Chat-Based Testing

Overview

Test your voice agents using text instead of phone calls. 10x faster and 90% cheaper - ideal for workflow validation, regression testing, and CI/CD pipelines. Use voice testing for ASR/TTS validation and final production checks.

Supported Providers

Configure Chat Provider

Go to Agent Settings → Chatbot Integrations
Select ElevenLabs from provider dropdown
Enter your Assistant ID from ElevenLabs
Save configuration

Run Tests

Go to Evaluator page
Select scenarios
Click “Run as Text” button

View Results

Results appear in the dashboard with conversation transcript, metric evaluations, and function calls.

Create Pathway in Bland

Log in to Bland dashboard
Navigate to Conversational Pathways
Click “Create Pathway” or duplicate a template
Build your conversation flow using nodes and edges
Test and publish your pathway

Get Pathway ID

In Bland dashboard, open your pathway
Copy the Pathway ID from the URL or pathway settings
Format: UUID like 9d404c1b-6a23-4426-953a-a52c392ff8f1

Configure in Cekura

Go to Agent Settings → Chatbot Integrations
Select Bland from provider dropdown
Enter your Pathway ID in the Chat Assistant ID field
Ensure Bland API key is configured in credentials
Save configuration

Run Tests

Go to Evaluator page
Select scenarios
Click “Run as Text”
View conversation transcript and metrics

Set Up WebSocket Server

Use the example implementation or build your own:

git clone https://github.com/vocera-ai/llm-websocket-server-example.git
cd llm-websocket-server-example
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
python main.py

Update your OpenAI API key in main.py before starting the server.

Authentication:When Cekura connects to your WebSocket server, it includes the following headers in the handshake request:

Header	Description
`X-VOCERA-SECRET`	Your Cekura API key. Use this to verify the connection is from Cekura.
`X-VOCERA-SCENARIO-ID`	The ID of the scenario being tested.
`X-VOCERA-RESULT-ID`	The result ID for this test run.
`X-VOCERA-RUN-ID`	The run ID for this test execution.

Any custom headers configured in your agent’s WebSocket header settings are also included.To authenticate incoming connections, validate the X-VOCERA-SECRET header against your API key:

async def handle_websocket(websocket, path):
    secret = websocket.request_headers.get("X-VOCERA-SECRET")
    if secret != YOUR_API_KEY:
        await websocket.close(1008, "Unauthorized")
        return
    # Handle messages...

WebSocket Message Format:Messages your server sends to Cekura (your agent’s messages):Regular message:

{
  "content": "Hello! How can I help you today?"
}

Function call:

{
  "role": "Function Call",
  "data": {
    "id": "call_abc123",
    "name": "get_weather",
    "arguments": "{\"location\": \"New York\"}"
  }
}

Function call result:

{
  "role": "Function Call Result",
  "data": {
    "id": "call_abc123",
    "result": "{\"temperature\": 72, \"unit\": \"fahrenheit\"}"
  }
}

Messages Cekura sends to your server (testing agent messages):Regular message:

{
  "content": "I'd like to book an appointment for tomorrow"
}

End call message:

{
  "content": "Thank you, goodbye!",
  "type": "end_call"
}

When your server receives a message with "type": "end_call", the conversation is ending. Your server can handle cleanup and connection closure gracefully.

See Custom Integration Guide for complete message format details.

Expose Server

For local development, use ngrok:

ngrok http 127.0.0.1:8765

Convert the https:// URL to wss:// for WebSocket connection.

Configure in Cekura

Go to Agent Settings → Chatbot Integrations
Select Custom from provider dropdown
Enter your WebSocket URL (starting with wss://)
Save configuration

Run Tests

Go to Evaluator page
Select scenarios
Click “Run as Text”

Test Profile Headers

When test profile is attached on your Evaluator and run it as WebSocket Chat, any fields in the test profile starting with X- are automatically sent as HTTP headers to your WebSocket server during connection establishment. This allows your server to receive user context before the conversation begins.Example Test Profile:

{
  "name": "Sarah Johnson",
  "email": "sarah.j@email.com",
  "X-Customer-ID": "CUST-98765",
  "X-Account-Tier": "premium"
}

Headers Your Server Receives:

X-Customer-ID: CUST-98765
X-Account-Tier: premium
X-VOCERA-SECRET: <api-key>
X-VOCERA-RUN-ID: <run-id>
X-VOCERA-SCENARIO-ID: <scenario-id>
X-VOCERA-RESULT-ID: <result-id>

Python WebSocket Server Example:

async def handle_connection(websocket, path):
    headers = websocket.request_headers

    customer_id = headers.get('X-Customer-ID')
    account_tier = headers.get('X-Account-Tier')

    # Pre-load customer data before conversation starts
    customer_data = await fetch_customer(customer_id)

    # Customize behavior based on tier
    if account_tier == 'premium':
        enable_priority_support()

    # Now handle the conversation...

Only fields starting with X- are sent as headers. Other fields remain available for use in evaluator instructions via template variables like {{test_profile.name}}.

Use Cases:

Pre-load customer/user data before conversation starts
Route to specific handlers based on account tier or customer type
Initialize session context with user preferences

Run chat tests programmatically via API.For complete API documentation including authentication, request parameters, response format, and code examples in multiple languages, see:Run Evaluator Text API Reference

Quick Example

curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.cekura.ai/test_framework/v1/scenarios/run_scenarios_text/ \
  --header 'X-CEKURA-API-KEY: <api-key>' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
    "agent_id": 123,
    "scenarios": [456, 789],
    "frequency": 1,
    "name": "Chat Test Run"
  }'

Troubleshooting

Error: "Chat provider not configured"

Solution:

Go to Agent Settings → Chatbot Integrations
Select a provider (ElevenLabs, Retell, Vapi, or Custom)
Enter required configuration (Assistant ID or WebSocket URL)
Save and retry

Tests timing out

Common causes:

Incorrect Assistant/Agent ID
Custom WebSocket server not accessible
Agent disabled or unpublished

Debug steps:

Verify your ID is correct
For Custom: check server is running and URL is accessible
Test provider’s API directly
Check Cekura dashboard for error details

Cannot find "Run as Text" button

Checklist:

✅ Chat provider configured in Agent Settings
✅ On Evaluator page (not Calls/Runs)
✅ At least one scenario selected

Button appears next to “Run Tests” in Evaluator header. Refresh page if not visible.

Tips

Use chat tests for rapid iteration and CI/CD. Run voice tests on critical scenarios before production deployment.

Tag scenarios as “critical” or “smoke-test” to run targeted test suites in your pipeline.

Next Steps

Need help? Contact support@cekura.ai

Get Started

Key Concepts

Guides

Integrations

Advanced

Chat-Based Testing

Overview

Supported Providers

Test Profile Headers

Quick Example

Troubleshooting

Tips

Next Steps

Get Started

Key Concepts

Guides

Integrations

Advanced

​Overview

​Supported Providers

​Test Profile Headers

​Quick Example

​Troubleshooting

​Tips

​Next Steps

Overview

Supported Providers

Test Profile Headers

Quick Example

Troubleshooting

Tips

Next Steps