AI Tools let AI Agents and Copilot execute functions, look up data, provide insights, or integrate with external systems—via APIs or Model Context Protocol (MCP). AI Actions empower AI agents and the AI Copilot to perform tasks such as cancelling or returning orders, updating user information, retrieving real-time data, and providing contextual responses to customer queries, without manual intervention. These actions are customizable and prompt-driven, allowing them to be triggered based on natural language inputs.

API Actions are customizable, prompt-driven tasks that can be set up directly from the ticket details page. They allow support agents to respond intelligently to customer queries and automate repetitive operations. Through API integration, agents can connect to external systems to:

• Cancel or return orders
• Update user information
• Fetch real-time data

Steps to Configure API Actions

Follow the steps below to configure API Actions.

1. Navigate to AI Actions

• Navigate to AI module >AI Tools > API.
  
  
  
  
  
• Here, you can view existing actions and either publish them or unpublish them by moving to draft.

2. Create API Action

• Click the Create API Action button to add a new API Action.
  
  
  
  
  
• Configure the following settings:
  - Applied To: Specify whether the AI Action is to apply to AI Copilot, AI Agent, or both.
  - Brand: Select which brand(s) the AI Action applies to.
  - Name: Set the name of the API Action.
  - Usage Criteria: Set the usage criteria.
  - Collect Data: Enable this to list all the data that needs to be collected from the conversation in order to perform this action.
  - API Request: Fetch and preview the API request details configured for the selected action.
  - Authentication Configuration: Here you can choose either None, OAuth (Client Credential) or Custom. Administrators can now configure authorization using either OAuth or custom key–value pairs for AI Actions.
  - HTTP Headers: Specify the API endpoint that the AI Agent should call to fetch data or send updates. User-provided inputs (variables) can be included in the URL or within the request body.
• Click on next.

3. Test the API Response

• Create a sample response to show the AI what kind of output you expect from your API.
• You can either choose to test with a live response (Test with live data from the API to make sure it is configured correctly.) or example response (Use example JSON data if the API is not ready).

4. Configure Data Access

• Data Access: Specify what data the AI should utilize from your API response.
  - Full Data Access grants the AI agent access to the entire API response, enabling it to deliver thorough and well-informed replies using all available data.
  - Limited Data Access controls the scope of data the AI agent can use, allowing for more targeted responses while safeguarding sensitive information.

5. Publish or Save as Draft

• Choose Publish to go live or Save as Draft to continue editing later.
  

  
  
  

Permission Required to Manage AI Tools

To manage AI Tools, users must have Manage AI Actions permission.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are AI Actions in BoldDesk?
   They’re automations the AI can run—like cancelling an order or updating a profile—based on what the user says in chat.

2. How do I create an API Action in BoldDesk?
   Go to AI module → AI Actions → Create Action → API Action, set who can use it (AI Agent/Copilot), choose brand(s), define the inputs to collect, configure the API call, test the response, set what data the AI can use, preview, then publish.

3. How do actions get triggered during a chat?
   They run when the user’s message matches your prompt conditions and the required inputs are provided (e.g., order ID).

4. What does “Collect Data” mean?
   It’s the info you ask the user for (like order ID or email) so you can pass it to the API correctly.

5. How do I make sure my API Action works before I go live?
   Use Test Response to check the endpoint, headers/auth, and parameters; then Preview to see how it behaves in a real chat.

6. What does “Data Access” control?
   It decides which parts of the API’s reply the AI is allowed to use (specific fields or the full response), and lets you filter them.

7. Can I limit actions to certain brands or AI experiences?
   Yes—use Brand Applicability for brands and AI Usage to target AI Copilot, AI Agent, or both.

8. What are typical things I can automate?
   Cancel/return orders, update user details, and fetch real‑time data (like shipment status or inventory).

Related Articles

• How to Create and Use Custom Prompts
• Get Started with BoldDesk AI Chatbots