Test Profile

What is a Test Profile?

A test profile gives your evaluator a specific identity with personal information such as name, date of birth, address, phone number, and other relevant details. This allows the evaluator to provide consistent, realistic identity information during conversations with your AI agent.

When to Use Test Profiles

Test profiles are essential when your AI agent needs to:

Verify Identity: Confirm the caller’s identity before proceeding with sensitive actions
Lookup Records: Find specific accounts, appointments, or orders based on personal information
Personalize Interactions: Address the caller by name or reference their specific details
Authenticate Users: Verify security questions or personal details

Common Use Cases

Scenario	Required Information	Example
Healthcare Appointment	Name, DOB, Phone Number	”I’m calling to cancel my appointment”
Banking Support	Name, Account Number, DOB, Address	”I need help with my account”
E-commerce Returns	Name, Order Number, Email	”I want to return an order”
Hotel Reservations	Name, Confirmation Number, Check-in Date	”I need to modify my reservation”

How Test Profiles Work

Setup Process

Create Test Data in Your System: Add mock records (appointments, accounts, orders) with specific test information
Create Matching Test Profile: Create a test profile with the same information in Cekura
Attach to Evaluator: Assign the test profile to your evaluator
Run Tests: The evaluator will use the profile information during conversations

Example: Clinic Receptionist

Let’s say you have a clinic receptionist AI agent that can cancel appointments. The agent verifies identity by asking for the patient’s date of birth before cancellation. Step-by-Step Setup:

Create mock appointment in your system

Create a test appointment with:

Patient Name: John Smith
Date of Birth: January 1, 2000
Appointment Date: March 15, 2025
Appointment ID: APT-12345

Create matching test profile in Cekura

Create a test profile with:

Name: John Smith
Date of Birth: January 1, 2000
Additional Notes: “Appointment ID: APT-12345”

Create evaluator with instructions

Create an evaluator with instructions: “Call to cancel the appointment scheduled for March 15, 2025. Provide date of birth when asked for verification.”

Attach test profile to evaluator

Assign the “John Smith” test profile to this evaluator.

During Testing: When the evaluator converses with your agent:

Evaluator: “Hi, I’d like to cancel my appointment.”
Agent: “I can help with that. Can I have your date of birth for verification?”
Evaluator: “January 1, 2000” (from test profile)
Agent: “Thank you. I see you have an appointment on March 15, 2025. Would you like to cancel this?”
Evaluator: “Yes, please.”
Agent: “Your appointment has been cancelled. Your confirmation number is APT-12345.”

Test Profile Fields

A test profile can include:

Name: First and last name
Date of Birth: DOB in various formats
Address: Full mailing address
Phone Number: Contact number
Email: Email address
Account/Customer ID: Unique identifiers
Security Information: Answers to security questions
Custom Fields: Any additional information your agent might need

Keep Test Profiles Organized: Use clear naming conventions like “Customer-Banking-Premium” or “Patient-Dental-Regular” to easily identify which test profile to use for different scenarios.

Profile Sections — Main Agent vs Testing Agent

A test profile’s information is split into two sections so each value reaches only the right consumer:

Section	Sent to	What goes here
`main_agent_variables`	The agent under test (over the wire as dynamic variables — `assistantOverrides.variableValues` on VAPI, `retell_llm_dynamic_variables` on Retell, `request_data` on Bland, etc.)	Values your production agent already expects to receive at call start: `user_id`, `account_id`, `order_id`, signed customer-id tokens — anything your agent is configured to read as a registered dynamic variable.
`testing_agent_variables`	The testing agent (Cekura’s simulated caller)	Persona / context the simulator uses to play the caller: `customer_name`, `date_of_birth`, story details, situational facts. These never reach the agent under test.

Sectioned example:

{
  "main_agent_variables": {
    "user_id": "U-42",
    "account_id": "ACCT-99",
    "order_id": "ORD-2024-98765"
  },
  "testing_agent_variables": {
    "customer_name": "Sarah Johnson",
    "date_of_birth": "1986-04-12",
    "story": "Wants to return a blue sweater that didn't fit."
  }
}

Why split? Persona PII like customer_name shouldn’t be sent to the agent under test as a dynamic variable unless your agent registered it. Conversely, dynamic-variable values your production code expects shouldn’t leak into the testing agent’s persona prompt. The split keeps each side honest.

Both sections are optional. Set only the ones you need:

If your agent has no registered dynamic variables, omit main_agent_variables (or leave it {}) — there’s nothing for it to deliver. Put persona/context for the simulated caller in testing_agent_variables only.
If you only need to send dynamic-variable values and don’t need to brief the simulated caller separately, populate main_agent_variables and leave testing_agent_variables empty (or omit it).
Both empty / both missing is also valid — the profile then has no information payload but can still be attached to a scenario for naming purposes.

Custom Headers for SIP and WebSocket Runs

For SIP and WebSocket runs, keys in main_agent_variables that start with X- are additionally sent as custom headers during connection setup:

SIP runs: sent as custom SIP headers in the INVITE request
WebSocket runs: sent as custom HTTP headers during the WebSocket upgrade

This is the only way to pass custom headers to your agent for these connection types. Reserved system headers (X-Run-Id, X-Scenario-Id, X-Result-Id) are always set by Cekura and cannot be overridden. Example:

{
  "main_agent_variables": {
    "X-Auth-Token": "abc123xyz",
    "X-Customer-Tier": "premium",
    "user_id": "U-42"
  },
  "testing_agent_variables": {
    "customer_name": "Jane Smith"
  }
}

In this example:

X-Auth-Token and X-Customer-Tier are sent as custom headers (SIP or WebSocket)
user_id is sent as a dynamic variable to the agent
customer_name stays on the testing agent and is NOT sent over the wire

Use custom headers to pass authentication tokens, routing metadata, or infrastructure flags to your SIP or WebSocket endpoint. See the SIP integration guide and WebSocket integration guide for full details.

