Web Messaging Guest API typing indicators returning 405 Method Not Allowed

integrating the Genesys Cloud Web Messaging Guest API into our custom frontend application to handle typing indicators and read receipts. The objective is to provide real-time feedback to agents regarding the guest’s activity. We have successfully established the conversation channel and can send standard messages without issue. However, when attempting to push typing events via the documented endpoint, we encounter a persistent HTTP 405 Method Not Allowed error.

The request is being constructed as follows:

POST /api/v2/conversations/webmessaging/{conversationId}/typing
token: <valid_access_token>
content-type: application/json

{
 "participantId": "<guest_participant_id>"
}

The documentation suggests that the typing sub-resource should accept a POST request to indicate that the user is currently composing a message. We have verified that the conversationId and participantId are valid by cross-referencing them with the active conversation state retrieved via the GET endpoint. The token possesses the necessary webmessaging:conversation:read and webmessaging:conversation:write scopes.

Interestingly, the same payload structure works perfectly for the read receipt endpoint (/api/v2/conversations/webmessaging/{conversationId}/read). This discrepancy leads us to believe there might be a specific constraint or a different required format for the typing indicator resource that is not explicitly detailed in the standard reference. We have also attempted to include a timestamp field in the payload, but the 405 response remains unchanged.

Has anyone successfully implemented the typing indicator endpoint? We are unsure if the API versioning affects this specific resource or if we are missing a required header parameter. The error response body is empty, which makes debugging difficult. We are using the standard REST endpoints rather than the SDK for this specific integration to maintain low-level control over the event lifecycle.

Are you using the Guest API token directly in your frontend calls? That’s usually where the 405s come from. The Guest API endpoints are strictly scoped to browser-side execution with specific headers, and they don’t always play nice with proxy layers or server-side forwarding.

If you’re trying to hit /api/v2/conversations/messaging/typing from a backend service using a platform client credentials grant, it’ll fail. The Guest API requires a x-genesys-cloud-guest-token header derived from the initial session handshake. You can’t just swap in a standard OAuth2 Bearer token.

Here’s how I usually instrument this to catch the exact rejection point in New Relic:

# Pseudo-code for the frontend fetch with NR instrumentation
import newrelic.agent

@newrelic.agent.function_trace(name="messaging/typing-indicator")
def send_typing_indicator(conversation_id, guest_token):
 headers = {
 "Content-Type": "application/json",
 "x-genesys-cloud-guest-token": guest_token,
 "x-genesys-cloud-origin": "web-messaging" # Critical for Guest API
 }
 
 # The endpoint is POST, not PUT. Many docs imply PUT for state updates.
 url = f"https://api.mypurecloud.com/api/v2/conversations/messaging/typing"
 
 response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json={
 "conversationId": conversation_id,
 "direction": "outbound"
 })
 
 if response.status_code == 405:
 newrelic.agent.record_custom_event("GC_API_405", {
 "endpoint": url,
 "headers": str(headers)
 })
 return response

Check the x-genesys-cloud-origin header. If that’s missing, the API gateway rejects the method immediately. Also, verify you’re hitting the correct region endpoint. If your account is in api.euc1.pure.cloud, hitting api.mypurecloud.com will cause routing errors that sometimes manifest as 405s depending on the CDN config.

The 405 isn’t usually a scope issue. It’s almost always the endpoint path. The Guest API for typing indicators doesn’t use the standard /api/v2/conversations/messaging/typing path. That path is for internal platform calls or older legacy integrations. The Guest API lives under /api/v2/conversations/messaging/guest.

You need to hit /api/v2/conversations/messaging/guest/typing instead.

Also, make sure you’re sending the correct headers. The Guest API is picky about the x-genesys-cloud-guest-token header. If you’re missing it, or if it’s expired, you’ll get weird errors, but usually a 401. A 405 specifically means the server understands the resource but not the method. Double-check that you’re using POST.

Here’s a quick fetch example that should work:

const response = await fetch('https://api.mypurecloud.com/api/v2/conversations/messaging/guest/typing', {
 method: 'POST',
 headers: {
 'Content-Type': 'application/json',
 'x-genesys-cloud-guest-token': guestToken,
 'Accept': 'application/json'
 },
 body: JSON.stringify({
 conversationId: conversationId,
 typingStatus: 'typing' // or 'stopped'
 })
});

if (!response.ok) {
 console.error('Typing indicator failed:', response.status, await response.text());
}

If you’re still getting a 405, check your network tab. Sometimes the browser caches the request method if you switched from GET to POST during testing. Clear the cache or use a unique timestamp in the query string to force a fresh request.

Also, verify your org’s messaging settings. If guest typing indicators are disabled in the platform configuration, the API might reject the call. I’ve seen that happen before. It’s a subtle setting under Messaging > Settings > Advanced. Make sure “Allow guest typing indicators” is checked.

Don’t overthink the token. If you’re getting a 405, the token is likely valid, but the endpoint is wrong. Fix the path first. Then check the settings. It’s usually one of those two.