OpenAI Ask Assistant

Plugin ID: openai_ask_assistant

Description

The Ask Assistant tool allows you to interact with GPT assistants to get intelligent responses to your questions. By connecting to your OpenAI assistant, you can leverage custom-trained GPT models with specific knowledge bases, tools, and capabilities to generate contextual responses.

Cost Information

• Cost: 4 credits

• PixelML Cost: $0.01 per request

Connection Requirements

Connection	Description	Required
OpenAI Connection	The OpenAI connection to use for the assistant.	Yes

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
assistant	string (dropdown)	Yes	-	The assistant which will generate the completion. Select from your available OpenAI assistants.
prompt	string	Yes	-	The text prompt to ask the assistant. This is your question or instruction for the assistant. Example: "What are the best practices for implementing authentication in a web application?"
memory_key	string	No	null	A memory key that will keep the chat history shared across runs. Leave empty to have your assistant without memory of previous messages. Use the same key across multiple requests to maintain conversation context.

Output

Field	Type	Description
messages	array	An array of assistant messages containing the conversation history and response.

AssistantMessage Structure

Each message in the messages array contains:

Field	Type	Description
id	string	Unique identifier for the message.
role	string	The role of the message sender (e.g., "assistant").
content	array	Array of content objects containing the message text and metadata.
created_at	integer	Unix timestamp of when the message was created.

How It Works

1. Assistant Selection: Choose the OpenAI assistant you want to interact with from your configured assistants

2. Prompt Processing: Your question or instruction is sent to the selected assistant

3. Context Management: If a memory key is provided, the conversation history is maintained across requests

4. Response Generation: The assistant generates a response based on its configuration, knowledge base, and your prompt

5. Message Return: The complete message history is returned, including the assistant's response

Use Cases

• Customer Support: Build automated support systems with custom knowledge bases

• Content Generation: Generate articles, documentation, or creative content with specialized assistants

• Code Assistance: Get programming help from assistants trained on specific frameworks or codebases

• Data Analysis: Ask questions about data patterns, insights, or interpretations

• Conversational AI: Create interactive chatbots with memory of past conversations

• Task Automation: Automate complex tasks using assistants with tool capabilities

Example Usage

Basic Question

Assistant: my-support-assistant
Question: "How do I reset my password?"
Memory Key: (empty)

Conversational Interaction with Memory

Assistant: my-coding-assistant
Question: "Can you help me write a Python function to parse JSON?"
Memory Key: "user_session_123"

Subsequent request:

Assistant: my-coding-assistant
Question: "Now add error handling to that function"
Memory Key: "user_session_123"

Data Analysis

Assistant: my-analytics-assistant
Question: "Analyze the sales trends from the data I uploaded and identify the top 3 growth opportunities"
Memory Key: "analysis_session_456"

Tips for Best Results

1. Be Clear and Specific: Provide clear, detailed questions or instructions for better responses

2. Use Memory Keys: For multi-turn conversations, use consistent memory keys to maintain context

3. Configure Your Assistant: Set up your OpenAI assistant with appropriate instructions, knowledge files, and tools

4. Choose the Right Assistant: Use different assistants for different domains or use cases

5. Provide Context: Include relevant background information in your prompt for more accurate responses

6. Iterative Refinement: Use follow-up questions with the same memory key to refine the assistant's output

Limitations

• Requires a valid OpenAI connection with access to assistants

• Response quality depends on the assistant's configuration and training

• Memory is maintained per memory key and may have storage limits

• Processing time varies based on the complexity of the prompt and assistant capabilities

• Costs are based on OpenAI's pricing model for assistant API usage

• Token limits apply based on the underlying model used by the assistant

Privacy & Compliance

• All data is processed according to OpenAI's terms of service and privacy policy

• Conversation history associated with memory keys is stored according to your OpenAI account settings

• Ensure compliance with your organization's data handling policies when sharing sensitive information

• Assistants may have access to uploaded files and knowledge bases as configured

• Users are responsible for ensuring appropriate use of assistant capabilities and outputs

Error Handling

Common error scenarios:

• Invalid Connection: Returns error if the OpenAI connection is not properly configured or has expired credentials

• Assistant Not Found: Returns error if the specified assistant doesn't exist or is inaccessible

• Rate Limiting: Temporary restriction if OpenAI API rate limits are exceeded

• Invalid Prompt: Returns error for empty or malformed prompts

• Token Limit Exceeded: Returns error if the conversation history or prompt exceeds token limits

• API Errors: Returns error for various OpenAI API issues (network, service unavailable, etc.)

• Permission Denied: Returns error if the connection doesn't have access to the specified assistant