Testing and Deploying Tool Changes

Testing and Deploying Tool Changes

  • Part of: Using Tools with Your Agent (Overview)  |  Last reviewed: 25 Sep 2026

    This guide shows you how to test a tool change in AGS and then deploy it so live callers get the new behavior. Never let a caller be the first test.

    What you'll be able to do

    • Test that the tool fires when it should, and stays quiet when it shouldn't
    • Check that the agent recovers gracefully when the tool fails
    • Confirm the record actually lands in the target system
    • Deploy the change to live calls

    Before you begin

    • The tool is attached to the agent and has a prompt block. See Attaching Tools to Your Agent.
    • A safe place to test: a sandbox account or test records you can delete afterward.
    ⛔ Tests write to the real system. If the tool creates or changes records, your test conversations will too. Point the connection at a sandbox, or use test records you can clean up afterward.

    Part 1: Test the change

    1. Open the test console. In the agent editor, click Test in the top-right toolbar.
    2. Test the happy path. Run a conversation that should trigger the tool. Confirm it fires.
    3. Test an unrelated request. Run a conversation that should not trigger the tool. Confirm it stays quiet.
    4. Test a broken case. Try an unknown customer or an invalid date. Confirm the agent recovers gracefully and uses your failure wording.
    5. Check the target system. Open it and confirm the ticket, booking or record actually appeared, with the right values in the right fields.



  • ✔ Read the transcript, not just the conversation. The test transcript shows each tool call and the result it returned. If the agent's answer sounds right but the tool call is missing, the agent is guessing.

    Test checklist

    Tick every item before you deploy.

    • ☐ The tool fires on the intended request
    • ☐ The tool stays silent on unrelated requests
    • ☐ Required information is collected before the tool is called
    • ☐ The record lands in the right queue, pipeline or calendar
    • ☐ Error handling sounds natural and ends with a clear next step
    • ☐ The agent reads back reference numbers accurately
    • ☐ Static Response is switched off on every custom tool

    Part 2: Deploy the change

    Tool and prompt changes are saved to the agent, but live calls keep using the previously deployed version until you deploy.

    In the agent editor, click Deploy in the top-right toolbar, next to Test and Embed.



    ✔ You should see: the Deploy dialog confirms the agent is live with the new configuration.

    Verify it worked

    Place a real test call to the agent's number and run the same happy-path request. The tool should fire and the record should appear in the target system.

    ⚠ Works in Test but not on real calls? The change almost always hasn't been deployed yet. Repeat Part 2 and check that the Deploy dialog confirms it.

    Next step

    Want to see the whole process end to end? Read Worked Example: A FreshDesk Support Agent.

    Still stuck? See Troubleshooting Tool Issues for common symptoms and fixes, or contact support