Can I Build My Own Custom Actions for an AI Chatbot?
Not through a visual, no-code builder, no. AeroChat doesn’t currently have a drag-and-drop interface for defining your own custom actions the way some developer-focused platforms do. What it has instead is API access, which lets a developer build genuinely custom actions on top of AeroChat’s platform. Worth being upfront about that distinction before you go looking for a builder screen that doesn’t exist yet.
Your two real options today
| Option | What it does | Who can set it up |
|---|---|---|
| Custom instructions | Shapes how AeroChat speaks, behaves, and routes conversations, without writing code | Anyone on your team, no developer needed |
| API access | Lets a developer build genuinely custom actions and workflows on top of AeroChat | Requires development work |
The important thing to understand is that these solve different problems. Custom instructions change how the chatbot behaves and talks. They don’t let it do something new, like check a system that isn’t already connected, or take an action outside what AeroChat’s own features support. For that, you need the API. If you’re specifically after shaping behaviour and routing logic without code, that’s covered in full in how can I add custom business workflows to my chatbot.
What a genuinely custom action actually requires
Building a real custom action, something like a bespoke internal lookup or a system AeroChat doesn’t natively support, means defining a narrow tool the AI can call: a clear name, a specific job, a structured set of inputs, and an application layer that validates the request and actually executes it. That’s development work, not a settings toggle, regardless of which chatbot platform you’re using. The full framework for doing this safely, permission scoping, validation, approval steps, duplicate protection, is covered in how can I make my chatbot perform actions instead of just answering questions.
What most stores actually need instead of a custom action
Before reaching for the API, check whether AeroChat’s existing, no-code-friendly capabilities already cover what you’re picturing. A surprising amount of what people describe as “I need a custom action” turns out to be one of these:
- Routing a conversation to a specific person based on what’s said, no code, just custom instructions and conversation tagging.
- Pushing data to another tool when something happens, no code, a webhook connection on the Growth plan and above, covered in connecting your chatbot to your existing business software.
- Answering from a specific set of facts you control, no code, trained knowledge base content.
Reach for the API only once you’ve confirmed the thing you need genuinely isn’t one of the above, since that’s where the actual development effort starts.
Your next step
Write down exactly what you want the chatbot to do that it can’t do today. Check it against the three no-code options above first. If none of them fit and what you need really is a bespoke action against a system nothing else touches, that’s when it’s worth bringing in a developer and reviewing AeroChat’s API access together with them.
Frequently asked questions
Is a no-code custom action builder coming to AeroChat?
Not something to assume or promise to your team based on this article. Check AeroChat’s current feature documentation or ask AeroChat directly for the latest roadmap rather than relying on outdated information here.
Do I need to be a developer myself to use the API?
To build the custom action, yes, or you’ll need to bring one in. Once it’s built and working, your team can use it through the chatbot normally without touching code again.
What’s the difference between this and MCP?
API access lets a developer build AeroChat into a custom workflow or action. MCP is the reverse direction, letting an AI assistant like Claude or ChatGPT connect to your AeroChat account as a data source. Different mechanisms for different jobs; see connecting AeroChat’s MCP server if that’s what you’re actually after.
