Why does the Playground say the agent service is inactive?

The agent isn't active. Go to Assistant > Agents and turn on the switch in the agent's Status column, or select Activate in the row menu. Then ask your question again.

Why doesn't the Playground answer reflect my change?

The Playground answers from saved settings only. Select Save, start a new chat and ask again. Saved changes normally apply right away and can take up to about a minute.

Do shoppers see an agent I activate for testing?

Not until the agent is installed on your storefront. Activating an agent lets it answer in the Playground. Shoppers see the AI Shopping Assistant only on a storefront where it is installed.

Is my Playground conversation saved?

Closing the panel keeps the conversation. The console keeps one conversation for each agent in your browser and clears it from the panel when you leave the Agents area or log out. The conversation also shows in Logs.

Do Playground conversations show in Logs?

Yes. Each Playground conversation shows in Logs with your shoppers' conversations, so you can open it there and see which specialist agent answered.

Test changes in the Playground

Save your changes, then open the agent and select Playground at the top right. Ask the questions your shoppers ask. The Playground answers from saved settings. Today it replies only while the agent is active.

Before you start

Use the Playground after you change an agent’s settings, prompt instructions, custom workflows or training content, so you can check the AI Shopping Assistant’s replies before shoppers see them. The Playground is a chat panel inside the agent’s page in the console.

Two things decide what the Playground shows. Today the Playground doesn’t reply while the agent is inactive. Answers come from saved settings only, so select Save before you test.

Steps

Test a change

Make your change on the agent's tabs and select Save.
Go to Assistant > Agents and check that the agent's Status reads Active. If it doesn't, turn on the switch in the Status column or select Activate in the row menu.
Open the agent and select Playground at the top right. The Playground opens as a panel on the right side of the page.
Select New chat to start a fresh conversation, so earlier messages don't shape the reply.
Type a question in the message box and send it. Ask the way shoppers ask, including a short question and one with a typo. You can also drag an image into the message box to test a question about a photo.
Point at the reply and rate it with the buttons under it. Helpful sends your rating right away. Not helpful opens a list of reasons: select one or more, such as This is inaccurate, then select Submit to send the rating or Dismiss to close the list without one.

Make your change on the agent’s tabs and select Save.
Go to Assistant > Agents and check that the agent’s Status reads Active. If it doesn’t, turn on the switch in the Status column or select Activate in the row menu.
Open the agent and select Playground at the top right. The Playground opens as a panel on the right side of the page.
Select New chat to start a fresh conversation, so earlier messages don’t shape the reply.
Type a question in the message box and send it. Ask the way shoppers ask, including a short question and one with a typo. You can also drag an image into the message box to test a question about a photo.
Point at the reply and rate it with the buttons under it. Helpful sends your rating right away. Not helpful opens a list of reasons: select one or more, such as This is inaccurate, then select Submit to send the rating or Dismiss to close the list without one.
Repeat with each question your change should affect. Select New chat between unrelated questions.

Changes to the name, logo, colors, font size, product layout, welcome message and feedback buttons show in the Playground before you save. Use this to preview how the AI Shopping Assistant looks. Changes that affect answers, such as prompt instructions, custom workflows, advanced settings and training content, need a save first.

Use the Playground panel

The Playground header holds the agent’s logo and name and these controls.

Control	What it does
Expand	Opens the Playground full screen. Select Restore size to return to the panel
New chat	Starts a new conversation with the agent
Connection dot	Shows whether the Playground is connected to the agent
Close	Closes the panel. The conversation is kept for when you open it again
Reconnect	Replaces Close when the Playground loses its connection. Select it to connect again

The feedback buttons show under each reply only when Show feedback block is on in the agent’s General settings. A Neutral rating shows too when Show neutral feedback is on. Neutral opens a comment box. Submit sends the rating once you have written a comment. The Not helpful list adds a comment box when you select Something else.

Check that it worked

Ask the question that led to your change. The AI Shopping Assistant’s reply should use the new setting, rule or training content. Ask it two or three different ways to make sure the change holds.

To see which specialist agent answered, go to Logs and open the conversation. The Agent section shows the Routing agent. Playground conversations show in Logs alongside shopper conversations. How specialist agents work together explains what each one does.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
The Playground replies “The agent service is currently inactive. Please contact your administrator to activate it.”	Activate the agent on Assistant > Agents with the Status switch or Activate in the row menu
The reply ignores a change you made	Select Save on the agent. Then select New chat and ask again. Saved changes can take up to about a minute to apply
A new color or name shows but answers haven’t changed	Appearance changes show before you save. Answer changes don’t. Select Save and ask again
The header shows Reconnect	Select Reconnect. If it doesn’t connect, reload the page
Your earlier Playground conversation is gone	The conversation clears when you leave the Agents area or log out. Ask the question again in a new chat
Replies don’t use your training content	Check that the folder is selected under Training datasets on the General tab. See Add training documents
No feedback buttons show under replies	Turn on Show feedback block on the agent’s General tab

Frequently asked questions

Why does the Playground say the agent service is inactive?: The agent isn't active. Go to Assistant > Agents and turn on the switch in the agent's Status column, or select Activate in the row menu. Then ask your question again.
Why doesn't the Playground answer reflect my change?: The Playground answers from saved settings only. Select Save, start a new chat and ask again. Saved changes normally apply right away and can take up to about a minute.
Do shoppers see an agent I activate for testing?: Not until the agent is installed on your storefront. Activating an agent lets it answer in the Playground. Shoppers see the AI Shopping Assistant only on a storefront where it is installed.
Is my Playground conversation saved?: Closing the panel keeps the conversation. The console keeps one conversation for each agent in your browser and clears it from the panel when you leave the Agents area or log out. The conversation also shows in Logs.
Do Playground conversations show in Logs?: Yes. Each Playground conversation shows in Logs with your shoppers' conversations, so you can open it there and see which specialist agent answered.