Sometimes, responding with just text isn’t enough to solve a customer’s problem. They might need to:

  • Check their order status
  • Update their account
  • Submit a request
  • Get personalized data

In these cases, your AI needs to interact with your backend systems. That’s where Actions come in - they let your AI make API calls to actually solve problems, not just talk about them.

Think of Actions as your AI’s way of getting things done - whether that’s looking up data, updating records, or processing requests.

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Setting Up Actions

There are two ways to define actions:

Dashboard UI

Simple point-and-click setup for individual actions

Swagger Import

Bulk import actions from your OpenAPI/Swagger files

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Using the Dashboard

1

Create Action

Go to Dashboard -> Actions -> New Action

2

Configure Endpoint

Enter:

  • Action name
  • API endpoint URL
  • HTTP method
  • Request parameters
3

Add Authentication

If your API requires auth, add headers or tokens (see Authentication guide)

4

Test and Save

Use the test feature to verify your action works

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Using Swagger

For teams with many APIs, you can import actions from Swagger/OpenAPI files:

Upload via Dashboard

  1. Go to Actions -> Import
  2. Upload your Swagger file
  3. Select which endpoints to import

Import via API

Use our Import API for automated imports

Pro Tip: Use CI/CD to automatically sync your API changes with Open. Learn how

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Where Actions Work

Actions can be used across all channels:

Web Chat

In the chat widget

Phone

During voice calls

Email

In email responses

Slack

In Slack conversations

WhatsApp

During WhatsApp chats

SMS

In SMS conversations

Your AI can perform actions seamlessly across all channels - whether customers reach out via chat, call, message, or email. The experience remains consistent.

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Common Questions

Need help setting up actions? Join our Slack community or check our example actions.