Abstract The social brain contains distinct networks for mentalizing as well as for mirroring-based action observation. We present work towards a model of how these two systems may interact during embodied communication. The model connects a mentalizing system for attributing and inferring different orders of belief about own and other's mental states, with a hierarchical predictive model for online action perception and production. We discuss interactions between both systems and describe simulation experiments in which two agents equipped with this model engage in embodied communication. Results demonstrate how mentalizing affords higher robustness of communication by enabling interactive grounding processes
