Set Participant Data action dropping custom variables after IVR transfer

Architect & Flows
1

Weird behavior with the Set Participant Data action in Architect. I’m trying to pass a custom variable loyalty_tier from the IVR flow into the agent desktop context via the Embeddable Client App SDK. The IVR is built in Genesys Cloud, and I’m using the standard Set Participant Data action before the Transfer to Queue block.

Here’s the payload I’m sending in the action:

{
 "external_contact_id": "{{conversation.external_contact_id}}",
 "participant_id": "{{conversation.participant_id}}",
 "custom_attributes": {
 "loyalty_tier": "gold"
 }
}

The action returns a 200 OK in the debug logs. But when the call transfers to the agent, the SDK’s getParticipantData method returns an empty object for custom attributes. I’ve verified the variable exists in the conversation context right before the transfer using a Log block. It’s there.

I’ve tried:

  1. Adding a 2-second pause after the Set Participant Data action.
  2. Using the full participant ID from the IVR context.
  3. Checking if the attribute name has spaces or special characters (it doesn’t).

Is there a known delay in propagating custom attributes set via this action to the agent’s participant view? Or am I missing a step in the SDK initialization to fetch updated participant data post-transfer?

2

The Set Participant Data action only updates the API participant object, not the IVR session state. You need to use the Set Conversation Attribute action in Architect instead.

{
 "attribute_name": "loyalty_tier",
 "attribute_value": "{{ivr.loyalty_tier}}"
}

This pushes it into the conversation metadata, which the SDK can actually read. The docs mention this distinction but it’s easy to miss.

3

is spot on. Set Participant Data only touches the participant object in the API. It doesn’t persist to the conversation metadata layer that the SDK and WEM reporting actually consume.

You’ll want to use the Set Conversation Attribute action. This writes to the conversation’s custom attributes. The Embeddable Client App SDK can then read these via the conversation details endpoint.

Here is the correct payload structure for the action:

{
 "attribute_name": "loyalty_tier",
 "attribute_value": "{{ivr.loyalty_tier}}"
}

Make sure the attribute name is exact. Case sensitivity matters here. If you use Loyalty_Tier in the action but query for loyalty_tier in the SDK, you’ll get null.

Also check the SDK initialization. You need the conversation:read scope. Without it, the SDK won’t expose custom attributes even if they are set correctly.

If you’re using the Java SDK, you can fetch it like this:

String value = conversation.getCustomAttributes().get("loyalty_tier");

This approach works for WEM reporting too. Custom attributes are exposed in the adherence and service level metrics. Just ensure the attribute is indexed if you plan to filter on it later.

One gotcha: conversation attributes have a size limit. Keep the value short. Long strings can cause truncation issues in the UI.