Skip to main content

Getting Started with the Actions Dictionary: Connect, Enable, and Use Actions

Updated this week

This tutorial will teach you how to use elvex's Actions Dictionary to connect integrations, enable actions for your assistants, and accomplish real-world tasks. By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to read a document from Notion and send an email summary using Gmail.

What You'll Learn

  • How to connect integrations to elvex

  • How to open and navigate the Actions Dictionary

  • How to enable specific actions for different assistants

  • How to use enabled actions in conversations

  • How to manage actions contextually across multiple assistants

What You'll Need

  • An elvex account with at least one assistant created

  • An external account in another tool (e.g. Notion, Google, Salesforce, etc.) that you want to connect to

Step 1: Connect Your Integrations

Before you can use actions in the dictionary, you need to connect the integrations you want to use.

Connect Notion

TODO: Link the connect integration tutorial from the assistant settings.

Connect Gmail

TODO: Link the connect integration tutorial from the assistant settings.

What you should see: Both integrations should now show as connected when you search for them.

Step 2: Open the Actions Dictionary

The Actions Dictionary gives you a complete view of all available integrations and lets you manage which actions are enabled for each assistant.

  1. Look for the Actions toolbar at the top of your elvex interface

  2. Click on the Actions Dictionary button (see Figure 1)

  3. The dictionary will open, showing all available integrations

Figure 1

What you should see: A list of integrations on the left side, with connected ones showing as available and disconnected ones showing as disabled.

Step 3: Navigate the Dictionary Interface

The Actions Dictionary is contextual - it shows different information based on which assistant you're currently using.

Understanding the Layout

  • Right side: Detailed actions for the selected integration

  • Top toolbar: Shows count of enabled actions for your current assistant

  • Filter options: Toggle to show only connected integrations

  • Search bar: Find specific actions by name

Figure 2

Key Features to Notice

  • Enabled vs Disabled: Enabled the integration actions are availalbe to use in the assistant, Disabled these actions are currently not connected to the assistant.

  • Disconnected: You need to connect before you can use this integration.

  • Action counts: The toolbar shows how many actions are enabled (e.g., "10 available actions for GitHub")

  • Contextual display: The dictionary changes based on which assistant you're viewing

Step 4: Enable Actions for Your Assistant

Now you'll enable the integration actions.

  1. In the Actions Dictionary, find the Integration you want to enable.

  2. Click the expand icon to open the integration details.

  3. You have two options:

    • Enable all actions: Toggle the main switch to enable all actions

    • Enable specific actions: Find and enable individual actions by clicking their respective switch on the right.

Figure 3

What you should see: The integration should now show as enabled for your current assistant, and you should see the action count update in the toolbar.

Step 5: Verify Your Enabled Actions

Before proceeding, verify that your actions are properly enabled.

  1. Look at the Actions toolbar at the top of the page

  2. You should see counts for your enabled integrations (e.g., "10 actions for Notion, 8 actions for Gmail")

  3. Click on these counts to quickly return to that integration in the dictionary

  4. Use the search function in the dictionary to find specific actions like "send email" or "search pages"

Step 6: Use Your Enabled Actions

Now you can use your enabled actions to accomplish the real-world task.

  1. Close the Actions Dictionary and return to your conversation

  2. Read the Notion document: Type something like:

Send an email to my contact "Jon Doe", subject "My first AI email"

What you should see: elvex will execute the requested action using the integrations you enabled.

Step 7: Managing Actions Across Different Assistants

The Actions Dictionary is contextual to each assistant. Here's how to manage actions for multiple assistants:

  1. Switch to a different assistant (if you have multiple)

  2. Open the Actions Dictionary again

  3. Notice the difference: The right side will show different enabled/disabled states for this assistant

  4. Enable different actions: You might want different assistants to have access to different sets of actions

For example:

  • Your "Research Assistant" might have Notion and web browsing enabled

  • Your "Communication Assistant" might have Gmail and Slack enabled

  • Your "Data Assistant" might have spreadsheet and database actions enabled

Step 8: Using Advanced Dictionary Features

Filter Connected Integrations Only

  1. In the Actions Dictionary, look for the "Show connected only" toggle

  2. Enable this filter to see only integrations you've already connected

  3. This helps focus on integrations you can actually use

Search for Specific Actions

  1. Use the search bar in the dictionary

  2. Search for specific action names like:

    • "send email"

    • "create page"

    • "search contacts"

  3. The dictionary will highlight matching actions across all integrations

Quick Access from Toolbar

  1. Click on integration names in the Actions toolbar (e.g., click "Gmail")

  2. This will open the dictionary and automatically navigate to that integration

  3. Useful for quickly managing specific integration settings

What You've Accomplished

Congratulations! You've successfully:

✅ Connected Integrations to elvex

✅ Opened and navigated the Actions Dictionary

✅ Enabled specific actions for your assistant

✅ Used enabled actions

✅ Learned to manage actions contextually across different assistants

✅ Discovered advanced dictionary features for filtering and searching

Next Steps

Now that you understand the Actions Dictionary, you can:

  • Explore other integrations: Connect and enable actions for Slack, Google Sheets, or other tools

  • Create specialized assistants: Set up different assistants with different action sets for specific workflows

  • Experiment with action combinations: Try workflows that use multiple integrations together

  • Manage action permissions: Fine-tune which actions each assistant can access

Tips for Success

  • Start small: Begin with just a few actions and gradually add more as you become comfortable

  • Be contextual: Think about which assistant should have access to which actions

  • Use the search: The dictionary search is powerful for finding specific functionality

  • Check connections: If actions aren't working, verify your integrations are still connected

  • Experiment: Try different combinations of actions to create powerful workflows

The Actions Dictionary is your control center for managing how your assistants interact with external tools. With practice, you'll be able to create sophisticated workflows that combine multiple integrations to accomplish complex tasks efficiently.

Did this answer your question?