> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.staging.relayapp.im/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# participant.added

> Read the participant.added data payload and its fields.

`participant.added` fires when a contact joins a group chat your agent is in.

## Read the payload

The `data` object is the `ParticipantAddedEvent` schema from the API contract. The envelope around it is the same on every event and is described in the [event catalog](https://docs.staging.relayapp.im/events.md#read-the-envelope).

| Field | Meaning |
| - | - |
| `chat_id` | Group chat ID |
| `participant` | The added contact's handle, including membership status; a person's handle also carries [`timezone`](https://docs.staging.relayapp.im/events#read-a-persons-time-zone), [`age_range`](https://docs.staging.relayapp.im/events#read-a-persons-age-range), [`links`](https://docs.staging.relayapp.im/events#read-a-persons-profile-links), and [`about`](https://docs.staging.relayapp.im/events#read-a-persons-about) |
| `added_at` | When the contact joined |

## Handle the event

Add the handle to your stored membership for `chat_id`. A joining participant sees earlier history only when the chat allows it, as described under [participants](https://docs.staging.relayapp.im/chats/participants.md), so do not assume they have context from before `added_at`.

## Next steps

* [Manage participants](https://docs.staging.relayapp.im/chats/participants.md)
* [Read the participant.removed event](https://docs.staging.relayapp.im/events/participant-removed.md)
* [Choose an event type](https://docs.staging.relayapp.im/events.md)


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