# Conversation workflows
| Item | Details |
|—|—|
| Who it is for | Administrators |
| Menu location | **Settings → Conversation workflows** (label may vary in the sidebar) |
| Plan dependency | Auto-resolve is often on by default; required attributes need the matching feature |
Configure conversation lifecycle rules here: auto-resolve after idle time, and which fields must be filled before resolve.
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## 1. Auto-resolve
Set **how many idle minutes** before still-Open conversations are marked Resolved. A background job scans due conversations.
Suggestions:
– First send an “we will close if there is nothing else” auto message (automation can help), then auto-resolve, so customers do not feel cut off.
– Do not set shorter than your promised response time.
– Pending Captain conversations may have separate assistant timeouts — plan them with auto-resolve so the assistant is not cut off mid-answer.
Turning the feature off stops idle auto-resolve.
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## 2. Required conversation attributes
When enabled, you can require [custom attributes](./17-custom-attributes )before resolve (close reason, product line, etc.). Agents cannot resolve until they are filled, which keeps reports and aftercare stats complete.
Keep the field list short and precise, or agents will pick “Other” at random.
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## 3. Data retention
If the workspace sets a **retention period**, messages on closed conversations past that age may be purged. That switch may live under billing / account settings, but it affects “can we still search chats in six months?”.
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## Related articles
– [Custom attributes](./17-custom-attributes)
– [Automation](./18-automation)
– [Conversation workspace](./3-conversation-workbench)