<badge colorscheme="pomidor" mb="4">EARLY ACCESS</badge>
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**Structured output** enforces a defined schema for AI agent responses, such as JSON, instead of free-form text.

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## Why use structured output

- Predictable responses that can be processed by other systems.
- Easier automation and system integration.
- Reduced ambiguity in free-form responses.

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## Use cases

- **Hybrid chatbots**: Detect when to transition from AI agent to chatbot control. Use parameters such as *response* (message to end user) and *isLeaving: true/false*.
- **Multimodal responses**: Send more than plain text, such as lists, buttons, images, or locations. Structured output supports these message formats by separating the text message (*response*) from the format (*next_answer_type*) and the extra content (*suggested_answers*).
- **Escalation management**: Use the *escalate_to_human: true* parameter to route to live agents.

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## Example schema

```json showLineNumbers copy
{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "response": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Message to display to the user."
    },
    "sentiment": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["positive", "neutral", "negative"],
      "description": "Detected sentiment of the user's message."
    },
    "escalate_to_human": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "description": "True if human assistance is needed."
    },
    "next_answer_type": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["text", "list", "buttons", "image"],
      "description": "Format of the next response."
    },
    "suggested_answers": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": { "type": "string" },
      "description": "Quick replies or button labels."
    }
  },
  "required": ["response", "sentiment", "escalate_to_human"]
}
```

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## Use structured output in Chatbots

When you use structured output, the AI agent returns a JSON object instead of plain text.

To use structured output in Chatbots, do the following:

1. In the **Agent connector** element, extract the full response by using the JSON path `$.content`.
2. Use a **Code** element to parse the JSON and extract individual fields into separate attributes.
3. Use the extracted values to do the following:
   - Display the response text to the end user.
   - Route based on `escalate_to_human` or `isLeaving` flags.
   - Determine message format using `next_answer_type`.
   - Populate buttons or lists with `suggested_answers`.

For agent configuration steps, see [Configure an AI agent](https://www.infobip.com/docs/agentos-ai-agents/ai-agents/configure-ai-agent#advanced-settings-optional). For guidance on defining output format in prompts, see [Write prompts for AI agents](https://www.infobip.com/docs/agentos-ai-agents/advanced-topics/write-prompts#output-format-and-schema-prompt-basics).

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