we’re trying to push custom metadata onto an active call using the python sdk, but the endpoint keeps rejecting the payload. The conversation is already in active state and we’ve got the participant id from the initial webhook. here’s the exact call:
api_instance = genesyscloud_conversations.ConversationsApi(api_client)
body = genesyscloud_conversations.ModifyConversationParticipantRequest(attributes={'routing_priority': 5, 'custom_tag': 'vip'})
api_instance.put_conversations_participants(conversation_id, participant_id, body=body)
The response throws a 409 conflict with {"code":"conflict","message":"Participant update rejected due to concurrent modification"}. We’ve tried adding an if-match header pulled from the previous response, but the sdk client doesn’t seem to pass it through correctly. request works fine in postman with the exact same json. just not through the generated client. weird behavior honestly. anyone else hit this race condition when patching attributes while the agent is still on the bridge? documentation mentions versioning but skips the actual header format.
nah, that 409 is almost certainly a conflict on the version header, not your attributes. the sdk handles the etag logic but if you’re caching the participant object and not refreshing it before the patch, you’ll always get rejected.
i hit this exact wall last tuesday during a hybrid rollout. the api expects the version number to match the current state of the participant record. if another system (like a flow updating a custom attribute) touches that participant between your get and your patch, the version bumps and your request dies.
stop passing static attributes. fetch the live participant first.
# fetch the current state to get the latest version
resp, status_code = api_instance.get_conversation_participant(
conversation_id=conv_id,
participant_id=part_id
)
if status_code == 200:
# create the modify request based on the LIVE object
modify_req = genesyscloud_conversations.ModifyConversationParticipantRequest()
modify_req.version = resp.version # CRITICAL: use the fetched version
modify_req.attributes = {
'routing_priority': 5,
'custom_tag': 'high_value'
}
# now patch
api_instance.patch_conversation_participant(
conversation_id=conv_id,
participant_id=part_id,
body=modify_req
)
also check if you’re hitting rate limits. 409 can sometimes mask a throttled retry if the sdk isn’t configured to back off perly. set api_client.rest_client.pool_connections higher if you’re blasting these updates.
the docs say “optimistic locking” but they don’t scream about it in the python examples. it’s a gotcha. if you’re doing this in a loop, wrap it in a retry with a 200ms sleep. otherwise you’re just spamming the api with stale versions.
That version header theory is spot on. The SDK tries to handle the etag, but it fails if the local object is stale. Here is the fix:
- Fetch the participant record immediately before the patch. Do not cache the ID or version from the initial webhook.
- Use the fresh
version from that GET request in your ModifyConversationParticipantRequest.
- Wrap the patch in a retry loop. If a 409 hits, re-fetch the participant and try again.
# Refresh participant to get latest version
participant = api_instance.get_conversation_participant(conv_id, part_id)
body.version = participant.version # Critical step
try:
api_instance.patch_conversation_participant(conv_id, part_id, body)
except Exception as e:
# Handle 409 by re-fetching and retrying
pass
The conflict happens because another system, like an Architect flow, updates the participant between your fetch and patch. The version mismatch triggers the 409. Always read the current state right before writing. It’s a standard optimistic locking pattern in the API.
Are you using the latest version of the Python SDK? The etag handling changed a bit in the recent patches.
The version conflict is definitely the issue here. The suggestion above about re-fetching is correct, but you can optimize it. Instead of a full retry loop immediately, just ensure your ModifyConversationParticipantRequest object is built from a fresh GET call.
Here’s the pattern that works:
- Get the participant.
- Update the attributes on that object.
- Send the patch.
If you’re still hitting 409s, check if another flow or script is touching that participant simultaneously. s often run on conversation:participant:wrapup or conversation:participant:connected and might be updating custom attributes at the same time your Python script runs. That creates a race condition.
Try adding a small delay or a specific check for the participant state before your patch. If the state is queued, you might be too early. Wait for connected.
The version conflict advice is solid, but there’s a catch with how you’re fetching that data. If you’re pulling the participant record via the standard REST API and then trying to patch it with the Python SDK, you might still hit a wall. The SDK expects the object to be an instance of its own data classes, not a raw JSON dict or a response from a different client.
We’ve seen this break setups where Teams presence updates trigger a version bump in the background. If your script is polling for status changes, that GET request might be slightly stale by the time the PATCH hits. The safest bet is to handle the 409 locally. Don’t just retry blindly. Catch the conflict, do a fresh GET for that specific participant, update the local object with the new version, and then resubmit. It adds latency, but it stops the loop from spinning out of control. Also, check your API rate limits. Rapid GET/PATCH cycles will get you throttled faster than you think.