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title: Plugin Responses
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# Overview

Once a Plugin begins execution, it will send updates back to the AI Agent a few times. Our AI agent architecture automatically generates dialogs for you to create a more contextualized & personalized experience for each user.

![](https://files.readme.io/c4afcfe61aa4ac3d4262b44873545a7da32305d772f0388442809deef05c1b15-CleanShot_2024-12-11_at_20.20.102x.png)

1. **Confirmation** – this dialog is optionally shown before the turn executes. It's based on [your confirmation policy](/docs/policies#confirmation-policies).
2. **On Initiation** – this dialog is shown if your [plugin execution](/docs/plugin-execution) successfully starts. It's based on the first action's `on_pending` progress update from the plugin.
3. **On Progress Updates** – this dialog is shown for all subsequent progress updates from the plugin.
4. **On Completion**– this dialog is shown once your [plugin execution](/docs/plugin-execution) ends. Instead of a string, the AI agent will interpret any data structure you share.
   1. **Citations** – rich, verifiable cards to show underlying data from business systems. [Learn more here](/docs/citations-1).

You can use [our logs](/docs/logs) to discern how these messages are generated. Note that all messages are subject to [token limits](/docs/token-limitations).

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## Progress Update Instructions

Progress update instructions clarify how Copilot should present updates to users. Example:

* Clarify info to present in your progress updates (e.g. `on_pending: I'm looking through X different systems for pending tasks.` and `on_complete: I was able to find Y tasks`)

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## Plugin Result Instructions

Adding plugin result instructions clarifies how the AI Assistant should respond to users at the end of your plugin execution. These can be added in 2 ways:

* **(Recommended)** By adding instructions as a key-value pair in your workflow's output mapper (e.g. `display_instructions_for_model: <YOUR-CUSTOM-INSTRUCTION-HERE>`) or
* By adding instructions to your [plugin description](/docs/natural-language-triggers#triggering-instructions).

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Here are example scenarios when you should add plugin result instructions:

* Instruction to link similar plugins (e.g. `Inform users that you can help them book time off after viewing their timeoff balance`)
* Clarify how to present successful responses to users (e.g. `When returning meetings to users, ALWAYS show summary, start time, and url fields from the API response for each meeting record.`)

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# Troubleshooting

## Initiation message not accurate

Make sure you have set `progress_updates.on_pending` accurately for the FIRST action. **Progress Updates from other actions won't affect the initiation message.**

![](https://files.readme.io/6f59a9a2a7546c571e2d65c4120f982cdf5f9f7a3331eb15bf747a9cc4bcb693-CleanShot_2024-12-11_at_20.33.162x.png)

## Repetitive progress updates

If you're seeing a conversation experience like this:

![](https://files.readme.io/9b0da5122c50d62ce08a19b9151ff138364f515ac70d9edfe9470b245bd8246b-image.png)

One common mistake is leaving default progress updates in the Compound Action. Make sure to remove these progress updates.

![](https://files.readme.io/298dc6072781500ec06bdaf932e980c324fd5db09cb3cd0186acb1c5733dd357-CleanShot_2024-12-11_at_20.37.332x.png)

## Completion message not accurate

Make sure that your plugin response follows the [citation schema](/docs/citations-1). If you do not satisfy the citation object schema above, all data under the result or results key will be deleted from the plugin response.

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