External API tool

The External API tool lets the agent query (or act on) one of your systems during the conversation: the status of an order, the balance of a contract, opening a ticket.

Request

Field	What to enter
HTTP method	GET, POST, PUT, PATCH or DELETE
URL	The endpoint address. It may contain placeholders
Request timeout	30 seconds (recommended), 60 or 120
Credential	A global credential delegated to this solution, or No credential

The credential list only shows the ones delegated to this solution — see Credentials.

Headers and body

+ Add Header adds the headers you need (for example, Content-Type). The Body field builds the request body on methods that accept one.

The URL, the headers and the body all accept placeholders: values the agent fills in from the conversation. That is how the order number the person mentions reaches your endpoint.

Never type a secret into a header

API keys, tokens and passwords go through Credential, not typed into a header. Credentials are stored securely and can be rotated without editing every tool.

Response handling

Field	What it does
Apply long response truncation protection	Yes (recommended) trims very large responses before handing them to the model
Truncate responses larger than (characters)	The limit applied

Leave the protection on. A huge API response eats the agent’s context, makes the turn expensive and usually makes the answer worse. If useful information is being cut off, the fix is to make the endpoint return less — not to raise the limit indefinitely.

Configuration summary

The block at the bottom of the form shows, in one place, what will be saved: method, URL, credential, number of headers and whether there is a body. Check it before saving.

How to validate

1. Save the tool and confirm it shows as Enabled in the list.
2. Open the chat and ask the question that should trigger it.
3. Expand the Activity block above the answer to see whether the call happened.

Symptom	Likely cause
The agent never calls the tool	Vague description, or the tool is disabled
The call fails with an authorisation error	Wrong, expired or undelegated credential
The agent invents a parameter value	No instruction saying where to take it from; reinforce it in the agent instructions
The response arrives cut off	Truncation limit; make the endpoint return less