How to pass a pseudo-unique id to an OpenAPI tool

Google Cloud Build with AI Conversational Agents (Dialogflow CX)
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I need to pass some unique id to an OpenAPI tool with each request. A uuid, random int/long, or even the current timestamp/epoch long would work. I’m referring to the doc below which indicates how to pass the dialogflow session id, from the request params, or from the request payload headers? (this is confusing though - not sure what it means).

But I don’t think any of those places would have anything suitable. And I also see the OpenAPI 3 standard doesn’t support functions or generated default values.

I’m hoping i can use some function or property from dialogflow for this, is that exposed? any other ideas?

https://cloud.google.com/dialogflow/vertex/docs/concept/tools

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Hi @maristimpact,

Welcome to Google Cloud Community!

While the documentation provides valuable information about using session parameters and request headers, it doesn’t explicitly address the specific need for generating a unique ID within an OpenAPI tool directly from Dialogflow. This presents an opportunity to explore creative solutions and leverage the flexibility of Dialogflow and your OpenAPI tool to achieve this goal.

Here are some ways to approach this problem:

  1. Generate a unique ID within the OpenAPI tool:
  • Server-side logic: If your OpenAPI tool has a backend, you can implement a function to generate a unique ID (UUID, timestamp, etc.) on each request. This ID would be used for internal tracking within your tool.
  • Client-side logic: If your OpenAPI tool is purely client-side (e.g., a Javascript tool), you can generate the unique ID using client-side code and pass it as a parameter or header to your Dialogflow agent.
  1. Leverage Dialogflow’s webhook capabilities:
  • Webhook with custom logic: You can create a webhook for your Dialogflow agent and include logic to generate a unique ID in the webhook response. This ID can then be passed to your OpenAPI tool as part of the response payload.
  • Webhook for data extraction: Use a webhook to fetch data from your OpenAPI tool and pass the unique ID received from the tool back to your agent for use in subsequent interactions.
  1. Use a combination of approaches:
  • Dialogflow session parameters: If you already have a mechanism for storing information in session parameters, you can use it to store a unique ID generated within Dialogflow or through a webhook. This ID can then be accessed by your OpenAPI tool.
  • Request headers: While the documentation doesn’t explicitly support dynamic header values, you could try experimenting with generating a unique ID in your Dialogflow agent and setting it as a custom header in the request sent to your OpenAPI tool.

Important Considerations:

  • Security: If the unique ID is sensitive, ensure you’re handling it securely, especially if it’s being passed through your webhook or client-side code.
  • Scalability: Choose a method that can handle the expected volume of requests and ensure the unique ID generation mechanism is reliable.

I hope the above information is helpful.

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Thanks Ruthseki, yeah we ended up creating the id in the client, which is not ideal as it’s not its concern but it will do.

I do like your suggestion of using a webhook, but hey, how then do I specify an element from the webhook response in the agent tool’s OpenAPI schema?