Function maintenance

Update, debug, and optimize your agent functions.

Update function code, debug errors, rotate credentials, and optimize performance.

Quick reference

I need to…	Action
Update function code	Edit in Function Editor → Save → Test in Agent Chat
Debug a function error	Analytics > Conversations → Diagnosis → check logs
Update API credentials	Workspace homepage > Secrets tab → Edit → Save
Add logging	Use conv.log.info() in code
Fix function not triggering	Review KB action or rules → clarify description
Update API integration	Configure > APIs → edit endpoint

Updating function code

1. Go to Build > Tools and select the function
2. Edit the Python code in the Function Editor
3. Save, then test in Agent Chat
4. Review logs in Conversation Review → Diagnosis
5. Publish when satisfied

Always test function changes in Sandbox before promoting to Live.

Example: updating an API endpoint

def book_reservation(date, time, party_size, special_requests=None):
    conv.log.info(f"Booking for {party_size} guests on {date} at {time}")

    response = requests.post(
        "https://api.example.com/v2/bookings",
        json={"date": date, "time": time, "guests": party_size,
              "special_requests": special_requests or ""},
        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {conv.utils.get_secret('booking_api_key')}"}
    )

    if response.status_code == 200:
        conv.log.info("Booking successful")
        return {"utterance": "Your reservation is confirmed."}
    else:
        conv.log.error(f"Booking failed: {response.text}")
        return {"utterance": "I'm having trouble completing your reservation. Let me transfer you to someone who can help."}

Debugging

Using conv.log

conv.log.info("Starting payment processing")       # general flow
conv.log.warning("Customer account has low balance") # potential issues
conv.log.error(f"Payment API returned: {error}")     # failures
conv.log.info("Processing order", pii=True)          # sensitive data

Logs appear in Conversation Review → Diagnosis, Agent Chat (during testing), and the Conversations API.

Common debugging steps

1. Review Diagnosis logs for the failing function
2. Reproduce the issue in Agent Chat
3. Check function inputs — are parameters being passed correctly?
4. Validate external APIs directly (Postman, curl)
5. Review the function description — is it clear when the function should trigger?

Common errors

Error	Likely cause	Fix
Function not triggering	Unclear description or KB action	Simplify description; clarify when to call it
Wrong parameters	LLM misunderstanding	Improve parameter names and descriptions
Timeout	Slow API or complex logic	Add delay controls; optimize code
Auth failures	Expired credentials	Update secrets
Import errors	Missing library	Check available libraries

Managing secrets

When API keys or credentials change:

1. Go to the Secrets tab on the workspace homepage
2. Find and edit the secret
3. Save, then test all functions using it

api_key = conv.utils.get_secret("my_api_key")
headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}"}

• Rotate credentials every 90 days
• Use descriptive names (stripe_live_api_key, not key1)
• Test all dependent functions after rotation

Managing API integrations

Configure per-environment endpoints in Configure > APIs:

• Sandbox — test/staging endpoints
• Pre-release — UAT endpoints
• Live — production endpoints

This ensures you don’t call production APIs during testing.

Optimizing performance

If functions are slow:

1. Add delay controls with filler phrases (“Let me check that for you.”)
2. Cache frequently-accessed data
3. Reduce unnecessary API calls
4. Simplify logic and remove unnecessary processing

You can reference state variables in delay responses using $. For example: Still checking availability at $branch_name...

Improving function triggering

If the agent isn’t calling your function when expected:

1. Simplify the description — make it clear when to call the function
2. Update KB actions — ensure topics reference the function correctly
3. Check for conflicts — ensure other functions aren’t being called instead

Bad description: “Handles reservations”

Good description: “Call this function when the user wants to book a table. Required: date, time, party_size. Only call after confirming all three with the user.”

Related pages

• Functions overview — function capabilities
• Secrets — credential management
• conv.log reference — structured logging
• Delay controls — managing latency
• Test sets — automated regression testing to verify function changes
• Alerts API — automated alerts for function errors, latency, and API failures