How to Programmatically Control Call Recording State via Genesys Cloud API

What You Will Build

• You will build a Python service that intercepts an active conversation event and programmatically toggles the recording state (start/stop) for a specific conversation.
• This tutorial uses the Genesys Cloud PureCloud Platform Client V2 SDK and the REST API for POST /api/v2/conversations/conversation-id/recordings.
• The implementation is written in Python 3.9+ using the genesys-cloud-sdk package.

Prerequisites

• OAuth Client Type: Machine-to-Machine (M2M) OAuth 2.0 Client.
• Required Scopes:
  • conversation:recording:write (Critical for starting/stopping recordings)
  • conversation:read (To verify conversation state if needed)
  • webhook:write (If you are building a webhook listener to trigger this logic)
• SDK Version: genesys-cloud-sdk >= 1.1.0 (Python)
• Runtime: Python 3.9 or higher.
• External Dependencies:
  • pip install genesys-cloud-sdk
  • pip install python-dotenv (for secure credential management)

Authentication Setup

Genesys Cloud uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication. For server-side integrations that control recordings, the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) flow is the standard. This flow exchanges a Client ID and Client Secret for an Access Token.

The Genesys Cloud Python SDK handles token caching and refresh automatically when configured correctly. You must initialize the PlatformClient with your client credentials.

import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from purecloud_platform_client_v2 import PlatformClient, Configuration

# Load environment variables from .env file
load_dotenv()

def get_platform_client() -> PlatformClient:
    """
    Initializes and returns the Genesys Cloud Platform Client.
    Uses M2M OAuth flow with automatic token refresh.
    """
    config = Configuration()
    
    # Set the region base URL (e.g., us-east-1, eu-west-1)
    # Default is us-east-1, but explicit is better for production
    config.host = os.getenv("GENESYS_REGION", "https://api.mypurecloud.com")
    
    # Set M2M Credentials
    config.client_id = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLIENT_ID")
    config.client_secret = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLIENT_SECRET")
    
    # Initialize the platform client
    platform_client = PlatformClient(config)
    
    # Optional: Verify connection by fetching the current user info
    # This triggers the initial token fetch
    try:
        user_api = platform_client.UsersApi()
        # We do not actually need the user object, this just validates auth
        # user_api.get_user("me") 
    except Exception as e:
        raise ConnectionError(f"Failed to authenticate with Genesys Cloud: {e}")
        
    return platform_client

Security Note: Never hardcode CLIENT_ID or CLIENT_SECRET. Use environment variables or a secrets manager. The PlatformClient caches the access token and automatically requests a new one when the current one expires.

Implementation

Step 1: Understanding the Recording Control API

To start or stop a recording, you do not use a “toggle” endpoint. Instead, you send a POST request to the conversation’s recording endpoint with a specific action in the body.

Endpoint: POST /api/v2/conversations/{conversationId}/recordings

Required Scope: conversation:recording:write

The body of the request must contain an action field. The valid values are:

• start: Begins a new recording segment.
• stop: Stops the currently active recording.

If you attempt to start when already recording, Genesys Cloud will typically ignore the request or return a 409 Conflict depending on the conversation type. If you attempt to stop when not recording, it will return a 400 Bad Request.

Step 2: Constructing the API Call

We will create a helper function that accepts a conversation_id and an action (start or stop). This function will interact with the ConversationsApi.

from purecloud_platform_client_v2.rest import ApiException
from purecloud_platform_client_v2.models import RecordingControlRequest

def control_recording(
    platform_client: PlatformClient, 
    conversation_id: str, 
    action: str
) -> dict:
    """
    Starts or stops a recording for a specific conversation.
    
    Args:
        platform_client: The initialized PlatformClient instance.
        conversation_id: The UUID of the conversation.
        action: Either 'start' or 'stop'.
        
