Plugins

What are Plugins?

Plugins extend your AI agent with capabilities that go beyond the built-in tools. Where tools handle common actions like product search and information retrieval, plugins connect to external services, add email capabilities, or define how product cards are displayed.

Think of plugins as optional modules you switch on for your account. Each plugin type adds a distinct capability. You configure the plugin, activate it, and the agent gains access to the new behavior — without any code changes on your end.

Available Plugin Types

Email Service

The Email Service plugin lets your AI agent send emails during a conversation. When a visitor requests a summary, asks for confirmation, or wants information delivered to their inbox, the agent can compose and send the email directly.

You configure the sender details, email templates, and the conditions under which the agent should offer or trigger the email.

Custom API

The Custom API plugin connects your AI agent to an external API endpoint. This lets the agent retrieve or submit data from your own systems — inventory checks, customer lookups, form submissions, or any custom integration your business requires.

The plugin registers the endpoint details and authenticates the connection. The agent calls the API lazily — only when the conversation context makes it relevant — so it does not add unnecessary overhead to every response.

Product Cards

The Product Cards plugin defines how the agent displays products visually in the chat. Instead of plain text responses, products are shown as structured cards with images, titles, prices, and action buttons.

Each Product Cards plugin entry is a template that defines the card layout and which product data fields appear. You can have multiple templates for different contexts — a compact card for quick comparisons, a detailed card for single-product views.

Activate or Deactivate a Plugin

Navigate to Plugins in the left sidebar. The list shows all plugins in your account and their current status.

To activate a plugin, open its detail page and toggle Enabled to on. To deactivate it, toggle it off. The change takes effect immediately — the agent will (or will not) use the plugin from the next conversation onwards.

Deactivating a plugin does not delete it or reset its configuration. You can reactivate it at any time.

Configure a Plugin

When to Use

The When to use field tells the agent in plain language when this plugin should be active or triggered. Write it as a natural instruction:

  • When a customer asks to receive information by email
  • When the user asks about stock availability or pricing from the live catalog
  • When displaying products as visual cards would help the customer compare options

The agent uses this to decide whether invoking the plugin is appropriate for the current conversation.

The sidebar label is shown to visitors when the plugin opens a sidebar panel. Keep it concise and descriptive, for example Send by Email, Live Stock, or Product Cards.

Intro Text

The intro text appears at the top of the sidebar panel when it opens. Use it to give the visitor a brief explanation of what they are seeing or what will happen next.

  • We will send this to your email address.
  • Here is the live availability from our warehouse.

One or two sentences is enough.

Plugin-Specific Config

The Config field contains plugin-specific settings as a JSON object. What is accepted here depends on the plugin type:

  • Email Service — sender name, sender address, reply-to address, email templates
  • Custom API — endpoint URL, authentication method, request headers, parameter mapping
  • Product Cards — card layout (image placement, element order), which product fields to display and how

Refer to the plugin type reference for the full list of supported configuration keys.

Plugins can be connected to products and rules in your account.

Product links associate the plugin with specific products. For a Product Cards plugin, this determines which products the template applies to. For other plugin types, links inform which products are in scope when the plugin runs.

Rule links connect the plugin to specific rules. On Demand rules linked to a plugin are loaded into the agent's context whenever the plugin is triggered. This lets you attach behavioral instructions that only apply when this plugin is active — for example, a rule about the tone to use when sending emails, or how to handle a failed API call.

To manage links, open the plugin's detail page and use the link management section.

Settings

| Setting | Description | |---|---| | Name | Internal label for the plugin | | Plugin type | Email Service, Custom API, or Product Cards | | Handle | Auto-generated URL-safe identifier | | Enabled | Whether the agent can use this plugin | | When to use | Plain-language instruction for when the agent should activate the plugin | | Sidebar label | Label shown in the sidebar panel for this plugin | | Intro text | Short text shown at the top of the sidebar panel | | Config | Plugin-type-specific configuration as a JSON object | | Product links | Products associated with this plugin | | Rule links | Rules that activate when this plugin is triggered |

Manage Plugins

The Plugins list shows all plugins in your account. Use the search field at the top to filter by name. This is useful when you have multiple plugins of different types configured.

Edit a Plugin

Click on any plugin in the list to open its detail page. From there you can update the name, enabled status, when-to-use instruction, sidebar label, intro text, and config. You can also manage product and rule links.

Save your changes with the Save button. Changes apply immediately to the next conversation.

Delete a Plugin

Open the plugin's detail page and use the delete option. Deletion is permanent. All product and rule links associated with the plugin are removed as well.

For Product Cards plugins, deleting a plugin removes the card template entirely. Any conversations where the agent would have used that template will fall back to the next available template, or plain text if no other applies.

FAQ

Can I have more than one plugin of the same type? Yes. You can create multiple plugins of the same type with different configurations. A common pattern is multiple Product Cards plugins — one per product category or display context — each with its own layout and linked products.

What is the difference between a Tool and a Plugin? Tools are built-in agent capabilities that are always available to configure. Plugins are optional extensions — they add capabilities the agent does not have by default, such as sending email or connecting to external APIs. Both are configured similarly, but plugins require explicit activation.

Does the Custom API plugin support authentication? Yes. The plugin config accepts authentication details. Refer to the Custom API configuration reference for the specific authentication methods supported and how to structure the credentials in the config JSON.

If I deactivate a Product Cards plugin, how will products be shown? The agent falls back to a text-based description. If you have other Product Cards plugins active with overlapping product links, one of those templates may be used instead. Deactivating all Product Cards plugins results in products being described in plain text only.