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Introduction

With the Agentforce Context Protocol (ACP), empowering your Agentforce Agents with new skills is designed to be straightforward. Each ACP Connector automatically makes its capabilities available as a “Topic” within Agentforce Agent Builder. Similarly, each ACP Tool provided by a Connector is automatically available as an “Action” under that Connector’s Topic. This means administrators no longer need to manually register or discover individual Custom Actions for each capability. Instead, they can browse available Topics and their associated Actions directly in Agent Builder and add them to an Agentforce Agent’s skill set with a few clicks. This guide outlines the general principles for enabling these auto-generated Topics and Actions for your Agentforce Agents.

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Prerequisites

Before an administrator can add Topics and Actions to an Agentforce Agent in Agent Builder, ensure that:
  1. ACP Connectors are Configured: The ACP Connectors that provide the desired capabilities (e.g., Slack Connector, Data Cloud Connector, custom-built Connectors) are installed, configured, and their connections to the target systems are active and healthy. These Connectors are the source of the Topics and Actions that will appear in Agent Builder. (See guides under “Managing Your ACP Environment”).
  2. ACP Tools are Defined: The Connectors must have well-defined Tools. Each Tool automatically becomes an Action in Agent Builder.
  3. Agentforce Agent Platform is Active: Your Agentforce Agent system and Agent Builder are operational.
  4. ACP Registry is Populated: Connectors register themselves and their Tools with the ACP Registry. Agent Builder typically queries this registry to display available Topics and Actions.

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Enabling Capabilities in Agent Builder: The New Approach

The primary way to enable ACP capabilities for Agentforce Agents is by adding pre-defined Topics and Actions within Agentforce Agent Builder.

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1. Discovering Topics and Actions in Agent Builder

  • Browse by Topic: Administrators can navigate to the Agentforce Agent configuration in Agent Builder and browse a list of available “Topics.” Each Topic typically corresponds to an ACP Connector (e.g., “Slack,” “Salesforce Data Cloud,” “Shopify”).
  • View Actions within a Topic: Selecting a Topic will display all the “Actions” (i.e., ACP Tools) provided by that Connector. For example, the “Slack” Topic might show Actions like “Send Message,” “Create Channel,” “Get User Info.”

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2. Adding Topics or Individual Actions to an Agent

  • Add Entire Topic: Administrators can choose to add an entire Topic to an Agentforce Agent. This grants the agent access to all Actions (Tools) provided by that Connector. This is useful for giving an agent comprehensive capabilities for a specific system (e.g., full Slack interaction capabilities).
  • Add Specific Actions: Alternatively, administrators can select and add individual Actions from one or more Topics. This allows for more granular control, granting the agent only the specific skills it needs.
Once added, these Actions are available for the Agentforce Agent to use when responding to user requests or executing automated tasks. The Agentforce platform, leveraging its NLU/NLP capabilities, will map user intents to the most appropriate enabled Action.

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3. Configuring Permissions

While Topics and Actions are easily added in Agent Builder, permissions remain crucial:
  • Agentforce Agent Execution Permissions: The underlying execution context for the Agentforce Agent (e.g., its assigned user profile) must have the necessary permissions to invoke the ACP framework and, by extension, the Connectors and Tools.
  • ACP Connection User Permissions: The user credentials configured within each ACP Connector (often via Named Credentials) must have the appropriate permissions in the target system. For example, to use the “Create Salesforce Case” Action, the Connector’s configured user needs “Create” permission on the Case object in Salesforce.
  • Tool-Specific Permissions (if any): Some external systems or specific Tools might have their own fine-grained permission models that the Connector’s user must adhere to.

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4. Testing the Enabled Capabilities

After adding Topics/Actions to an Agentforce Agent:
  • Interact with the Agent: Give the Agentforce Agent commands or ask questions that should trigger the newly enabled Actions.
  • Monitor Logs: Check Agentforce Agent logs and ACP Activity Logs (if available) to confirm the correct Actions were invoked and the ACP Tools executed successfully.
  • Verify Outcome: Confirm the expected result occurred in the target system (e.g., a message appeared in Slack, a record was updated in Data Cloud).

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Example Scenario: Enabling “Post to Slack” and “Get Shopify Order”

An administrator wants their “Support Assistant” Agentforce Agent to be able to post updates to a Slack channel and retrieve order details from Shopify.
  1. Prerequisites Check:
    • The Slack Connector and Shopify Connector are installed and configured with valid credentials.
    • These Connectors provide Tools like slack_sendMessage and shopify_getOrderDetails.
  2. Agent Builder Configuration:
    • The administrator opens the “Support Assistant” agent’s configuration in Agent Builder.
    • Under “Available Topics,” they find “Slack” and “Shopify.”
    • From the “Slack” Topic, they add the “Send Message” Action.
    • From the “Shopify” Topic, they add the “Get Order Details” Action.
  3. Permissions Verification:
    • Ensure the Agentforce Agent’s execution profile can call the ACP framework.
    • Verify the Slack Connector’s user can post to the intended channels.
    • Verify the Shopify Connector’s user has read access to order information.
  4. Testing:
    • User: “Agentforce, tell the support team on Slack that case 123 is resolved.”
      • Agentforce Agent (ideally): Uses the “Send Message” Action (via Slack Connector) to post the update.
    • User: “Agentforce, what are the details for Shopify order #SO-98765?”
      • Agentforce Agent (ideally): Uses the “Get Order Details” Action (via Shopify Connector) to fetch and display the information.

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Best Practices for the New Model

  • Logical Connector and Tool Design: Well-designed Connectors (as Topics) and Tools (as Actions) with clear names and descriptions make discovery and enablement in Agent Builder intuitive.
  • Comprehensive Topic Grouping: Ensure Connectors group related Tools logically so that adding a Topic provides a coherent set of capabilities.
  • Clear Action Naming: The names of Tools (which become Action names) should be user-friendly and clearly indicate their function.
  • Security First: Always prioritize correct permission setup at both the Agentforce Agent level and the ACP Connector/target system level.
  • Documentation: While Agent Builder simplifies enablement, maintain documentation on available Connectors/Topics and their key Actions, especially for custom-built ones.
  • Iterative Rollout: When introducing new Connectors (and thus new Topics/Actions), consider an iterative rollout and thorough testing.

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Conclusion

The automatic availability of ACP Connector capabilities as Topics and ACP Tool capabilities as Actions in Agentforce Agent Builder significantly streamlines the process of empowering your Agentforce Agents. This approach allows administrators to quickly and easily enhance their agents with a wide array of skills, focusing on configuration through a user-friendly interface while relying on the robust ACP framework for the underlying integrations. Careful attention to Connector health and permissioning remains key to successful and secure operation.