    Returns:
        A dictionary containing the status and message.
    """
    if action not in ["start", "stop"]:
        raise ValueError("Action must be either 'start' or 'stop'")

    conversations_api = platform_client.ConversationsApi()
    
    # Construct the request body
    # The SDK model RecordingControlRequest expects an 'action' field
    request_body = RecordingControlRequest(action=action)
    
    try:
        # Execute the API call
        # Note: The SDK method is post_conversations_conversation_id_recordings
        response = conversations_api.post_conversations_conversation_id_recordings(
            conversation_id=conversation_id,
            body=request_body
        )
        
        return {
            "status": "success",
            "message": f"Recording action '{action}' executed successfully.",
            "response": response
        }
        
    except ApiException as e:
        # Handle specific HTTP errors
        if e.status == 401:
            return {"status": "error", "message": "Unauthorized. Check OAuth token."}
        elif e.status == 403:
            return {"status": "error", "message": "Forbidden. Missing 'conversation:recording:write' scope."}
        elif e.status == 404:
            return {"status": "error", "message": f"Conversation {conversation_id} not found."}
        elif e.status == 400:
            # Common if trying to stop when not recording
            return {"status": "error", "message": f"Bad Request. {e.body}"}
        elif e.status == 409:
            # Common if trying to start when already recording
            return {"status": "error", "message": f"Conflict. {e.body}"}
        else:
            return {"status": "error", "message": f"Unexpected Error: {e.reason}"}

Step 3: Integrating with Event Streams (The Trigger)

A static script is rarely useful for recording control. Usually, you want to start/stop recording based on external logic (e.g., a compliance flag in a CRM, or a keyword detected in speech). The standard way to trigger this is via a Webhook or Event Stream.

Below is a simplified Flask webhook endpoint that receives a payload from Genesys Cloud (or an external system) and triggers the recording control.

from flask import Flask, request, jsonify
import uuid

app = Flask(__name__)

# Initialize client once at startup
pc = get_platform_client()

@app.route('/webhook/recording-control', methods=['POST'])
def recording_webhook():
    """
    Receives a POST request to control recording.
    Expected JSON Body:
    {
        "conversation_id": "uuid-string",
        "action": "start" | "stop"
    }
    """
    data = request.get_json()
    
    if not data:
        return jsonify({"error": "No JSON data provided"}), 400
        
    conversation_id = data.get('conversation_id')
    action = data.get('action')
    
    if not conversation_id or not action:
        return jsonify({"error": "Missing conversation_id or action"}), 400
        
    # Call the control function
    result = control_recording(pc, conversation_id, action)
    
    # Genesys Cloud webhooks expect a 200 OK to stop retrying
    status_code = 200 if result['status'] == 'success' else 200 # Even on error, acknowledge receipt
    
    return jsonify(result), status_code

if __name__ == '__main__':
    # Run on port 5000 for local testing
    app.run(port=5000)

Complete Working Example

This is a standalone Python script that demonstrates the full flow: authentication, defining the control logic, and executing a test command. You can run this to test against a specific conversation ID.

File: recording_controller.py

import os
import sys
import time
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from purecloud_platform_client_v2 import PlatformClient, Configuration
from purecloud_platform_client_v2.rest import ApiException
from purecloud_platform_client_v2.models import RecordingControlRequest

def load_config():
    """Loads environment variables and returns Configuration object."""
    load_dotenv()
    config = Configuration()
    config.host = os.getenv("GENESYS_REGION", "https://api.mypurecloud.com")
    config.client_id = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLIENT_ID")
    config.client_secret = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLIENT_SECRET")
    return config

def get_platform_client(config: Configuration) -> PlatformClient:
    """Initializes the PlatformClient."""
    platform_client = PlatformClient(config)
    return platform_client

def toggle_recording(
    platform_client: PlatformClient, 
    conversation_id: str, 
    action: str
) -> None:
    """
    Executes the start/stop recording command.
    """
    if action not in ["start", "stop"]:
        print(f"Error: Invalid action '{action}'. Must be 'start' or 'stop'.")
        return

    conversations_api = platform_client.ConversationsApi()
    request_body = RecordingControlRequest(action=action)

