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Custom actions and objects FAQs

Support and information for common questions around using custom actions and custom objects.

Beth-Ann Sher avatar
Written by Beth-Ann Sher
Updated over a month ago

How do I know if custom actions or custom objects are available to me?

Check our plans and pricing to expand the records and objects available. 15 custom objects and 100K records are available on all plans at no additional cost currently.

Will testing a custom action affect my data?

Yes, if you use the POST, PUT, or DELETE methods when testing a custom action it will perform those actions on your data. So, testing a DELETE call on a user will actually delete them.

Does data returned from an external system need to be stored in Intercom?

Storing data is optional, but if you want to use external data returned from a custom action in a Workflow or the inbox, it needs to be stored as custom data attributes on standard objects or custom objects in Intercom. Learn more about custom actions security and best practices here.

Common scenarios where you might not need to store data are “action” request types PUT, POST, DELETE. For all GET requests, if you want to use the data in Intercom, you’ll need to store the data in Intercom.

Where is custom object data stored?

Custom object data is stored in Intercom.

Is it possible to update a custom object attribute?

You can only edit and update the description of a custom object and its attributes. If you need to change anything else, you’ll need to archive it and create a new one.

Is a customer able to take actions on data in a Workflow (i.e. cancel specific items in an order)?

Yes, customers can take actions on data in a Workflow if you have set up the APIs that allow them to take that action.

Is a customer able to take actions on data in a conversation with Fin (i.e. cancel specific items in an order)?

No, not yet. Currently Fin only retrieves information from external systems. Learn more.

Can I create multiple custom objects from one custom action call?

Nested objects are not currently supported. This means that if, for example, the API is returning a list of orders as objects - you will first need to pull those orders in to identify the right order - and then, once you have the order ID, you can pull the items related to that order. With this, there would be a People-Order reference and a People-Item reference. Learn more about references here.

How do I store the token for custom actions?

Tokens are stored as part of the header configuration in our database. These values are encrypted at rest. Find documentation on security at Intercom.

Is there a retry mechanism for custom actions?

No, this is not supported explicitly with custom actions. Instead, the triggering is controlled by the workflow to ensure that teammates and customers get timely responses.

Can I branch based on error codes returned from the API i.e 4xx, 5xx?

Reusing API error codes in subsequent bot flow is not currently supported. The bot flow has split paths by successful/unsuccessful custom action triggers. However, depending on the API, you could store API responses for subsequent bot workflows for branching. So if the API response JSON has an attribute that has response details like “status”, you could store that response status as a Conversation CDA and use it in bots for branching.

What authentication methods are available for custom actions?

Custom actions support both fixed and dynamic tokens for authentication. You can set up and manage your authentication tokens that you want to use in the request, which can then be added to the header.

How can I measure the effectiveness of custom actions?

To understand the impact of custom actions and objects in Workflows and Fin you can use existing methods:


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