Defining how to interact with a skill in a conversation

Users interact with skill-based actions in the chat through AI assistants or with skills added directly to the AI chat. When a user triggers a skill, the request for inputs and the response can appear as a form or as a multi-turn conversation. In multi-turn conversations, each turn gathers information about a specific input parameter that the skill needs. Skills added directly to the AI chat validate inputs and outputs separately, allowing the skill to use multi-turn conversations for inputs while outputs return as forms or vice versa.

Criteria to fallback to forms over multi-turn conversations

Note: Skill flows, skills as next best actions, and most of the prebuilt apps and skills do not support multi-turn conversation and render skills' inputs and outputs as form-based.

Custom skills use forms instead of multi-turn conversations based on specific criteria. The criteria depend on how the system validates inputs and outputs and how users trigger the skill:

AI assistants

Skill-based actions evaluate inputs and outputs together and fallback to forms over multi-turn conversations when the following criteria apply:

  • The skill is a skill flow.
  • Input or output fields have UI annotations.
  • Complex objects are used in input or output fields.
  • The number of input fields exceeds the configured threshold.

AI chat

A skill might ask for inputs as a multi-turn conversation but return the output as form-based and vice-versa. Skills added directly to the chat evaluate inputs and outputs separately based on the following criteria:

  • For an input in a single skill

    • Input fields with UI annotations default to forms.
    • Complex annotations result in forms.
    • Slot logic defaults to multi-turn conversations (ignored if the skill is part of askill flow ).
    • Input fields that exceed the configured threshold default to forms.

  • For output in a single skill:

    • Output fields with UI annotations default to forms.
    • Complex outputs result in forms.
    • Output fields that exceed the configured threshold default to forms.

For a skill flow, the corresponding child skill is also checked.

Deprecation of apps and skills: Starting on April 30, 2025, direct usage of skills in AI agents will be deprecated and discontinued in upcoming weeks. Use tools to complete specific tasks through agents. For more information, see Deprecated and withdrawn functions.

Details of the criteria applied:

  • Skill input or output has annotations

    If any of the following properties are present in the Request or Response body of the OpenAPI specification that defines the skill:

    • x-ibm-ui-extension
    • x-ibm-operators
    • x-ibm-filter-format
    • x-ibm-pagination

  • Input or output fields use complex objects

    If any of the following complex objects are present in the Request or Response body of the OpenAPI specification that defines the skill:

    • table
    • file
    • password
    • boolean

  • Number of inputs fields exceeds the configured value

    If the number of input fields of the skill exceeds the maximum number of fields that are configured for multi-turn conversations, then the AI assistants use form-based interactions. Check the procedure at the Configuring the number of input fields for multi-turn conversations section to learn how to configure this value.

Information: Review the known issues and limitations for Skill-based actions.

Configuring the number of input fields for multi-turn conversations

Specify the maximum number of input fields (including optional fields) for a skill to be considered for multi-turn conversations. Skills with more than the specified number of input fields are displayed in the form format.

To specify the maximum number of fields for multi-turn conversations:

  1. Click your profile icon on the right side.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Click Skill configurations.
  4. Specify the maximum number of input fields.

Skill configuration tab
Figure 1. Skill configuration for multi-turn conversations in a tenant.

In the following image, you can see a preview of the Transfer bluepoints skill with two input fields and that receives values as a multi-turn conversation, while the Create an issue skill with seven input fields receives values in a form.

The previous scenario happens because the tenant sets the maximum number of fields to consider the skills' inputs as multi-turn conversations to two. In this case, the Create an issue skill fallback to a form because it receives more than two inputs.

Preview of a skill-based action
Figure 2. Preview of a skill-based action in the chat.

Parent topic:

→ Building skills