---
title: "How to Create and Define a New API Action"
description: "Summary This article provides a walkthrough on how to create and define a new API action in the platform. It explains how to set a name for your action and use the auto-generate feature for the description, which helps the system understand user intent."
canonical_url: "https://help.brainfi.sh/articles/how-to-create-and-define-a-new-api-action-HcP01DDXTv"
md_url: "https://help.brainfi.sh/articles/how-to-create-and-define-a-new-api-action-HcP01DDXTv.md"
---
# How to Create and Define a New API Action

**Summary** This article provides a walkthrough on how to create and define a new API action in the platform. It explains how to set a name for your action and use the auto-generate feature for the description, which helps the system understand user intent.

**When to Use This** Use this guide when you need to start the process of creating a new action that will connect to an external API to resolve a customer query or perform a task. This is the first step before configuring the API endpoint itself.

**Step-by-Step Instructions**


1. Navigate to the **Actions** section from the main menu.
2. Click on **Create new action**.
3. From the options, select **API Action**.
4. In the **Action** field, enter a clear and descriptive name for what the action will do (e.g., "Find lead details by phone number").
5. (Optional) Click the **Auto-generate** button next to the **Description** field. This will create a brief description that helps the system understand when to trigger this action based on a user's question.

**Common Questions (FAQs)** **Q: What is the purpose of an API Action?** A: API Actions allow you to connect to external APIs and services to identify a customer's intent and take action based on it, such as retrieving information or redirecting the user.

**Q: Why is the action's description important?** A: The description helps the system understand the context and intent required to trigger the action. A good description ensures the action is activated when a user asks a relevant question.

**Troubleshooting Tips**

* **Action not being suggested:** If your action isn't being triggered in tests, refine the action name and description to be more specific and aligned with potential user questions.