Use a knowledge agent in a chatbot
EARLY ACCESSAdd a knowledge agent to your chatbot using the Agent connector element in the chatbot editor.
The agent handles end user questions by retrieving answers from connected knowledge sources.
Before you begin
- Create a knowledge agent and connect knowledge sources.
- Have a chatbot ready in the chatbot editor.
How it works
- The chatbot captures the end user's message in an attribute.
- The Agent connector element passes the message to the knowledge agent.
- The knowledge agent generates a response based on the message, agent configuration, and connected knowledge sources.
- The chatbot receives the response and sends it to the end user.
Save the end user's message
Before the Agent connector element can process a question, the chatbot needs to capture the end user's message in an attribute. Use one of the following options:
- Use the predefined attribute lastReceivedTextMessage, which captures the last message sent by the end user.
- Use the Save user response element to save the message in a standard attribute.
Add the Agent connector element
Add the Agent connector element to a dialog in your chatbot. You can select only one knowledge agent per element, but you can add multiple Agent connector elements across dialogs.
The Agent connector has three tabs: Request, Response, and Fallback.
Request tab
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Select AI Agent | Select the knowledge agent from the dropdown. |
| User Message | Define a value or select an attribute that contains the end user's message. The chatbot passes this value to the knowledge agent. |
| Select Agent Version | Select the agent version to use. |
| Agent Context (Optional) | Select an attribute to pass as additional context to the agent. To create a new attribute, select Create an attribute. |
Create an attribute
- In Agent Context (Optional), select Create new attribute.
- Enter a Name for the attribute.
- The Type is set to JSON automatically.
- (Optional) Enter a Default value.
- Select the Scope:
- Chatbot — the attribute value persists across all dialogs in the chatbot.
- Dialog — the attribute value resets when the conversation moves to a different dialog.
- (Optional) Select Available to agents to make the attribute visible to live agents in Conversations.
- (Optional) Select Sensitive data to hide the attribute value in Chatbots and Inbox.
- Select Save.
Response tab
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Response code | (Optional) Select an attribute to save the HTTP response code. |
| Response body attributes | Extract values from the response body. Select Show response code JSON schema to view the response structure, then select Add attribute to map a JSON path to an attribute. Use $.content to extract the agent's response. |
| Timeout | Maximum time in seconds to wait for a response before triggering the fallback. |
Fallback tab
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Fallback action | Select the action to take when the fallback triggers: Go to dialog routes the end user to another dialog; Connect to agent transfers the conversation to a live agent in Inbox. |
| Dialog | Select the dialog to route to. |
| Fallback message (optional) | Enter a message to send to the end user when the fallback triggers. |
| Link preview | Enable to show a preview for links in the fallback message. |
| Use also for API failures | Enable to apply the fallback for API failures in addition to timeout failures. |
Send the response to the end user
Use a Text element and add the attribute where you saved the knowledge agent response.
Create a conversational experience
To create a more advanced conversational flow, route the conversation back to the knowledge agent after each response:
- After the knowledge agent responds, send the response in a Text element.
- In a follow-up dialog, capture a new user input.
- Use the GenAI Intent Detection element to determine where to route the conversation.
- Route the conversation back to the dialog with the Agent connector element for a continuous, conversational experience.