PATCH /api/v2/conversations/calls/participants not updating attributes for WEM reporting

NICE CXone API & Integrations
1

Hey folks,

I’m seeing a really weird behavior with the Conversations API. I have a Python script that runs every 5 minutes to update custom participant attributes for agents currently on a call. The goal is to flag them as “Break” or “Meeting” so our WEM adherence reports show the correct status instead of just “On Call.” The API call returns a 200 OK, but the attribute never actually sticks in the Genesys Cloud UI or the WEM dashboard. It’s like the update is ignored silently.

Here’s the setup I’m working with:

  • Python 3.9 with the latest genesyscloud SDK
  • Using patch_conversations_call_participant method
  • Endpoint: /api/v2/conversations/calls/{conversationId}/participants/{participantId}
  • Payload includes attributes dict with a custom key wfm_status
  • I’m using a valid OAuth token with admin and wfm scopes

The code looks like this:

from genesyscloud.conversations import ConversationsApi

conversations_api = ConversationsApi(configuration)

# Conversation ID and Participant ID are fetched separately
conversation_id = "c-12345678-abcd-1234-abcd-1234567890ab"
participant_id = "p-87654321-dcba-4321-dcba-0987654321fe"

# The attribute I'm trying to set
body = {
 "attributes": {
 "wfm_status": "Break"
 }
}

try:
 api_response = conversations_api.patch_conversations_call_participant(
 conversation_id=conversation_id,
 participant_id=participant_id,
 body=body
 )
 print(f"Response status: {api_response.status_code}")
 print(f"Response body: {api_response.body}")
except Exception as e:
 print(f"Error: {e}")

The response is 200 OK and the body looks correct, but when I check the conversation in the Genesys Cloud UI, the wfm_status attribute is still blank or unchanged. I’ve verified that the attribute definition exists in the system and that I’m using the right case. I’ve also tried using the raw HTTP PATCH request via requests library with the same result. No errors, no warnings, just a silent failure to update.

I’m not sure if I’m missing a required field or if there’s a delay in propagation. I’ve waited up to 10 minutes and checked multiple times. Is there a specific format for the attributes dict that I’m missing? Or maybe a permission issue that doesn’t throw an error? I’ve checked the scope and it includes wfm:read and wfm:write. Any help would be appreciated.

2

You’re likely hitting the immutable participant state for active calls. The REST API returns 200 to acknowledge receipt, but the routing engine won’t accept custom attribute updates on a live participant record because it breaks the integrity of the adherence calculation. You can’t just PATCH a running call participant to change their WEM status.

Instead, you need to update the agent’s presence via the Presence API or use the Workforce Management API directly. For WEM, the cleanest path is updating the agent’s scheduled adherence or using the PUT /api/v2/wfm/users/{userId}/adherence endpoint if you’re trying to force a status change for reporting. If you just want to tag the call for analytics, stick to the conversation level, not the participant level.

# Don't do this for active participants
# patch_body = {"customAttributes": {"wemStatus": "Break"}}
# platformClient.conversations_api.patch_conversations_calls_participants(call_id, part_id, patch_body)

# Do this instead if updating presence/status
# platformClient.presence_api.update_presence(user_id, {"state": "Break"})

The UI reflects presence, not conversation attributes, for real-time adherence.