# Using Custom Actions ### About this export | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | **content_type** | lesson | | **platform** | contentstack-academy | | **source_url** | https://www.contentstack.com/academy/courses/ai-assistant-foundations/using-custom-actions | | **course_slug** | ai-assistant-foundations | | **lesson_slug** | using-custom-actions | | **markdown_file_url** | /academy/md/courses/ai-assistant-foundations/using-custom-actions.md | | **generated_at** | 2026-04-28T06:55:34.054Z | > Part of **[AI Assistant Foundations](https://www.contentstack.com/academy/courses/ai-assistant-foundations)** on Contentstack Academy. **Academy MD v3** — structured for retrieval; no quiz or assessment keys. #### Video details #### At a glance - **Title:** Using Custom Actions - **Duration:** 1m 35s - **Media link:** https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/FByB27HM - **Publish date (unix):** 1717356761 #### Streaming renditions - application/vnd.apple.mpegurl - audio/mp4 · AAC Audio · 113579 kbps - video/mp4 · 180p · 180p · 159050 kbps - video/mp4 · 270p · 270p · 187895 kbps - video/mp4 · 360p · 360p · 209670 kbps - video/mp4 · 406p · 406p · 227932 kbps - video/mp4 · 540p · 540p · 287604 kbps - video/mp4 · 720p · 720p · 402990 kbps - video/mp4 · 1080p · 1080p · 933720 kbps #### Timed text tracks (delivery) - **thumbnails:** `https://cdn.jwplayer.com/strips/FByB27HM-120.vtt` #### Transcript We just set up a custom action. Now let's use it. Navigate to the entries. Here I have an entry called Best Vacation Spots. I'll click it to enter the entry. Then I'll scroll down to the body where I want to display the Best Vacation Spots for Africa. To do this, I can click the AI Assistant icon towards the top of the element. Notice towards the top of the AI Assistant menu, you'll see your Vacation Spots action with the icon that you selected, by the way. In the custom action section, when you hover over it, notice you get a flyout menu with the different options we set up. And we also have that search field that we enabled. Not super helpful here, but if you did have 50 different sub actions, you could see how it would be helpful to filter out this list. In any event, choose Africa. When you do, the content will be generated and you should see a list of different Vacation Spots in Africa. As you can see, using custom actions with AI Assistant gives you the flexibility to add functionality to AI Assistant that works for your organization's specific needs. I would encourage you to experiment with additional custom prompts to really get the best out of this feature. But that's all for now. Thanks so much for joining me and I'll see you next time. #### Subtitles (WebVTT) ```webvtt WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.840 We just set up a custom action. Now let's use it. Navigate to the entries. Here I 2 00:00:09.840 --> 00:00:15.120 have an entry called Best Vacation Spots. I'll click it to enter the entry. Then 3 00:00:15.120 --> 00:00:19.880 I'll scroll down to the body where I want to display the Best Vacation Spots 4 00:00:19.880 --> 00:00:25.820 for Africa. To do this, I can click the AI Assistant icon towards the top of the 5 00:00:25.820 --> 00:00:31.340 element. Notice towards the top of the AI Assistant menu, you'll see your 6 00:00:31.340 --> 00:00:36.700 Vacation Spots action with the icon that you selected, by the way. In the custom 7 00:00:36.700 --> 00:00:42.200 action section, when you hover over it, notice you get a flyout menu with the 8 00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:47.100 different options we set up. And we also have that search field that we enabled. 9 00:00:47.100 --> 00:00:52.460 Not super helpful here, but if you did have 50 different sub actions, you could 10 00:00:52.460 --> 00:00:58.420 see how it would be helpful to filter out this list. In any event, choose Africa. 11 00:00:58.420 --> 00:01:02.940 When you do, the content will be generated and you should see a list of 12 00:01:02.940 --> 00:01:09.940 different Vacation Spots in Africa. As you can see, using custom actions with AI 13 00:01:09.940 --> 00:01:15.860 Assistant gives you the flexibility to add functionality to AI Assistant that 14 00:01:15.860 --> 00:01:22.420 works for your organization's specific needs. I would encourage you to experiment 15 00:01:22.420 --> 00:01:27.060 with additional custom prompts to really get the best out of this feature. 16 00:01:27.060 --> 00:01:32.860 But that's all for now. Thanks so much for joining me and I'll see you next time. ``` ```transcript [00:00] We just set up a custom action. Now let's use it. Navigate to the entries. Here I [00:09] have an entry called Best Vacation Spots. I'll click it to enter the entry. Then [00:15] I'll scroll down to the body where I want to display the Best Vacation Spots [00:19] for Africa. To do this, I can click the AI Assistant icon towards the top of the [00:25] element. Notice towards the top of the AI Assistant menu, you'll see your [00:31] Vacation Spots action with the icon that you selected, by the way. In the custom [00:36] action section, when you hover over it, notice you get a flyout menu with the [00:42] different options we set up. And we also have that search field that we enabled. [00:47] Not super helpful here, but if you did have 50 different sub actions, you could [00:52] see how it would be helpful to filter out this list. In any event, choose Africa. [00:58] When you do, the content will be generated and you should see a list of [01:02] different Vacation Spots in Africa. As you can see, using custom actions with AI [01:09] Assistant gives you the flexibility to add functionality to AI Assistant that [01:15] works for your organization's specific needs. I would encourage you to experiment [01:22] with additional custom prompts to really get the best out of this feature. [01:27] But that's all for now. Thanks so much for joining me and I'll see you next time. ``` #### Key takeaways - Connect **Using Custom Actions** back to your stack configuration before moving to the next module. - Capture one concrete artifact (screenshot, Postman call, or code snippet) that proves the step works in your environment. - Re-read the delivery versus management boundary for anything you changed in the entry model. ## Supplement for indexing ### Content summary Using Custom Actions. Using Custom Actions in AI Assistant Foundations (ai-assistant-foundations). ### Retrieval tags - Using - Custom - Actions - ai-assistant-foundations - lesson 04 - Using Custom Actions - ai-assistant-foundations lesson ### Indexing notes Index this lesson as a primary chunk tagged with lesson_id "04" and topics: [Using, Custom, Actions]. Parent course slug: ai-assistant-foundations. Use asset_references URLs as thumbnail hints in search results when present. Never surface LMS quiz content or assessment answers from this file. ### Asset references | Label | URL | | --- | --- | | Video thumbnail: Using Custom Actions | `https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FByB27HM/poster.jpg?width=720` | ### External links | Label | URL | | --- | --- | | Contentstack Academy home | `https://www.contentstack.com/academy/` | | Training instance setup | `https://www.contentstack.com/academy/training-instance` | | Academy playground (GitHub) | `https://github.com/contentstack/contentstack-academy-playground` | | Contentstack documentation | `https://www.contentstack.com/docs/` |