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Real conversations jump between topics and combine multiple requests into one. Sub-intents and follow-up intents give you structured ways to handle these natural transitions without manually managing context.

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Sub-Intents

A sub-intent is a child intent that is only active when a specific parent intent has already been matched. The Platform automatically adds an output context to the parent and a matching input context to the child, linking them together.

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Ways to Define Sub-Intents

MethodDescription
Intent Node within a Dialog TaskThe sub-intent exists only within that dialog and is not available elsewhere. Learn more
Existing Dialog Task (Sub-Intent-only)Reusable across multiple dialogs. The dialog cannot be invoked by user utterance and does not appear in the Help task list. Learn more
Linked Tasks (Manage Sub-Intents and Exceptions)Use when the sub-intent can be invoked by the user at any point within the current dialog.

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Linked Task Exceptions

Linked task exceptions let you define customized Hold and Resume behavior when transitioning between specific tasks. You can also add conditions and map parameters between tasks.

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Pre-assignments and Post-assignments

  • Pre-assignments — Map current context values to entities in the linked (next) task before it starts.
  • Post-assignments — Map context values from the linked task back to the main task when the main task resumes.
Post-assignment applies only when the main task is resumed.

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Add an Exception

  1. Open the dialog task you want to customize.
  2. Click the more options icon (top-right of Dialog Builder) and select Manage Interruptions.
  3. Click Add sub-intents or exceptions.
  4. From the Tasks dropdown, select one or more tasks to link.
  5. Define the Hold and Resume settings and click Save.
The selected tasks appear under Exceptions on the Manage Interruption Behavior page. add exceptions

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Add Conditional Expressions

Conditions limit when the exception’s Hold and Resume rules take effect.
  1. Click the task name under Exceptions.
  2. Under Interruption Precondition, click Add If Condition.
  3. Select Entity or Context as the condition basis.
  4. Select the entity or enter the context path.
  5. Select a connector: Exists, equals to, greater than equals to, less than equals to, not equal to, greater than, or less than.
  6. Enter a comparison value.
  7. Repeat for additional conditions. All conditions must be met for the rule to apply.
Important notes:
  • The same target task can be linked multiple times with different preconditions. The Platform evaluates exceptions in order.
  • If no precondition matches, the intent is added to the Follow-up Intents array.
  • Preconditions are evaluated only on user-triggered intents — not on developer-initiated transitions or end-of-dialog user selections.
interruption precondition

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Parameter Mapping

Pre-assignments:
  1. Under Parameter Mapping, the Entity pre-assignment section lists entities needed for the linked task.
  2. Enter a direct value or context reference for each entity you want to pre-fill.
  3. To use a variable, click Add Key/Value and enter a variable name and value.
Post-assignments:
  1. Under Entity post-assignment, the section lists entities in the current (main) task.
  2. Enter a direct value or context reference for each entity.
  3. To use a variable, click Add Key/Value and enter a variable name and value.
To reset a value, use the keyword null. Spaces are ignored by the Platform.
book flight example

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Follow-up Intents

Follow-up intents are user intents that came up during a dialog but were not handled at the time. The AI Agent captures them in the FollowupIntents array.
The AI Agent does not capture follow-up intents if Do not Hold and Resume is selected at the node, task, or app level.

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Show Follow-up Tasks at End of Dialog

  1. Open the dialog task you want to configure.
  2. Click the more options icon and select Dialog Settings.
  3. In the Follow-up Task section, choose:
OptionBehavior
Yes — Ask the user to select from the follow-up task list at the end of the dialog.Presents all unhandled intents to the user. Click Manage Response to customize the prompt.
No — Handle the follow-up task list via node connections (default).The AI Agent does not surface follow-up intents automatically. Developers can still access them via the FollowupIntents array.
follow up task