpose you choose when you create the experience.

### When the Create a Chat Experience button is missing

If **My Experiences** shows neither a **Create a Chat Experience** button nor a **Chat experiences** section, contact <support@convai.com>.

### Next steps

With the requirements met, open the hub where chat experiences are created.

{% content-ref url="/pages/hP4LQajPA7oXVjIgDl2R" %}
[Open My Experiences](/api-docs/no-code-experiences/chat-experiences/open-my-experiences.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}


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