--- url: https://lettuceai.app/docs/group-chats title: "Group Chats — LettuceAI" description: "Chat with multiple AI characters at once with automatic or manual speaker selection and structured roleplay." --- Menu # Group Chats Group Chats let you talk to multiple characters in a single conversation. Choose at least two characters and run the group as a casual conversation or a structured roleplay. ![Group chats list screen](https://lhdgeo5fms.ufs.sh/f/m0TBUtMLsaiElCO2St7C73dLiJV9kSZtR4oG2cbhwPzgNanQ) ## Create a group Open the **+** menu and pick **Group Chat**. Creating a group is a short three-step wizard, with a button at the bottom of the screen that carries you to the next step (it also shows how many characters you have selected). 1. **Select characters**: pick at least two members for the group. You can also import a shared group file on this step. 2. **Group setup**: choose the chat type, how speakers take turns, the memory mode, an optional name (one is generated from the character names if you leave it blank), and an optional background image. 3. **Starting scene**: shown only for roleplay groups, where you set the opening scene. The two chat types are: - **Conversation**: freeform multi-character chat - **Roleplay**: structured scenes with a starting setup Group chats are stored as their own sessions and appear in the Group Chats list alongside a history view for older sessions. ![Group chat starting scene setup](https://lhdgeo5fms.ufs.sh/f/m0TBUtMLsaiExLtx9yUkw2MN5G1QtVTFbq6Audpci7RZUDXS) ## Starting scenes (roleplay) If you choose roleplay, you can start with a custom scene or re-use a scene from one of the selected characters. This sets the tone before the chat begins. ![Group chat message view](https://lhdgeo5fms.ufs.sh/f/m0TBUtMLsaiE7NJlCdS3XDOMPNhgrUjbZp9fWTYnCuB0v4wx) ## During the chat Each message is labeled by character so you can track who is speaking. You can also cancel a response at any time using the abort controls. Use **Continue** to let the next character speak again without typing anything yourself. Continue no longer puts words in your mouth: it asks the next character to respond based on the conversation so far, without adding a fake message from your persona. Group chat message cards are optimized for readability and longer sessions. There is also a message search that lets you find and jump to any message in a long group session. ## Group settings Group settings come in two layers, both using the same clean option-row layout with character avatars in the header: - **Group settings** set the defaults for new sessions of that group: background image, persona, lorebooks, the default speaker selection method, the default memory mode, and the chat appearance. - **Session settings** apply to the conversation you are in right now: background image, persona, lorebooks, an author's note, speaker selection, and the member roster (add or remove characters, mute them, or target them with a mention). Session settings also hold actions like export, import, duplicate, and branching the group into a one-on-one chat. On desktop, session settings open as a side panel next to the conversation instead of a full screen. ![Group chat settings screen](https://lhdgeo5fms.ufs.sh/f/m0TBUtMLsaiEPKwYHeQmcHWF6TyX3N5xaVrkuSGLnlRKZv81) ## Appearance Group chats use the same appearance editor as one-on-one chats. Each group can override the global look across Typography, Bubbles, Layout, Colors, and Background, so a group can have its own style without changing your other chats. On desktop you also get layout controls for the wider, multi-column view. ## Personas in group chats Personas still represent _you_ in the conversation. Selecting a persona in Group Settings changes your role across the entire group session without changing the characters themselves. ## How speaker selection works When you send a message, the app decides which character should reply next using a clear priority order: ![The ways the next speaker is chosen in a group chat](https://lhdgeo5fms.ufs.sh/f/m0TBUtMLsaiEzR2WB65CgsDQbf3mrGI2U5jA9RHS8i0x1naJ) You can let the app pick who fits the moment, choose manually, or take the wheel with Director mode (tap a character to cue them or have them respond right away). Shared memory and lorebooks keep the whole group consistent. 1. **@mentions** always win and force a specific character. 2. The configured **speaker selection method** for the group runs next. 3. A **heuristic fallback** kicks in if the chosen method fails or returns a muted character. Each group session stores its own speaker selection method. You can switch between four options at any time from group settings: - **LLM** (default): an LLM tool call picks the next speaker based on the recent messages and participant descriptions. - **Heuristic**: a local scoring pass picks a speaker without calling any model. Fast and offline-friendly. - **Round robin**: the next speaker is chosen by rotating through the participants, so everyone gets a turn. - **Director**: you decide who speaks instead of the app. See Director mode below. ![Group chat speaker selection flow](https://lhdgeo5fms.ufs.sh/f/m0TBUtMLsaiEDvEcN4Lk6KQEIaUv3RMC80pwfLYbPBhuTci9) Speaker selection flow: mention, automatic selection, fallback, then response. ### @mentions You can target a character directly by mentioning them: - `@Name` for single-word names - `@"Character Name"` for names with spaces Mentions are case-insensitive and the first valid mention wins. ### LLM selection model The selection step uses the first configured model in your settings (not the character’s own model). It reviews recent messages, participant descriptions, and participation balance, then picks the next speaker with a tool call. ### Heuristic fallback If LLM selection fails, a local fallback scores characters based on: - Participation balance (who has spoken less) - Recency (soft penalty for very recent speakers) - Name mentions inside the user message ## Director mode Director mode hands the casting to you. Instead of the app choosing who replies, nothing speaks automatically: you pick the character who responds by tapping their avatar in the participants bar. This is great for staging a scene exactly the way you want it. When you turn Director mode on, you choose one of two styles: - **Cue** (default, shown as "Pick, then send"): tap the character who should answer, then press Send. Your message goes out and that character replies. If you press Send without picking anyone first, the avatar bar nudges you to choose. Your last pick stays selected for the next turn. - **Action** (shown as "Tap to respond"): pressing Send only adds your message to the conversation, with no reply. Tapping a character's avatar makes them respond right away. There is also an option to post your line without any response. Director mode is opt-in and does not change the default for other groups, which stay on LLM selection. ## Muting participants You can mute individual characters in a group. Muted characters are excluded from automatic speaker selection and are skipped by the LLM, heuristic, and round robin paths. If auto-selection ever lands on a muted character, the app falls back to the heuristic to pick someone else. Muting does not remove a character from the group. You can still target a muted character directly with an @mention to force them to reply. ## Lorebooks in groups Group sessions can attach their own lorebooks separately from each participant. There is also a toggle to disable the per-character lorebooks entirely, so only the group-level lorebooks are active. This is useful when characters come from different worlds and you want one shared canon for the group only. ## Memory in group chats Each group session has its own memory mode (Manual or Dynamic), chosen independently of any single character's memory setting. The dynamic memory pipeline (summary window, retrieval, decay, hot/cold split, and background maintenance cycle) is implemented in parallel with the direct-chat pipeline and uses the same settings. See the [Memory System](/docs/memory) doc for details. The memory mode is set when you create the group and can be changed later in settings. The group's memories page shows over the group background image, so it stays visually consistent with the conversation. Tips Group chats work best when characters have distinct voices and clear roles. Keep prompts short and let their personalities do the work. [ PreviousPersonas ](/docs/personas)[ NextChat Widgets ](/docs/chat-widgets)