Here is the path to add an action step to an existing Einstein Bot dialog in Einstein Bot Builder. The exact action type you pick changes the configuration panel, but the surrounding flow is the same for all of them.
- Open the dialog
In Setup, go to Einstein Bots, open your bot, and select the dialog where the action should run. The dialog canvas shows the existing message, question, and rule steps in order.
- Drag an action onto the canvas
From the Dialog Component Library, drag an action component to the spot in the conversation where it belongs. Give the step a clear name in the Step Properties panel so later steps can reference it.
- Choose the action type and target
Pick the action type: Object Search, an external service, a standard invocable action, an autolaunched Flow, or an Apex invocable method. Select the specific Flow, method, or object the action will run against.
- Map input and output variables
Fill each input from a bot variable, slot, or constant, and store each output in a variable that later steps can read. For Apex inputs, remember that typed-in constants are treated as strings.
- Branch on success and failure
Add a rule step after the action that checks its success or failure output, and route the conversation accordingly. Save the dialog and test the path in the bot preview before activating.
Reads or writes standard and custom object records so the bot works with live CRM data without custom code.
Calls a built-in invocable action directly, including Knowledge answers and notifications, with no Apex or Flow wrapper.
Sends and receives data with an outside API provider through a registered schema, codelessly.
Runs an autolaunched Flow with mapped inputs and outputs; the preferred home for non-trivial admin logic.
Invokes an InvocableMethod for complex logic or custom integrations, subject to the bot's timeout and call limits.
- A single Apex action times out at 10 seconds, total bot response processing is capped at 20 seconds, and only 50 Apex calls run before the next outbound message. Keep action logic lean.
- Custom values typed into an Apex input are interpreted as strings, which causes silent type mismatches if the method expects a number or boolean.
- Outputs allow up to five levels of nested objects but inputs allow only one level, so flatten complex input structures before mapping them.
- Always add a failure branch. An unhandled Flow error or Apex exception leaves the bot stalled or confusing instead of gracefully transferring to a human.