Programmatically injecting custom metadata tags into Genesys Cloud call recordings using the Media API and a Python script triggered by interaction.completed events

What You Will Build

• A Python script that listens for interaction.completed events, extracts the associated recording identifier, and applies custom metadata and tags to the recording via the Media API.
• This solution uses the Genesys Cloud Event Streams API for event ingestion and the Media API for recording mutation.
• The implementation covers Python using the requests library with explicit type hints, retry logic, and pagination handling.

Prerequisites

• OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials grant with scopes: event:read, media:read, media:write
• Genesys Cloud API v2 endpoint (e.g., company.mypurecloud.com or company.genesiscloud.com)
• Python 3.9+ runtime
• External dependencies: requests, tenacity (for retry logic), pydantic (for payload validation)
• Install dependencies: pip install requests tenacity pydantic

Authentication Setup

Genesys Cloud uses a standard OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials flow. The platform issues short-lived access tokens that the requests session must attach to every subsequent API call. Token caching is mandatory to avoid unnecessary authorization server calls and to respect rate limits.

The following function retrieves the token and returns a configured requests.Session object. The session automatically attaches the Authorization header to all outgoing requests.

import requests
import time
from typing import Optional

def get_genesys_session(
    client_id: str,
    client_secret: str,
    environment: str
) -> requests.Session:
    """
    Authenticates against Genesys Cloud and returns a pre-configured session.
    """
    base_url = f"https://{environment}"
    token_url = f"{base_url}/oauth/token"
    
    payload = {
        "grant_type": "client_credentials",
        "scope": "event:read media:read media:write"
    }
    
    response = requests.post(token_url, data=payload, auth=(client_id, client_secret))
    response.raise_for_status()
    
    token_data = response.json()
    access_token = token_data["access_token"]
    expires_in = token_data["expires_in"]
    issued_at = time.time()
    
    session = requests.Session()
    session.headers.update({
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {access_token}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "Accept": "application/json"
    })
    
    # Attach token metadata to the session for refresh logic
    session.auth_token_expires_at = issued_at + expires_in
    session.auth_client_id = client_id
    session.auth_client_secret = client_secret
    session.auth_base_url = base_url
    
    return session

The SDK equivalent uses PlatformClient(client_id, client_secret, environment=environment), which handles token caching and refresh internally. When using raw requests, you must implement the refresh check before long-running operations.

Implementation

Step 1: Subscribe to interaction.completed events

The Event Streams API requires an explicit subscription before you can poll for events. You must define the event type filter and assign a unique subscription identifier. The API returns a subscriptionId that you will use for all subsequent polling requests.

HTTP Request Cycle

• Method: POST
• Path: /api/v2/events/subscriptions
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <token>, Content-Type: application/json
• Required Scope: event:read
• Request Body:

{
  "name": "recording-metadata-injector",
  "filter": {
    "eventTypes": ["interaction.completed"]
  },
  "pageSize": 50
}

• Response Body (201 Created):

{
  "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "name": "recording-metadata-injector",
  "filter": {
    "eventTypes": ["interaction.completed"]
  },
  "pageSize": 50,
  "createdDate": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "modifiedDate": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Python Implementation

def create_event_subscription(session: requests.Session, subscription_name: str) -> str:
    """Creates an Event Streams subscription and returns the subscription ID."""
    url = f"{session.auth_base_url}/api/v2/events/subscriptions"
    payload = {
        "name": subscription_name,
        "filter": {"eventTypes": ["interaction.completed"]},
        "pageSize": 50
    }
    
    response = session.post(url, json=payload)
    if response.status_code == 409:
        # Subscription already exists; extract ID from response or fallback to listing
        return response.json().get("id", "")
    response.raise_for_status()
    return response.json()["id"]

The pageSize parameter controls how many events are returned per poll. Genesys Cloud enforces a maximum of 100. Setting it to 50 balances throughput with payload size.

Step 2: Poll events and extract recording identifiers

Once the subscription is active, you must poll the subscription endpoint. The API supports cursor-based pagination via the page_token parameter. You must process each event, locate the recordingId field, and queue it for metadata injection.

The interaction.completed event payload contains a data.recordingId field when the interaction generated a recording. If the field is null, the interaction did not produce a media artifact, and you should skip it.

