Variables are how your Tildei agent stores, accesses, and passes information during a conversation. Understanding the different variable types helps you build agents that are dynamic, personalized, and secure.

Variable Types

There are four variable types in Tildei, each with a specific scope and purpose:

agent_input

Values passed into the agent at the start of a conversation — typically from the channel or triggering event. For example, a customer's Instagram handle, their opening message, or metadata from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad.

Use when: You need context from the conversation trigger that the agent didn't collect itself.

variable

Values collected or computed by the agent during the conversation. These are set as the conversation progresses — for example, the service the customer chose, their preferred time slot, or a confirmation number from a booking API response.

Use when: You need to capture and carry forward something the customer told the agent, or store a value returned by a tool.

secret

Encrypted credentials used for authentication — API keys, bearer tokens, passwords. Secrets are stored encrypted and never exposed in conversation logs or responses.

Use when: You need to authenticate an HTTP_REQUEST tool call with a third-party system.

Reference syntax: {{secret.key_name}}

contact

Values from the contact's profile in Tildei — their name, phone number, email, and any custom or CRM-synced attributes. These are available automatically once a contact is identified.

Use when: You want to personalize the agent's responses or pre-fill booking fields with known customer data.