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What Are Actions?

Actions are reusable prompt templates that define sequences of messages with dynamic variable substitution. They allow you to create standardized workflows that can be used across multiple sessions and tasks with different inputs each time. Think of actions as saved conversation starters with fill-in-the-blanks. You define the structure once with variable placeholders like {{location}} or {{customerName}}, then run the action with different values whenever needed.

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Why Use Actions?

Actions help you:
  • Standardize workflows - Define consistent prompts for common tasks
  • Reduce repetition - Avoid rewriting the same instructions
  • Maintain quality - Use tested, reliable prompts that work
  • Scale operations - Run the same workflow with different inputs

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Creating an Action

You can create actions through conversation with your default agent, or directly in the UI by clicking “New Action” from the Actions page.

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Configuration

Name (required) - A descriptive identifier for your action (2-100 characters). Use clear, specific names like “Daily Weather Report” or “Summarize GitHub PR” rather than generic ones like “Action 1”. Messages (required) - The sequence of user and assistant messages that define your workflow. Each message can be:
  • User message - Instructions or prompts that guide the agent
  • Assistant message - Either pre-filled responses or AI-generated (set to null for dynamic generation)
Variables (optional) - Dynamic placeholders in your messages using double-brace syntax: {{variableName}}. Variables are automatically detected as you type them in messages.

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Building Messages

Actions consist of a sequence of messages between user and assistant. This allows you to: Guide the conversation flow - Set up context with initial instructions, then have the agent respond, then provide follow-up instructions. Prime the agent’s behavior - Use pre-filled assistant messages to establish tone, format, or examples before the dynamic work begins. Create multi-step workflows - Break complex tasks into discrete conversation turns for better control.

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Message Types

User Messages: Always contain your instructions or prompts. These guide what the agent should do. They can include variable placeholders that get replaced at runtime. Example: 
Fetch the current weather for {{location}} from weather.com, summarize it in a friendly format with temperature, conditions, and any relevant alerts, then post it to the {{channel}} channel in Slack.
Assistant Messages can be either: Pre-filled - You provide the exact content the assistant should use. Useful for:
  • Establishing output format or tone
  • Providing examples or templates
  • Creating deterministic multi-turn workflows
AI-Generated - Set content to null and the AI generates a response dynamically. This is the most common case when you want the agent to actually perform work.

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Reordering Messages

Use drag-and-drop to reorder messages in the action editor. This lets you adjust the conversation flow without recreating messages.

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Working with Variables

Variables make actions flexible and reusable. Define them once, use them everywhere in your messages.

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Variable Syntax

Use double-brace syntax: {{variableName}} Variables names should be:
  • Alphanumeric with hyphens or underscores
  • Descriptive (use customerEmail not e1)
  • Consistent across messages

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Auto-Detection

As you type {{ in a message, the variable is automatically detected and added to the variables section. You don’t need to manually declare variables - just use them. Example: Type this in a message… 
Hello {{firstName}}, your order {{orderId}} has shipped to {{city}}.
…and three variables automatically appear: firstName, orderId, city.

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Default Values

Set default values for each variable in the variables section. These are used:
  • As placeholders when testing the action
  • In the UI to show users what kind of value to provide
  • As fallbacks if no value is provided (though validation will fail in production use)

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Validation Rules

All variables must follow these rules: Used in messages - Every variable you declare must appear in at least one message. Unused variables cause validation errors. Non-empty values - Variables cannot be empty strings when running the action. You must provide actual values. All required - When running an action, you must provide values for all declared variables. There are no optional variables.

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Example: Customer Support Response

Here’s a complete action that handles customer support inquiries: Name: Customer Support Response Variables:
  • customerName - The customer’s name
  • issueType - Type of issue (billing, technical, shipping)
  • orderNumber - The order number if applicable
Messages:
  1. User Message:
You are responding to a customer support inquiry. The customer is {{customerName}} and they are contacting us about a {{issueType}} issue related to order {{orderNumber}}.

Look up the order details, investigate the issue, and draft a helpful, empathetic response. Be professional but warm. Provide specific solutions and clear next steps.
  1. Assistant Message (AI-Generated): Content is null - the AI will generate the actual support response based on what it finds.
When you run this action with values like:
  • customerName: “Sarah Johnson”
  • issueType: “shipping delay”
  • orderNumber: “ORD-12345”
The agent will investigate and generate a personalized support response.

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Managing Actions

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Viewing Actions

The Actions page shows all actions in your organization with:
  • Action name
  • Message count (how many messages in the sequence)
  • Last updated date
Switch between grid and list views. Search by name or sort by name, creation date, update date, or message count.

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Editing Actions

Click an action to open the editor. You can:
  • Update the name
  • Add, remove, or reorder messages
  • Modify message content
  • Toggle assistant messages between pre-filled and AI-generated
  • Adjust variable default values
Changes are validated before saving. All declared variables must be used in at least one message.

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Deleting Actions

Delete actions from the context menu. This removes the action and removes it from any tasks that reference it. Use caution when deleting actions that are actively used in tasks.

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Duplicating Actions

Create variations of existing actions by duplicating them from the context menu. This copies all messages and variables into a new action with a copy suffix in the name.

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Action Access

Actions are scoped to your organization. All members can:
  • View all actions
  • Use actions in tasks they create
Only organization admins can:
  • Create new actions
  • Edit existing actions
  • Delete actions

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Next Steps

  • Tasks - Set up autonomous agentic workflows