    try:
        print(f"Attempting to {action} recording for conversation: {conversation_id}")
        
        response = conversations_api.post_conversations_conversation_id_recordings(
            conversation_id=conversation_id,
            body=request_body
        )
        
        print(f"Success: Recording {action}ed.")
        print(f"Response ID: {response.id if hasattr(response, 'id') else 'N/A'}")
        
    except ApiException as e:
        print(f"API Error: {e.status} - {e.reason}")
        if e.body:
            print(f"Body: {e.body}")
            
def main():
    # 1. Setup
    if not os.getenv("GENESYS_CLIENT_ID") or not os.getenv("GENESYS_CLIENT_SECRET"):
        print("Error: GENESYS_CLIENT_ID and GENESYS_CLIENT_SECRET must be set in .env")
        sys.exit(1)
        
    conversation_id = os.getenv("TEST_CONVERSATION_ID")
    if not conversation_id:
        print("Error: TEST_CONVERSATION_ID must be set in .env")
        sys.exit(1)
        
    action = os.getenv("TEST_ACTION", "start") # Default to start if not set

    config = load_config()
    pc = get_platform_client(config)

    # 2. Execute
    toggle_recording(pc, conversation_id, action)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

File: .env

GENESYS_REGION=https://api.mypurecloud.com
GENESYS_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id_here
GENESYS_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret_here
TEST_CONVERSATION_ID=uuid-of-active-call
TEST_ACTION=start

How to Run:

1. Save both files in the same directory.
2. Install dependencies: pip install genesys-cloud-sdk python-dotenv.
3. Edit the .env file with your credentials and an active conversation ID.
4. Run: python recording_controller.py.

Common Errors & Debugging

Error: 403 Forbidden - Missing Scope

Cause: The OAuth client used to generate the token does not have the conversation:recording:write scope.

Fix:

1. Go to the Genesys Cloud Admin UI.
2. Navigate to Setup > Security > OAuth clients.
3. Select your client.
4. Click the Scopes tab.
5. Add conversation:recording:write.
6. Save. Note: You may need to revoke existing tokens or wait for the next refresh for the new scope to take effect.

Error: 400 Bad Request - “Recording not active”

Cause: You attempted to send action: "stop" on a conversation that is not currently recording.

Fix:
Before stopping, you should ideally check the conversation state. You can fetch the conversation details using GET /api/v2/conversations/{conversationId}. Look at the recordings array in the response. If it is empty or contains only completed segments, do not send the stop command.

# Check current recording state before stopping
def is_recording_active(platform_client: PlatformClient, conversation_id: str) -> bool:
    conversations_api = platform_client.ConversationsApi()
    try:
        conv = conversations_api.get_conversation(conversation_id=conversation_id)
        if conv.recordings:
            for rec in conv.recordings:
                if rec.state == "active":
                    return True
        return False
    except ApiException:
        return False

Error: 429 Too Many Requests

Cause: You are sending recording control requests too frequently. Genesys Cloud enforces rate limits on API calls.

Fix:
Implement exponential backoff. The Python SDK does not automatically retry 429s for all operations, so you must handle it manually or use a library like tenacity.

import time

def retry_on_429(func, *args, max_retries=3, **kwargs):
    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        try:
            return func(*args, **kwargs)
        except ApiException as e:
            if e.status == 429:
                wait_time = 2 ** attempt
                print(f"Rate limited. Retrying in {wait_time} seconds...")
                time.sleep(wait_time)
            else:
                raise
    raise Exception("Max retries exceeded for 429")

Error: 409 Conflict - “Recording already active”

Cause: You attempted to send action: "start" on a conversation that is already recording.

Fix:
Similar to the 400 error, check the state first. If a recording is already active, your logic should decide whether to ignore the request, log a warning, or take alternative action. Do not spam the API with start requests.

Official References

• Genesys Cloud Conversations API Documentation
• Recording Control Endpoint Reference
• Python SDK Documentation
• OAuth 2.0 M2M Flow Guide