Using Test Profile Variables in Instructions

You can reference test profile fields directly in your evaluator instructions using template variables. This gives you precise control over which values appear in your instructions.

Template Syntax

Use the {{test_profile.field_name}} syntax to insert test profile values into your instructions: Dot notation for simple fields:

{{test_profile.name}}
{{test_profile.phone_number}}
{{test_profile.account_id}}

Dot notation for nested fields:

{{test_profile.address.city}}
{{test_profile.address.zip}}

Bracket notation (useful for keys with spaces):

{{test_profile['customer name']}}
{{test_profile["order id"]}}

Example

Generic instructions:

Call to cancel the appointment. Provide your date of birth when asked.

With template variables:

Call to cancel the appointment scheduled for {{test_profile.appointment_date}}.
When asked for verification, provide your date of birth: {{test_profile.date_of_birth}}.
Your name is {{test_profile.name}} and your patient ID is {{test_profile.patient_id}}.

How It Works

When a test runs, template variables are replaced with actual values from the test profile. For example, if your test profile contains:

{
  "name": "John Smith",
  "date_of_birth": "January 1, 2000",
  "appointment_date": "March 15, 2025",
  "patient_id": "PT-12345"
}

The instructions become:

Call to cancel the appointment scheduled for March 15, 2025.
When asked for verification, provide your date of birth: January 1, 2000.
Your name is John Smith and your patient ID is PT-12345.

If a template variable references a field that doesn’t exist in the test profile, it will be replaced with an empty string. Make sure your test profile includes all fields you reference in your instructions.

When to Use Template Variables

Template variables are especially useful when:

You need the evaluator to provide exact values (like specific IDs or dates)
You’re testing multiple scenarios with different test profiles but the same instruction structure
You want to ensure consistency between your backend system and what the evaluator says

Best Practices

1. Synchronize Test Data

Ensure your test profile information matches exactly what exists in your backend system. Mismatches will cause verification failures.

❌ Incorrect:
System DOB: 01/01/2000
Profile DOB: 1 January 2000
(Agent might not match these formats)

✅ Correct:
System DOB: 01/01/2000
Profile DOB: 01/01/2000

2. Create Multiple Test Profiles

Build a library of test profiles for different scenarios:

Happy path scenarios (everything matches perfectly)
Edge cases (partial information, multiple matches)
Negative scenarios (wrong information, no matches)

3. Update Profiles Regularly

When your system’s data structure changes, update your test profiles accordingly. Outdated profiles lead to failed tests that don’t reflect real issues.

Example: E-commerce Support Agent

Scenario: Testing an AI agent that handles order returns Test Profile Setup:

{
  "name": "Sarah Johnson",
  "email": "sarah.j@email.com",
  "order_number": "ORD-2024-98765",
  "order_date": "February 10, 2025",
  "phone": "+1-555-0123",
  "shipping_address": "123 Main St, Apt 4B, New York, NY 10001"
}

Corresponding System Data: Create a test order in your e-commerce system with:

Order ID: ORD-2024-98765
Customer Email: sarah.j@email.com
Order Date: February 10, 2025
Status: Delivered
Items: Blue Sweater (Medium), Size: M, Price: $49.99

Evaluator Instructions: “Call to return the blue sweater from your recent order. Provide order number and email when asked. State that the size doesn’t fit and you’d like a refund.” Expected Outcome: “The agent successfully initiates a return, provides a return label, and confirms the refund timeline.”

Testing Without Test Profiles

For evaluators that don’t require identity verification or personalization, test profiles are optional. Examples include:

General information inquiries
FAQ testing
Menu navigation testing
Opening hours requests

In these cases, the evaluator’s instructions alone are sufficient to guide the conversation.

Get Started

Key Concepts

Guides

Integrations

Advanced

What is a Test Profile?

When to Use Test Profiles

Common Use Cases

How Test Profiles Work

Setup Process

Example: Clinic Receptionist

Test Profile Fields

Profile Sections — Main Agent vs Testing Agent

Custom Headers for SIP and WebSocket Runs

Using Test Profile Variables in Instructions

Template Syntax

Example

How It Works

When to Use Template Variables

Best Practices

1. Synchronize Test Data

2. Create Multiple Test Profiles

3. Update Profiles Regularly

Example: E-commerce Support Agent

Testing Without Test Profiles

​What is a Test Profile?

​When to Use Test Profiles

​Common Use Cases

​How Test Profiles Work

​Setup Process

​Example: Clinic Receptionist

​Test Profile Fields

​Profile Sections — Main Agent vs Testing Agent

​Custom Headers for SIP and WebSocket Runs

​Using Test Profile Variables in Instructions

​Template Syntax

​Example

​How It Works

​When to Use Template Variables

​Best Practices

​1. Synchronize Test Data

​2. Create Multiple Test Profiles

​3. Update Profiles Regularly

​Example: E-commerce Support Agent

​Testing Without Test Profiles

What is a Test Profile?

When to Use Test Profiles

Common Use Cases

How Test Profiles Work

Setup Process

Example: Clinic Receptionist

Test Profile Fields

Profile Sections — Main Agent vs Testing Agent

Custom Headers for SIP and WebSocket Runs

Using Test Profile Variables in Instructions

Template Syntax

Example

How It Works

When to Use Template Variables

Best Practices

1. Synchronize Test Data

2. Create Multiple Test Profiles

3. Update Profiles Regularly

Example: E-commerce Support Agent

Testing Without Test Profiles