Assertions

Updated in 2025.19

Assertions are validation checks that verify the AI Agent’s responses and different aspects of the Flow for each Step during a Playbook run.

How to Use Assertions

Assertions include an input field where you can provide the text or data you want to validate during the Playbook run. Assertions are case-sensitive. The text, Intent names, Slot names, and data fields that you enter in the input field must match exactly what you want to validate. Specific assertion types include an option to validate only a portion of the provided text or data:

• Use fuzzy search — for text assertions.
• Use partial comparison — for data and context assertions.

The fuzzy search functionality handles case-insensitive matches, differences in spaces, tab stops, and newlines, and escaped characters.

Fuzzy Search Examples

Pattern	Feature	Matches
My order	Case Insensitivity	my order, MY ORDER
	Differences in spaces	My order
	Newlines	My order
	Escaped Characters	My\norder, My\torder

You can also invert the assertion check with the Invert assertion option. This option switches the assertion check to validate the absence of the defined value. Inverted assertions must also match the exact text or data provided in the assertion. You can activate both Invert assertion and Use fuzzy search to validate the absence of a portion of the provided text or data, for example, only the "status": "active" JSON property or the word "error" in the AI Agent’s response.

Assertion Types

Text Assertion

Validates text in the AI Agent’s response against the expected text or pattern provided in the input field.

Parameter	Type	Description
Invert assertion	Option	Sets the assertion to validate the absence of the text or pattern provided in the input field.
Use fuzzy search	Option	Allows partial matches in the AI Agent’s response.
Text	Input field	Sets the exact text or pattern to validate.

Examples

Exact Match

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Deactivated
Use fuzzy search	Deactivated
Text	Your order has been confirmed

Validates that Your order has been confirmed is present in the AI Agent’s response. Fails if We have received your order is in the AI Agent’s response.

Fuzzy Search

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Deactivated
Use fuzzy search	Activated
Text	"order"

Validates that Your order has been confirmed and We have received your order are in the AI Agent’s response. Fails if We are preparing your purchase is in the AI Agent’s response.

Inverted Assertion

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Activated
Use fuzzy search	Activated
Text	"error"

Validates that the AI Agent’s response doesn’t include error, for example, Your order will be shipped shortly. Fails if the AI Agent’s response includes error, for example, We found an error while processing your order.

Data Assertion

Validates the AI Agent message’s data fields and JSON structures against the data provided in the input field. If the AI Agent’s response doesn’t include any data fields, the Assertion checks data fields in the user input.

Parameter	Type	Description
Invert assertion	Option	Sets the assertion to validate the absence of the JSON structure provided in the input field or the user input.
Use partial comparison	Option	Allows matches of a subset of the data structure to validate.
Data	Input field	Sets the data structure to validate in JSON format.

Examples

Exact Match

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Deactivated
Use partial comparison	Deactivated
Data	{ "userId": "12345", "status": "active", "timestamp": "2024-01-01T10:00:00Z" }

Validates only the exact JSON object provided in the input field.

Partial Comparison

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Deactivated
Use partial comparison	Activated
Data	{ "userId": "12345", "status": "active" }

Validates any JSON structure that contains the JSON object provided in the input field, for example:

{
"userId": "12345", // part of the provided JSON object
"status": "active", // part of the provided JSON object
"timestamp": "2024-01-01T10:00:00Z" // not part of the provided JSON object
}

Fails if the JSON structure doesn’t contain the JSON object provided in the input field, for example:

{
"userId": "12345", // subset of the provided JSON object
"status": "failed", // not part of the provided JSON object
"timestamp": "2024-01-01T10:00:00Z" // not part of the provided JSON object
}

Inverted Assertion

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Activated
Use partial comparison	Activated
Data	{ "status": "failed" }

Validates any JSON structure that doesn’t contain the JSON object provided in the input field, for example:

{
"userId": "12345",
"status": "active", // validates if status isn't failed
"timestamp": "2024-01-01T10:00:00Z"
}

Intent Assertion

Validates that the Intent provided in the input field has been recognized in the user input.

Parameter	Type	Description
Invert assertion	Option	Sets the assertion to validate the absence of the Intent provided in the input field.
Intent	Input field	Sets the Intent name to validate.

Examples

Exact Match

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Deactivated
Intent	"greet.hello"

Validates only that the "greet.hello" Intent has been recognized.

Inverted Match

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Activated
Intent	"cancel.order"

Validates that the "cancel.order" Intent hasn’t been recognized.

Slot Assertion

Validates that the Slot provided in the input field has been recognized in the user input.

Parameter	Type	Description
Invert assertion	Option	Sets the assertion to validate the absence of the Slot provided in the input field.
Slot	Input field	Sets the Slot name to validate.

Examples

Exact Match

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Deactivated
Slot	username

Validates only that the username Slot has been recognized.

Inverted Assertion

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Activated
Slot	password

Validates that the password Slot hasn’t been recognized.

Context Assertion

Validates the data in the Context object against the data provided in the input field.

Parameter	Type	Description
Invert assertion	Option	Sets the assertion to validate the absence of the context data provided in the input field
Use partial comparison	Option	Allows matches of a subset of the context data to validate.
Context data	Input field	Sets the context data to validate in JSON format.

Examples

Exact Match

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Deactivated
Use partial comparison	Deactivated
Context data	{ "authenticated": true, "userRole": "premium", "sessionId": "abc123" }

Validates only the exact JSON object provided in the input field.

Partial Match

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Deactivated
Use partial comparison	Activated
Context data	{ "hasCreditCard": true, "activeCreditCard": true }

Validates any context data that contains the JSON object provided in the input field, for example:

{
"hasCreditCard": true, // part of the provided JSON object
"activeCreditCard": true, // part of the provided JSON object
"sessionId": "abc123" // not part of the provided JSON object
}

Fails if the JSON structure doesn’t contain the JSON object provided in the input field, for example:

{
"hasCreditCard": true, // subset of the provided JSON object
"activeCreditCard": false, // not part of the provided JSON object
"sessionId": "abc123" // not part of the provided JSON object
}

Inverted Assertion

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Activated
Use partial comparison	Activated
Context data	{ "activeCreditCard": false }

Validates any JSON structure that doesn’t contain the JSON object provided in the input field, for example:

{
"hasCreditCard": true,
"activeCreditCard": true, // validates if activeCreditCard isn't false
"creditCardNumber": "1234567890"
}

State Assertion

Validates the conversation state.

Parameter	Type	Description
Invert assertion	Option	Sets the assertion to validate the absence of the State provided in the input field.
State	Input field	Sets the State name to validate.

Examples

Exact Match

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Deactivated
State	waiting_for_input

Validates only that the waiting_for_input State is active.

Inverted Assertion

In this example, configure the assertion as follows:

Parameter	Value
Invert assertion	Activated
State	error_state

Validates only that the error_state State isn’t active.

Best Practices

For testing best practices, see Best Practices: Testing your Virtual Agents with Playbooks.

More Information

• Slots
• Intents