GoHighLevel AI Agent: Complete Setup Guide (2026)

1Sub-Account & Business Profile

Navigate to Settings → Business Profile. Fill in business name, address (must match your tax records for SMS compliance), website, time zone, and operating hours. Set your default time zone correctly — appointment booking uses this.

In Settings → Phone System → Phone Numbers, designate your default SMS number. This number is what your AI sends from. Most businesses use their main business line.

2Phone Numbers & A2P Compliance

Go to Settings → Phone System → Phone Numbers. Provision phone numbers (or port your existing number — typically takes 7-14 days). For each AI use case, you typically need at least 2 numbers:

• Main business line (for inbound)
• Outbound campaign number (for AI-initiated calls)

Complete A2P 10DLC registration for SMS deliverability. Without this, your AI's text messages will be filtered or blocked. The process takes 2-7 days for approval.

3Knowledge Base

Navigate to AI Agents → Knowledge Base. This is the source of truth your AI references during conversations. Create documents for:

• Services document — every service, what's included, base price
• Pricing document — service pricing, packages, payment options
• Hours & service area — operating hours, ZIP codes you serve
• FAQ document — your top 20 customer questions with answers
• Booking policies — cancellation, rescheduling, deposits

Quality of knowledge base is the #1 predictor of AI agent quality. Spend real time here.

4Voice AI Agent

Go to AI Agents → Voice AI. Click Create Agent. Configuration:

• Agent name — give it a personality (e.g., "Chloe Inbound")
• Direction — Inbound or Outbound (build separate agents for each)
• Voice — pick from OpenAI, ElevenLabs, or PlayHT options. ElevenLabs is highest quality but adds $0.06/min
• Phone number — assign the inbound number you provisioned
• Greeting — first thing the AI says when answering
• System prompt — the AI's instructions on personality, tone, and behavior (this is critical — see template below)
• Knowledge base — link the documents from Step 3
• Goals — what should the AI try to accomplish? (book appointment, qualify lead, transfer to human)

System prompt template: "You are [Agent Name], an AI receptionist for [Business Name], a [industry] company in [city]. You speak in a [warm/professional/friendly] tone. Your primary goal is to [book appointments / qualify leads]. You have access to our calendar and can book appointments directly. Always confirm the customer's name, phone number, and service needed before booking. Never invent information — if you don't know, offer to have a team member call back."

5Conversation AI (Chat Bot)

Navigate to AI Agents → Conversation AI. Click Create Bot. The Conversation AI handles SMS, web chat, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram in one unified flow.

Configuration:

• Bot Settings — name, primary status (designate one as primary), supported channels (check SMS, Web Chat, Messenger, Instagram, Live Chat)
• Bot Training — link the knowledge base documents from Step 3
• Bot Goals — set up the Appointment Booking action: pick a real calendar (NOT "Fake Calendar For Demos"), enable "Pause bot responses after booking" for 2 days
• Personality — same template as Voice AI, adapted for text
• Setup your Actions — Appointment Booking, Trigger a Workflow, Contact Info, Stop Bot, Human Handover, Transfer Bot, Auto Followup

6Calendars & Channel Connections

Calendar: Go to Calendars → Calendar Settings → Connections. Connect Google Calendar (recommended) or Outlook. Test that the connection shows your existing events.

Chat Widget on Website: Navigate to Sites → Chat Widget. Configure: name, color scheme, welcome message, and assign the Voice AI agent. Click Get Code and embed before </body> on every page of your website.

Facebook & Instagram: Go to Settings → Integrations. Click Connect on Facebook. Authorize and select your Facebook Page. Instagram connects automatically if your Instagram Business account is linked to your Facebook Page (it must be set up via Meta Business Suite first).

7Automation Workflows

Navigate to Automation → Workflows → Create Workflow. Build a workflow for each lead capture source:

• Demo/Quote Form Submitted → Wait 1 min → Outbound Voice AI call → If no answer → Wait 30 sec → Send SMS with booking link
• New Contact Created → Send welcome SMS → Wait 1 day → Send follow-up if not booked
• Appointment No-Show → Send recovery SMS → Wait 1 hour → AI call to reschedule
• Database Reactivation → Filter by tag "Cold Lead" → Send AI-initiated SMS → Trigger workflow on response

After building, flip the toggle from Draft to Publish. Workflows in Draft don't fire on form submissions.

8Testing & Publishing

Before going live, test with real phone numbers:

1. Voice AI inbound test — call your business number from a different phone. The AI should answer within 2 rings, identify itself, ask qualifying questions, and book an appointment.
2. Voice AI outbound test — submit your demo form with your own phone. The workflow should fire, wait, then call you.
3. Conversation AI test — send an SMS to your business number, message your Facebook Page, and use your website chat widget. All three should hand off to the same Chloe agent.
4. Calendar sync test — book an appointment via the AI. Verify it appears on your real calendar with correct time, contact info, and notes.
5. Knowledge base test — ask the AI questions about your services, pricing, and policies. Verify accuracy.

Fix any issues, then publish all workflows. Go live.