"This action isn't enabled": turning on an action Guide

Sometimes the assistant will tell you it can't complete a request because a specific action isn't enabled yet. This is a safety feature: the assistant only reaches into your connected apps when you've explicitly turned on the actions it's allowed to use. This article explains what the message means and how to enable the action so the assistant can finish the job.

What "this action isn't enabled" means

Your connected apps come with a large library of individual actions the assistant can perform on your behalf — things like sending an email, creating a calendar event, or updating a record. To keep you in control, those actions stay off until you turn them on.

When the assistant needs an action you haven't enabled, it pauses and tells you rather than silently skipping the step or guessing. The message usually names the app and the action it was reaching for, so you know exactly what to switch on.

Note: This is different from an approval prompt. An approval card asks you to confirm a single action right now (like sending one message). Enabling an action gives the assistant standing permission to use that capability going forward — you'll still see approval cards for anything that reaches the outside world.

Turn on the action

You manage which actions are available from the settings for the connected app the action belongs to.

1. Open your Settings and go to the Integrations area.
2. Find the app the assistant mentioned (for example, your email or calendar provider) and open its details.
3. Look for the list of available actions — often shown under a Manage actions control.
4. Find the specific action the assistant asked for and switch it on.
5. Save your changes if prompted.

Once the action is enabled, return to your chat and ask the assistant to try again. It will pick up where it left off using the newly available action.

If the app isn't connected yet

If you don't see the app in your Integrations at all, it likely needs to be connected first. Connect the app, then enable the specific action you need. After that, the assistant can use it.

Ask the assistant to try again

The fastest way to confirm everything is working is to repeat your original request in the same conversation. The assistant remembers the context of what you were trying to do, so a simple "go ahead and try that again" is usually enough.

For anything that sends, changes, or removes something in the outside world, you'll still see an Approve card before it happens — so nothing is sent or changed without your confirmation, even after an action is enabled.

Why actions stay off by default

Keeping actions off until you turn them on means you decide exactly what the assistant can reach in each of your apps. You can enable only the actions you actually want it to use, leave the rest off, and turn any of them off again later. This gives you a clear, reviewable picture of what the assistant is permitted to do on your behalf.

Still stuck?

• You enabled the action but the assistant still can't use it. Make sure your change was saved, then start the request again in a fresh message so the assistant re-checks what's available.
• You can't find the action in the app's settings. Confirm you're looking at the right app — the assistant's message names the app it needs. If the action genuinely isn't offered for that app, it may not be supported.
• The app shows as disconnected. Reconnect it from the Integrations area, then re-enable the action.