Network Access

Allow your agent to fetch live data from external APIs using Network Access

Network Access lets your agent make outbound HTTP requests to external APIs — so it can look up live data like orders, shipping status, or inventory, then use that information when responding to customers.

What you can do

• Fetch live data from any REST API (orders, customers, inventory, shipping, etc.)

• Make GET requests to retrieve data or POST requests to trigger actions

• Attach authentication headers (API keys, Bearer tokens, Basic auth) per domain

• Combine with any helpdesk so the agent responds with real-time data

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Setting up Network Access

Network Access is configured per agent in the Settings tab.

1. Open your agent in the eesel AI platform

2. Go to the Settings tab

3. Scroll to the Network Access section

4. Click + Add policy

5. Fill in the fields:

Field	What to enter
Domain	The base domain of the API (e.g. api.yourservice.com)
Header name	The authentication header name (e.g. Authorization)
Header value	The full header value including scheme (e.g. Basic abc123== or Bearer sk-...)

1. Click Save policies

Note: Header name and value must always be filled in together — you cannot save one without the other.

Wildcard domains

To allow all subdomains of a domain, use a wildcard:

*.yourservice.com

This matches api.yourservice.com, store.yourservice.com, etc., but not yourservice.com itself.

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Authentication

Different APIs use different auth schemes. Here's how to configure each one.

Basic Auth

Basic Auth encodes your credentials as a base64 string. Most APIs that use Basic Auth expect username:password or api_key: (with an empty password).

Step 1 — Generate the base64 value:

echo -n "YOUR_API_KEY:" | base64

The colon at the end is required — it separates username:password. If there's no password, leave it empty after the colon.

Step 2 — Add the policy:

Field	Value
Domain	api.yourservice.com
Header name	Authorization
Header value	Basic <your base64 output>

Bearer Token

Field	Value
Domain	api.yourservice.com
Header name	Authorization
Header value	Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Custom API Key header

Some APIs use a custom header name instead of Authorization:

Field	Value
Domain	api.yourservice.com
Header name	X-API-Key
Header value	YOUR_API_KEY

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Writing instructions for your agent

Once the policy is saved, you need to tell your agent when and how to use it. Add instructions in the Instructions tab.

Example — look up an order

When a customer asks about their order status, look it up using their order number.

Use the web_request tool:
- Method: GET
- URL: https://api.yourservice.com/orders/{order_number}

Return the order status, items, and estimated delivery date to the customer.

Example — look up shipping status

When a customer asks where their package is, look up the shipment details.

Use the web_request tool:
- Method: GET
- URL: https://api.yourservice.com/shipments?orderNumber={order_number}

Return the tracking number, carrier, and current status to the customer.

Example — trigger an action (POST)

When a customer requests a cancellation, cancel the order via the API.

Use the web_request tool:
- Method: POST
- URL: https://api.yourservice.com/orders/{order_id}/cancel
- Payload: { "reason": "customer request" }

Confirm the cancellation to the customer once done.

The agent will automatically use the auth headers from your Network Access policies — you do not need to include credentials in your instructions.

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How GET and POST requests work

Your agent can make four types of requests. The most common are GET (fetch data) and POST (create or trigger something).

GET — fetching data

Use GET to retrieve information. Any parameters you specify are passed as query string values.

Method: GET
URL: https://api.yourservice.com/orders/{order_id}

POST — sending data

Use POST to create records or trigger actions.

Method: POST
URL: https://api.yourservice.com/orders/{order_id}/cancel
Payload: { "reason": "customer request" }

POST and PATCH requests send the payload as a JSON body. GET requests send it as query parameters.

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End-to-end example

This shows how to combine Network Access with a helpdesk so the agent can look up live data and respond to customers automatically.

1. Add Network Access policies

In Settings > Network Access, add a policy for each API you want the agent to access:

Domain	Header name	Header value
api.your-orders-system.com	Authorization	Basic <base64 credentials>
api.your-shipping-system.com	Authorization	Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

2. Connect your helpdesk

Set up your helpdesk integration (e.g. Zendesk) and configure the agent to reply via your chosen channels (messaging, email, etc.).

3. Write agent instructions

You are a customer support agent.

When a customer asks about an order:
1. Ask for their order number if not provided
2. Look up the order:
   GET https://api.your-orders-system.com/orders?number={order_number}
3. If the order has shipped, look up tracking:
   GET https://api.your-shipping-system.com/shipments?orderNumber={order_number}
4. Respond with the order status, items ordered, and tracking information

Always be friendly and concise. If the order is not found, ask the customer to double-check their order number.

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Troubleshooting

"Header name and value need to be filled in together"

Both fields must be filled in before saving. If you want to allow a domain without any auth headers, leave both fields empty.

"Outbound request to 'api.example.com' is not allowed"

The domain you're requesting is not in your Network Access policies. Check that:

• The domain in the policy matches the hostname exactly (e.g. api.yourservice.com, not https://api.yourservice.com/v1/orders)

• You clicked Save policies after adding the domain

The API returns 401 Unauthorized

• For Basic Auth: make sure you ran echo -n "key:" | base64 with the trailing colon

• For Bearer tokens: make sure the value starts with Bearer (with a space)

• Double-check that the API key is still valid in the third-party dashboard