Login to transfer guest chat history to an authenticated Virtual Agent session

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated July 13, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
  • Elevate guest users to an authenticated session by logging in, and without losing chat context or history.

    Before you begin

    Role required: virtual_agent_admin or admin

    Ensure you've installed the Glide conversation server (com.glide.cs) plugin.

    About this task

    If you change your chat to another portal without logging in, your conversation is reset in the new context. By logging in, you can elevate chat sessions and preserve history and context. The login option is available in Australia, Patch 4, but you must activate the com.glide.cs plugin, and place the login topic block in your topic, to use it in your Virtual Agent chat. You can then use the login feature in Virtual Agent and Live Agent chat sessions, and in Virtual Agent API.

    The login feature is wrapped in the Glide Authentication block, which you must place in a topic. The topic block is then called when an action requires authentication, when you enter an utterance such as I want to sign in, or when a live agent sends you a login link.

    This topic block is automatically added to your instance as part of the com.glide.cs plugin.

    Session data is stored in the Conversation Sessions [sys_cs_sessions] table. Conversation data is stored in the Conversations [sys_cs_conversations] table, with user messages and system responses under the Conversation Message tab. There, you can find the message prompting the user to log in, or the user utterance requesting a login. Once the user takes action to log in, the page refreshes and the user is logged into the instance and the chat session. Your Conversation Consumer [sys_cs_consumer] record for the conversation is linked to the guest record in the Users [sys_user] table. When you login, you sign on to your [sys_user] record instead. The login feature retrieves all your Conversation Messages [sys_cs_message] records, and your Conversations [sys_cs_conversation] record, from your Conversation Consumer [sys_cs_consumer] record. These are all then transferred to the record linked to your User [sys_user] info, as part of the authenticated session.

    When you login during a guest chat, you sign on using your own user credentials. The guest user elevation feature then retrieves all the records from your active guest chats, and updates them to be associated with your logged in user.

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Conversational Interfaces > Assistant Designer.
    2. Select the Asset library tab.
    3. In the Asset library, select +Create to create a new topic, or open a topic you've created, where you want to put the login option.
    4. Add the glide_authentication topic block to your topic.
    5. Select Save.

    Result

    The login control is added to your chat, and a guest user can sign in as an authenticated customer.

    What to do next

    When you start a Virtual Agent session, use the login link that appears in the chat window to sign in with your account info, or a single sign-in via OAuth.

    ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent chat windows. The user selects "login to glide" and the Virtual Agent provides a Log in link.

    The user enters their login information and any authentication needed.

    The user is logged in, and the Virtual Agent chat window transfers the same conversation.

    Note:
    Depending on the instance, the buttons may have a different name such as Sign in.