Launching Architect Flows Programmatically via Genesys Cloud API

What You Will Build

• You will build a Python script that initiates a specific Genesys Cloud Architect flow execution from an external application using the REST API.
• This tutorial utilizes the POST /api/v2/flows/executions endpoint to trigger a flow with custom data payloads.
• The implementation covers Python 3.9+ using the requests library and the official Genesys Cloud Python SDK.

Prerequisites

• OAuth Client Type: Machine-to-Machine (M2M) client or Resource Owner Password Credentials (ROPC) flow. M2M is recommended for server-side integrations.
• Required Scopes:
  • flow:execution:write (Required to create executions)
  • flow:execution:read (Optional, if you need to verify the execution status immediately after creation)
• SDK Version: genesyscloud Python SDK v1.0+ (or direct REST API calls).
• Runtime: Python 3.9 or higher.
• Dependencies:
  • requests (for REST API examples)
  • genesyscloud (for SDK examples)
  • python-dotenv (for secure credential management)

Install dependencies:

pip install requests python-dotenv

Authentication Setup

Genesys Cloud APIs require OAuth 2.0 Bearer tokens. For server-to-server interactions, the Client Credentials flow is the standard approach. You must obtain a token before making any API calls.

Step 1: Obtain an OAuth Token

The following Python code demonstrates how to retrieve a valid access token using your Client ID and Client Secret.

import requests
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv

# Load environment variables
load_dotenv()

CLIENT_ID = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLIENT_ID")
CLIENT_SECRET = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLIENT_SECRET")
ENVIRONMENT = os.getenv("GENESYS_ENVIRONMENT", "mypurecloud.com")

def get_access_token() -> str:
    """
    Retrieves an OAuth 2.0 access token from Genesys Cloud.
    
    Returns:
        str: The access token.
    """
    if not CLIENT_ID or not CLIENT_SECRET:
        raise ValueError("GENESYS_CLIENT_ID and GENESYS_CLIENT_SECRET must be set in environment variables.")

    url = f"https://{ENVIRONMENT}/oauth/token"
    
    headers = {
        "Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded",
        "Authorization": f"Basic {__encode_basic_auth()}"
    }
    
    payload = {
        "grant_type": "client_credentials"
    }

    try:
        response = requests.post(url, data=payload, headers=headers)
        response.raise_for_status()
        token_data = response.json()
        return token_data["access_token"]
    except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
        print(f"Authentication failed: {e.response.status_code} - {e.response.text}")
        raise

def __encode_basic_auth() -> str:
    """Encodes Client ID and Secret for Basic Auth header."""
    import base64
    credentials = f"{CLIENT_ID}:{CLIENT_SECRET}"
    return base64.b64encode(credentials.encode("utf-8")).decode("utf-8")

# Usage
token = get_access_token()
print(f"Token acquired: {token[:10]}...")

Note on Token Caching: In production, do not request a new token for every execution. Access tokens are valid for one hour. Implement a caching mechanism to reuse the token until it expires, then refresh it.

Implementation

Step 2: Construct the Execution Payload

The POST /api/v2/flows/executions endpoint accepts a JSON body defining the flow to execute and the input data. The critical fields are:

• flowId: The UUID of the Architect flow you wish to trigger.
• data: A JSON object containing the input variables defined in your Architect flow.
• type: Usually "execution" for standard flow triggers.

If your Architect flow defines input variables (e.g., customerName, orderId), they must be present in the data object. Missing required variables will cause the flow to fail or default to null values, depending on your flow configuration.

Step 3: Execute the Flow via REST API

This section demonstrates the raw HTTP request to launch the flow.

import json

def trigger_flow_rest(flow_id: str, input_data: dict, access_token: str) -> dict:
    """
    Triggers a Genesys Cloud Architect flow using the REST API.

    Args:
        flow_id (str): The UUID of the flow.
        input_data (dict): The input variables for the flow.
        access_token (str): The OAuth 2.0 access token.

    Returns:
        dict: The response from the API containing the execution ID.
    """
    url = f"https://{ENVIRONMENT}/api/v2/flows/executions"
    
    headers = {
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {access_token}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json"
    }

    # The payload structure required by the API
    payload = {
        "flowId": flow_id,
        "type": "execution",
        "data": input_data
    }

    try:
        response = requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=headers)
        
        # Handle 429 Too Many Requests
        if response.status_code == 429:
            retry_after = response.headers.get("Retry-After", 1)
            print(f"Rate limited. Retry after {retry_after} seconds.")
            raise Exception("Rate limited. Implement retry logic.")
        
        response.raise_for_status()
        return response.json()
    
    except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
        print(f"Flow execution failed: {e.response.status_code}")
        print(f"Response: {e.response.text}")
        raise

# Example Usage
FLOW_UUID = "your-flow-uuid-here"
INPUT_VARS = {
    "customerName": "John Doe",
    "orderId": "ORD-12345",
    "priority": "high"
}

result = trigger_flow_rest(FLOW_UUID, INPUT_VARS, token)
print(f"Execution initiated: {result}")

Expected Response:
The API returns a 201 Created status with a JSON body containing the executionId.

{
  "id": "exec-uuid-12345",
  "flowId": "your-flow-uuid-here",
  "type": "execution",
  "status": "running",
  "startedAt": "2023-10-27T10:00:00.000Z",
  "data": {
    "customerName": "John Doe",
    "orderId": "ORD-12345",
    "priority": "high"
  }
}

Step 4: Execute the Flow via Python SDK

Using the official SDK simplifies error handling and type safety. Ensure you have initialized the PureCloudPlatformClientV2.

from genesyscloud.platform.client import PureCloudPlatformClientV2
from genesyscloud.flows.models import FlowExecutionRequest

def trigger_flow_sdk(flow_id: str, input_data: dict, client: PureCloudPlatformClientV2) -> dict:
    """
    Triggers a Genesys Cloud Architect flow using the Python SDK.

