> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.a2v2.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Visibility & Access
> Control who can use your embedded agent and preview it before it goes live.
**Visibility** controls whether your agent is hidden for your own testing or
published for end users — and, when it's public, who is allowed to chat with it.
Open **Channels & API → Visibility** from the agent sidebar.
## Prerequisites
* An agent (see [Create an agent](/building/create-agent)).
## Private vs. Public
At the top of the Visibility screen, choose how your agent is exposed:
| Setting | What it means |
| ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Private** | The agent is completely hidden. Only you can view and interact with it, for testing purposes. |
| **Public** | The agent is accessible to end users, based on the access settings you configure. |
## Public access modes
When you select **Public**, the **Make your chatbot public?** dialog asks how you
want to control access:
| Mode | Who can use it |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Use for Free** | Any user can access your chatbot without restrictions or authentication. |
| **Restrict** | Access is restricted. Only users from your CRM can use this chatbot. |
| **Pay for Access** | Access is restricted. Only users with a paid chatbot subscription can use this. |
With **Restrict** and **Pay for Access**, visitors identify or pay before the
conversation starts, and their details are captured as contacts in your CRM.
## Tips
* Keep an agent **Private** while you build and test it, then switch to **Public**
when it's ready for real visitors.
* Use **Use for Free** for the lowest-friction informational agent; choose
**Restrict** or **Pay for Access** only when you need to gate the content.
## Related