HTTP Request Cycle

• Method: GET
• Path: /api/v2/events/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <token>
• Required Scope: event:read
• Query Parameters: page_size=50
• Response Body (200 OK):

{
  "events": [
    {
      "id": "evt-123",
      "eventType": "interaction.completed",
      "data": {
        "id": "int-456",
        "recordingId": "rec-789-abc-def",
        "mediaType": "voice",
        "completedDate": "2024-01-15T10:35:00.000Z"
      }
    }
  ],
  "nextPageToken": "eyJwYWdlIjoxfQ=="
}

Python Implementation

import json
from typing import List, Optional

def poll_events(
    session: requests.Session,
    subscription_id: str,
    page_token: Optional[str] = None
) -> tuple[List[dict], Optional[str]]:
    """
    Polls the Event Streams API and returns a list of event payloads 
    alongside the next pagination token.
    """
    url = f"{session.auth_base_url}/api/v2/events/subscriptions/{subscription_id}"
    params = {"page_size": 50}
    if page_token:
        params["page_token"] = page_token
        
    response = session.get(url, params=params)
    response.raise_for_status()
    
    data = response.json()
    events = data.get("events", [])
    next_token = data.get("nextPageToken")
    
    return events, next_token

The pagination token is opaque. You must pass it verbatim to subsequent requests. The API returns an empty events array when no new events are available. Your polling loop should implement a delay between requests to avoid hitting the 429 rate limit.

Step 3: Update recording metadata and tags

The Media API accepts PATCH requests to mutate recording attributes. You must send a partial Recording object containing only the fields you intend to modify. The API merges the incoming payload with the existing recording state.

Custom metadata uses a key-value dictionary structure. Tags use a string array. Both fields are mutable and do not require full object replacement.

HTTP Request Cycle

• Method: PATCH
• Path: /api/v2/media/recordings/{recordingId}
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <token>, Content-Type: application/json
• Required Scope: media:write
• Request Body:

{
  "metadata": {
    "processed_by": "automation-script",
    "priority_level": "high",
    "compliance_review": "pending"
  },
  "tags": ["voicemail", "escalated", "tag-injected"]
}

• Response Body (200 OK):

{
  "id": "rec-789-abc-def",
  "metadata": {
    "processed_by": "automation-script",
    "priority_level": "high",
    "compliance_review": "pending"
  },
  "tags": ["voicemail", "escalated", "tag-injected"],
  "mediaType": "voice",
  "status": "ready"
}

Python Implementation

def update_recording_metadata(
    session: requests.Session,
    recording_id: str,
    custom_metadata: dict,
    new_tags: List[str]
) -> dict:
    """
    Applies custom metadata and tags to a Genesys Cloud recording.
    Implements retry logic for 429 rate limit responses.
    """
    url = f"{session.auth_base_url}/api/v2/media/recordings/{recording_id}"
    payload = {
        "metadata": custom_metadata,
        "tags": new_tags
    }
    
    # Retry logic for 429 Too Many Requests
    retries = 3
    for attempt in range(retries):
        response = session.patch(url, json=payload)
        
        if response.status_code == 429:
            retry_after = int(response.headers.get("Retry-After", 5))
            time.sleep(retry_after * (attempt + 1))
            continue
            
        if response.status_code == 401:
            raise RuntimeError("Token expired. Refresh authentication and retry.")
        if response.status_code == 403:
            raise PermissionError("Insufficient OAuth scope. Verify media:write is granted.")
        if response.status_code == 404:
            raise ValueError(f"Recording {recording_id} not found.")
            
        response.raise_for_status()
        return response.json()
        
    raise RuntimeError("Max retries exceeded for recording update.")

The PATCH method is critical here. Using PUT would overwrite the entire recording object, which is not supported by this endpoint and would result in a 400 Bad Request. The retry logic respects the Retry-After header and applies exponential backoff to prevent cascading rate limit violations across microservices.

Complete Working Example

The following script combines authentication, subscription creation, event polling, and metadata injection into a single runnable module. Replace the placeholder credentials before execution.

import requests
import time
import sys
from typing import List, Optional, Dict

def get_genesys_session(client_id: str, client_secret: str, environment: str) -> requests.Session:
    base_url = f"https://{environment}"
    token_url = f"{base_url}/oauth/token"
    payload = {"grant_type": "client_credentials", "scope": "event:read media:read media:write"}
    
    response = requests.post(token_url, data=payload, auth=(client_id, client_secret))
    response.raise_for_status()
    token_data = response.json()
    
    session = requests.Session()
    session.headers.update({
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {token_data['access_token']}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "Accept": "application/json"
    })
    session.auth_token_expires_at = time.time() + token_data["expires_in"]
    session.auth_base_url = base_url
    return session

def create_event_subscription(session: requests.Session, subscription_name: str) -> str:
    url = f"{session.auth_base_url}/api/v2/events/subscriptions"
    payload = {
        "name": subscription_name,
        "filter": {"eventTypes": ["interaction.completed"]},
        "pageSize": 50
    }
    response = session.post(url, json=payload)
    if response.status_code == 409:
        return response.json().get("id", "")
    response.raise_for_status()
    return response.json()["id"]

