Integrating External Systems
The Intelligent Actions agent (formerly External Tool Caller) lets an AI Employee execute concrete actions -- such as creating a ServiceNow ticket, filing PTO in Workday, or updating a Salesforce opportunity -- directly inside the target system, without writing code. More than 200 pre-integrated connectors are available.
Common Scenarios
| Scenario | Example Systems | Typical Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Employee Assistant | Workday, Jira | Submit time-off requests; open or update IT tickets |
| Finance and Audit | Coupa, SAP, NetSuite | Generate purchase orders; reconcile ledgers |
| Sales Intelligence | Salesforce, HubSpot | Enrich leads; advance opportunity stages |
Intelligent Actions Agent Anatomy
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Inputs | User query and, if needed, conversation history |
| Configuration | Allowed apps and tools (for example, Create Ticket in ServiceNow) plus high-level instructions that help the AI Employee choose the correct action |
| Output | Raw JSON returned by the external system; downstream agents transform this into end-user-friendly text |
The decision engine inside the agent evaluates the request, selects the appropriate tool, fills required parameters, executes the call, and returns the result for post-processing.
Using Pre-Built Tool Support
Step 1: Connect the App
Open the Integrations page and choose the target application (for example, ServiceNow). Select Connect against the "Intelligent Actions integration" field and complete OAuth or key-based authentication. When the connector card shows Connected, the application is available for use within the current tenant.
Step 2: Enable Specific Tools
Within the same application panel, switch to the Tools tab and enable only the desired actions (for example, Create Ticket, Update Ticket Description). This gives you granular control over which actions are in scope per application within your tenant.
Step 3: Add Intelligent Actions to Your Workflow
Drag the Intelligent Actions agent onto your workflow canvas. Connect it to the appropriate input source -- typically the workflow trigger or a prior logic block that handles user queries.
To display the output of the tool call, link the Respond with Tool Result agent immediately downstream. This response agent interprets both the original input query and the raw output from the Intelligent Actions agent, applying your configured instructions to return a user-friendly response.
Step 4: Configure the Intelligent Actions Agent
Once the agent is selected, a configuration panel appears on the right. Click + Add to open the tool selection menu. Choose your target application and select the specific tool actions you want to enable.
A single Intelligent Actions agent can support multiple applications and tools. It selects the appropriate tool within the correct system based on the context of the incoming user query.
Step 5: Configure Tool Parameters
Each tool may require a different set of input parameters. Click Manage against any tool to open its parameter configuration screen. For each input, you can specify:
- Fixed value -- Use a specific constant for a parameter (for example, always default the User ID to a predefined value).
Enabling Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) Review
Ema can pause execution and hand off control to a human reviewer before proceeding with a tool action. When HITL is enabled, the agent will prompt the user with a confirmation step. You can configure:
- The message text
- The button labels
You may also choose to hide specific parameters from the confirmation view (such as internal fields like User ID) to maintain clarity and protect sensitive data.
If your target system is not in the pre-built catalog, see Custom Integrations to connect any external API.