We’re implementing a custom authentication flow for the Genesys Cloud Web Messaging widget. The requirement is to pass specific PII (like customerId and loyaltyTier) as guest attributes when a user logs into our portal, so the agent sees this context immediately upon chat connection.
Here’s the setup. We’re using the @genesyscloud/purecloud-web-messaging-guest-cli npm package. When the user logs in, we call setCustomAttributes on the guest instance.
import { Guest } from '@genesyscloud/purecloud-web-messaging-guest-cli';
const guest = new Guest({
organizationId: 'org-123',
deploymentId: 'dep-456',
});
// User logs in to our app
guest.setCustomAttributes({
customerId: 'CUST-9999',
loyaltyTier: 'Gold'
});
await guest.startConversation();
This works fine. The agent sees the attributes. The issue hits when the user logs out of our portal. We expect a fresh session or at least cleared attributes for the next interaction. We’re calling guest.logout() or simply destroying the widget instance in React’s useEffect cleanup.
// On user logout
if (guest) {
guest.logout();
// Or we try guest.destroy();
}
The problem is that when the user returns and triggers a new chat, the old customerId is still attached to the new session. It seems like the guest identity isn’t actually resetting, or the attributes are cached in a way that survives the logout call. We’ve checked the network tab, and the /api/v2/analytics/conversations/... calls are still carrying the old custom data in the payload headers.
We’ve tried clearing the local storage keys related to Genesys, but that feels like a hack and might break other SDK internals. Is there a specific method to force a full attribute reset, or do we need to generate a new guestId manually before calling startConversation? We’re currently in Manila, testing against the us-east-1 region. Any pointers on the correct SDK lifecycle management for this?
The issue is likely that the guest CLI instance retains state in the browser storage even after your application triggers a logout. The setCustomAttributes call writes to local storage or session storage, and simply destroying the React component or calling a custom logout function doesn’t clear that Genesys-specific storage.
You need to explicitly reset the guest context when the user logs out of your portal. Call clearGuestAttributes or reinitialize the client with a fresh configuration. If you are using the guest CLI, you can try this before destroying the instance:
import { GuestCli } from '@genesyscloud/purecloud-web-messaging-guest-cli';
// Assuming you have the instance
await guestCli.clearGuestAttributes();
// Or if that method isn't available in your version, re-initialize with empty attributes
await guestCli.setCustomAttributes({});
Also, ensure you are not caching the widget config. If the attributes persist across page reloads, check if you are storing them in localStorage manually. The SDK defaults to session storage for transient data, but if you passed a storage option during init, it might be sticking around. Clear the key genesys-web-messaging-guest from storage if needed.
clearGuestAttributes is a red herring if you’re actually using the authenticated flow. The guest CLI package is designed for anonymous interactions. Once you authenticate, the context shifts to the user profile managed by the Genesys Cloud platform, not local storage.
You don’t need to manually wipe attributes on logout. The session ends, the token expires, and the next init starts fresh. If data persists, you’re likely reusing the same guest ID or session token across logins. Check your initialization logic. Are you generating a new guestId on every portal login? If not, the platform sees the same “guest” returning with old data attached.
Force a new identity on portal login.
// Force new identity on portal login
const guestId = crypto.randomUUID(); // or your CRM ID
await pureCloudWebMessagingGuestCli.setGuestId(guestId);
await pureCloudWebMessagingGuestCli.setCustomAttributes({
customerId: '123',
loyaltyTier: 'gold'
});
If you’re stuck with the guest CLI, ensure the browser cache isn’t holding onto the previous session’s local storage keys. Clear genesys-cloud-web-messaging-* keys on portal logout if you can’t force a new guestId.