def poll_events(session: requests.Session, subscription_id: str, page_token: Optional[str] = None) -> tuple[List[Dict], Optional[str]]:
    url = f"{session.auth_base_url}/api/v2/events/subscriptions/{subscription_id}"
    params = {"page_size": 50}
    if page_token:
        params["page_token"] = page_token
    response = session.get(url, params=params)
    response.raise_for_status()
    data = response.json()
    return data.get("events", []), data.get("nextPageToken")

def update_recording_metadata(session: requests.Session, recording_id: str, custom_metadata: Dict, new_tags: List[str]) -> Dict:
    url = f"{session.auth_base_url}/api/v2/media/recordings/{recording_id}"
    payload = {"metadata": custom_metadata, "tags": new_tags}
    
    for attempt in range(3):
        response = session.patch(url, json=payload)
        if response.status_code == 429:
            retry_after = int(response.headers.get("Retry-After", 5))
            time.sleep(retry_after * (attempt + 1))
            continue
        if response.status_code == 401:
            raise RuntimeError("Token expired.")
        if response.status_code == 403:
            raise PermissionError("Missing media:write scope.")
        if response.status_code == 404:
            raise ValueError(f"Recording {recording_id} not found.")
        response.raise_for_status()
        return response.json()
    raise RuntimeError("Max retries exceeded.")

def main():
    CLIENT_ID = "your_client_id"
    CLIENT_SECRET = "your_client_secret"
    ENVIRONMENT = "company.mypurecloud.com"
    SUBSCRIPTION_NAME = "recording-metadata-injector"
    POLL_INTERVAL_SECONDS = 10
    
    session = get_genesys_session(CLIENT_ID, CLIENT_SECRET, ENVIRONMENT)
    subscription_id = create_event_subscription(session, SUBSCRIPTION_NAME)
    print(f"Subscription created/active: {subscription_id}")
    
    page_token: Optional[str] = None
    processed_recordings: set = set()
    
    while True:
        try:
            events, page_token = poll_events(session, subscription_id, page_token)
            
            for event in events:
                data = event.get("data", {})
                recording_id = data.get("recordingId")
                
                if not recording_id:
                    continue
                if recording_id in processed_recordings:
                    continue
                    
                custom_metadata = {
                    "injected_by": "python-automation",
                    "timestamp": time.strftime("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ", time.gmtime()),
                    "source_event": event["id"]
                }
                tags_to_add = ["auto-tagged", "post-call-processed"]
                
                try:
                    result = update_recording_metadata(session, recording_id, custom_metadata, tags_to_add)
                    print(f"Updated recording {recording_id}: {result.get('status')}")
                    processed_recordings.add(recording_id)
                except Exception as e:
                    print(f"Failed to update {recording_id}: {e}")
                    
        except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
            print(f"Network error: {e}")
            time.sleep(15)
            continue
            
        time.sleep(POLL_INTERVAL_SECONDS)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

The script maintains a processed_recordings set to prevent duplicate metadata injections if the polling window overlaps or if events are delivered multiple times. The time.sleep call enforces a steady polling cadence that stays within Genesys Cloud rate limits.

Common Errors & Debugging

Error: 401 Unauthorized

• Cause: The OAuth access token has expired. Tokens default to a 3600-second lifetime.
• Fix: Implement token refresh logic before the polling loop continues. Check session.auth_token_expires_at against time.time() and call get_genesys_session again when within 60 seconds of expiration.
• Code Fix: Add a refresh guard inside the while True loop:

if time.time() > session.auth_token_expires_at - 60:
    session = get_genesys_session(CLIENT_ID, CLIENT_SECRET, ENVIRONMENT)

Error: 403 Forbidden

• Cause: The OAuth client lacks the required scope. The Media API requires media:write for mutations. Event Streams requires event:read.
• Fix: Navigate to the Genesys Cloud Admin console, locate the OAuth client, and verify both scopes are checked. Regenerate the token after scope modification.
• Debug Step: Print the token introspection response to verify granted scopes: GET /oauth/introspect with the active token.

Error: 429 Too Many Requests

• Cause: Exceeding the Event Streams polling limit or Media API mutation limit. Genesys Cloud enforces per-tenant and per-endpoint rate caps.
• Fix: Increase the POLL_INTERVAL_SECONDS to 15 or 30. Implement the Retry-After header parsing shown in the update_recording_metadata function.
• Debug Step: Monitor the X-RateLimit-Remaining header in response objects. When it drops below 5, throttle outgoing requests automatically.

Error: 400 Bad Request on PATCH

• Cause: Sending a full Recording object instead of a partial payload, or including read-only fields like id, mediaType, or status in the request body.
• Fix: Restrict the JSON payload to only metadata and tags. The API rejects payloads containing immutable fields.
• Code Fix: Verify the payload dictionary contains only mutable keys before transmission.

Official References

• Event Streams API Documentation
• Media Recordings API Documentation
• OAuth 2.0 Authorization Guide
• Python SDK Reference (genesyscloud)