    Args:
        flow_id (str): The UUID of the flow.
        input_data (dict): The input variables for the flow.
        client (PureCloudPlatformClientV2): The initialized Genesys Cloud client.

    Returns:
        dict: The response from the API containing the execution ID.
    """
    try:
        # Construct the request body
        request_body = FlowExecutionRequest(
            flow_id=flow_id,
            type="execution",
            data=input_data
        )

        # Execute the flow
        response = client.flows.post_flow_executions(body=request_body)
        
        # The response object contains the execution details
        return {
            "id": response.id,
            "status": response.status,
            "flow_id": response.flow_id
        }
    
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"SDK Error: {str(e)}")
        raise

# Initialize Client
def init_genesis_client(access_token: str) -> PureCloudPlatformClientV2:
    """Initializes the Genesys Cloud client with the provided token."""
    client = PureCloudPlatformClientV2()
    client.set_access_token(access_token)
    return client

# Usage
sdk_client = init_genesis_client(token)
sdk_result = trigger_flow_sdk(FLOW_UUID, INPUT_VARS, sdk_client)
print(f"SDK Execution initiated: {sdk_result}")

Complete Working Example

This script combines authentication, payload construction, and flow execution into a single runnable module. It includes basic error handling and logging.

import os
import requests
import json
from dotenv import load_dotenv

# Load environment variables
load_dotenv()

# Configuration
CLIENT_ID = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLIENT_ID")
CLIENT_SECRET = os.getenv("GENESYS_CLIENT_SECRET")
ENVIRONMENT = os.getenv("GENESYS_ENVIRONMENT", "mypurecloud.com")
FLOW_UUID = os.getenv("GENESYS_FLOW_UUID")

class GenesysFlowTrigger:
    def __init__(self):
        self.access_token = None
        self.base_url = f"https://{ENVIRONMENT}"

    def get_access_token(self) -> str:
        """Retrieves an OAuth 2.0 access token."""
        if self.access_token:
            return self.access_token

        url = f"{self.base_url}/oauth/token"
        headers = {
            "Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded",
            "Authorization": f"Basic {self.__encode_basic_auth()}"
        }
        payload = {"grant_type": "client_credentials"}

        try:
            response = requests.post(url, data=payload, headers=headers)
            response.raise_for_status()
            self.access_token = response.json()["access_token"]
            return self.access_token
        except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
            raise Exception(f"Authentication failed: {e.response.text}")

    def __encode_basic_auth(self) -> str:
        import base64
        credentials = f"{CLIENT_ID}:{CLIENT_SECRET}"
        return base64.b64encode(credentials.encode("utf-8")).decode("utf-8")

    def trigger_flow(self, flow_id: str, input_data: dict) -> dict:
        """Triggers an Architect flow."""
        token = self.get_access_token()
        url = f"{self.base_url}/api/v2/flows/executions"
        
        headers = {
            "Authorization": f"Bearer {token}",
            "Content-Type": "application/json"
        }

        payload = {
            "flowId": flow_id,
            "type": "execution",
            "data": input_data
        }

        try:
            response = requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=headers)
            
            if response.status_code == 429:
                retry_after = int(response.headers.get("Retry-After", 1))
                raise Exception(f"Rate limited. Wait {retry_after} seconds.")
            
            response.raise_for_status()
            return response.json()
        
        except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
            raise Exception(f"Flow execution failed: {e.response.status_code} - {e.response.text}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    if not FLOW_UUID:
        raise ValueError("GENESYS_FLOW_UUID must be set in environment variables.")

    trigger = GenesysFlowTrigger()
    
    # Define input data for the flow
    flow_inputs = {
        "customerName": "Jane Smith",
        "orderId": "ORD-99999",
        "channel": "web"
    }

    try:
        result = trigger.trigger_flow(FLOW_UUID, flow_inputs)
        print("Flow Execution Successful:")
        print(json.dumps(result, indent=2))
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: {e}")

Common Errors & Debugging

Error: 401 Unauthorized

• Cause: The access token is invalid, expired, or missing.
• Fix: Verify that your Client ID and Client Secret are correct. Ensure the token was retrieved recently. Check that the Authorization header is formatted as Bearer <token>.

Error: 403 Forbidden

• Cause: The OAuth client lacks the required scope flow:execution:write.
• Fix: Log in to the Genesys Cloud Admin Console. Navigate to Admin > Security > OAuth Clients. Edit your client and add the flow:execution:write scope. Save and regenerate the token.

Error: 404 Not Found

• Cause: The flowId provided does not exist or is not accessible to the client.
• Fix: Verify the Flow UUID in the Architect UI. Ensure the flow is published. Unpublished flows cannot be executed via API.

Error: 400 Bad Request

• Cause: The JSON payload is malformed or missing required fields.
• Fix: Ensure the flowId is a valid UUID string. Ensure the data object is a valid JSON object. Check that required input variables in the Architect flow are present in the data payload.

Error: 429 Too Many Requests

• Cause: You have exceeded the API rate limits.
• Fix: Implement exponential backoff and retry logic. Respect the Retry-After header in the response.

Official References

• Genesys Cloud Flows API Documentation
• Python SDK Documentation
• OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials Flow