Why does this config cause the API to reject the request? I am attempting to send a proactive notification to a customer who had a web messaging session earlier today by reusing their previous webChatSessionId in the guest API payload. The endpoint returns a 403 Forbidden error, suggesting the session is no longer valid for outbound initiation.
let payload = json!({
"webChatSessionId": "prev-session-uuid",
"text": "Welcome back"
});
let res = client.post("/api/v2/conversations/messaging/external/guests/sendmessage")
.json(&payload)
.send().await?;
Is there a specific TTL for these session IDs that forces me to create a new session, or is there a different endpoint I should be using to resume an existing context?
Web chat sessions are ephemeral. You cannot reuse an expired webChatSessionId for proactive messaging. The platform requires a fresh session context to establish the outbound connection. You must first create a new session via the guest API, then use that valid webChatSessionId for your proactive message payload.
I’d suggest checking out at the session lifecycle. The previous answer is correct. Sessions are ephemeral. Reusing an old ID fails. Create a new session first.
POST /api/v2/conversations/webchat/sessions
Capture the new webChatSessionId. Use it for the message. Do not cache session IDs. They expire.
Check your payload structure before hitting the endpoint. The webChatSessionId must come from a fresh POST /api/v2/conversations/webchat/sessions call, not a cached value.
sessions are strictly ephemeral. if you are seeing 403s, it is not just because the id is old. it is because the platform invalidates the token immediately after the first successful handshake or after a short idle timeout. caching these ids in your database or memory is a race condition waiting to happen. you are trying to inject a stale context into a secure channel.
in my serverless architectures, i never store these ids. i generate them on-demand via an event-driven pattern. here is how i handle it in node.js using the platform client to ensure the session is valid at the exact moment of invocation:
const { ConversationsApi } = require('@genesyscloud/conv');
async function getFreshSessionId() {
const conversationsClient = new ConversationsApi();
// Create a fresh session. This returns a valid webChatSessionId
const sessionResponse = await conversationsClient.postConversationsWebchatSessions({
body: {
"guest": {
"name": "Proactive Guest",
"email": "[email protected]"
}
}
});
return sessionResponse.result.webChatSessionId;
}
// Usage in your lambda handler
const newSessionId = await getFreshSessionId();
// Immediately use newSessionId in your outbound message payload
the key is the timing. the gap between creation and usage must be milliseconds. if you are using eventbridge to trigger this, ensure your step function or lambda creates the session right before sending the message. do not decouple these steps. if you decouple them, the session expires. also, check your integration settings. some proactive triggers require specific scopes like webchat:session:write. ensure your service account has these. reusing old ids is a security risk anyway. always generate fresh.