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Troubleshoot variable references

Variable problems usually come from a mismatch between the prompt token, configured name, saved draft, or published version. Diagnose the layer before rewriting the prompt.

The prompt shows a variable warning​

Check that:

  • the variable exists under Configuration → Variables;
  • the prompt and configuration use the same lower-case name;
  • the token has two opening and two closing braces;
  • no space, hyphen, or punctuation appears in the name; and
  • the variable has a meaningful value.

Prefer inserting the token from the Prompt Editor menu instead of typing it manually.

The agent says “not provided”​

The runtime did not resolve the placeholder. Common causes are:

  • the variable was removed or renamed;
  • the prompt contains a spelling or capitalization mismatch;
  • the value is empty;
  • the expected built-in configuration is absent; or
  • the draft was not saved before the test.

Fix the configuration or replace the token with a verified literal. Do not instruct the agent to hide or reinterpret not provided globally; that would mask authoring errors.

The browser test is correct but live calls are stale​

The browser test uses the saved draft, while live conversations use the published version.

  1. Confirm the draft save state succeeded.
  2. Publish the updated draft.
  3. Confirm the published version changed.
  4. Start a new live conversation; an existing session can retain earlier context.

Starting or stopping the agent does not publish a draft.

The value is unexpectedly replaced​

Search for duplicate or overlapping sources:

  • a custom variable with the same name as a built-in value;
  • more than one case variant of the same name;
  • the same fact repeated as a literal elsewhere in the prompt; or
  • conflicting knowledge instructions.

Custom variables are resolved before built-in variables, so a custom name can shadow its built-in counterpart. Keep one source of truth for each fact.

Vox rejects a variable update​

Vox validates the complete replacement list when it creates or updates variables. It can reject:

  • more than 50 entries;
  • a name that does not start with a letter;
  • characters other than letters, numbers, or underscores;
  • a name longer than 64 characters;
  • duplicate names, ignoring case;
  • an individual value longer than 10,000 characters; or
  • a new system prompt that references a variable without a configured non-empty value.

When editing through Vox, ask it to inspect the current agent first. An update that includes customVariables replaces the complete variable list; it is not an instruction to append one row blindly.

A variable was deleted accidentally​

If the agent has a published version that still contains the variable, use Version History to restore that published configuration into the draft. Restoring overwrites current unpublished changes, so review the impact first.

Alternatively, recreate the exact name and verified value in the current draft, resolve prompt warnings, test, and publish.

The agent asks for information Wirevox already knows​

Do not solve this with another variable. Review whether the prompt explicitly tells the agent to ask for a phone number or visitor detail on every interaction. Wirevox supplies known caller or visitor information at runtime and tells the model not to request it again.

Remove the conflicting blanket instruction. Keep only the condition that requires the field when it is not already available.

The variable is too large​

Move large reference material to a knowledge base. Large variables are inserted into the system prompt, can be repeated wherever referenced, and increase the model context for conversations.

Keep only a short policy or routing fact in the variable, and let knowledge retrieval supply detailed content when relevant.

The value must change during the conversation​

A prompt variable is the wrong mechanism. Use:

  • known contact context for pre-existing visitor details;
  • a gather-information function for values supplied by the user;
  • an integration function for current external data; or
  • knowledge retrieval for approved reference material.

Do not try to rewrite the published agent variable mid-conversation.

Final verification​

After fixing a variable issue:

  1. Confirm the canonical token in the prompt.
  2. Confirm one non-empty configured value.
  3. Wait for autosave success.
  4. Run a new browser test.
  5. Inspect the answer for the intended fact and behavior.
  6. Publish the draft.
  7. Run a new live conversation if the agent is active.

Next steps​