Managing Spark actions

Use the Manage Spark Actions page to define which automated actions Spark can run and how it interacts with employees during execution.

On this page, you define:

• Which Agent actions, Remote actions, and Workflows Spark can run

• Whether Spark requires employee approval before running a Remote action or Workflow

• Which messages Spark displays before, during, and after action execution

These settings help you balance automation and operational control while ensuring clear and transparent action execution for employees.

Accessing Spark actions

To access the list of available actions, navigate to Spark > Manage actions.

Search

Use the search bar in the top-right corner of the page to locate an action by name. This narrows the displayed results and helps you focus on specific topics or issues.

Spark actions table

The table lists actions available to Spark. It is organized by:

• Name: The unique name of the action.

• Origin: Indicates from where the action originates.

• Purpose: Indicates whether the action is Diagnostic or Remediation. This applies to remote actions and agent actions.

• Type: Indicates whether the action is an Agent action, Remote action, or Workflow. To ensure quality and compatibility, agent actions are centrally managed by Nexthink. As a result, creating, configuring, or deleting agent actions is not supported.

• Category: Indicates the action category based on its purpose. This applies to Agent actions only.

• Platforms: The operating systems supported by the action.

• Spark permissions: Toggle on to allow Spark to use the selected Agent action.

Only actions explicitly enabled for Spark, by an administrator, appear in the Spark Actions table.

Additionally, Spark comes with a comprehensive set of built-in Diagnostics actions. These built-in actions require no configuration, activation, or management, enabling fluid employee support from day one. To keep management simple, only manageable Spark actions are listed in the Actions table.

Action menu

Select an action in the table, and click the action menu on the right side of the table to view the available options:

The actions may vary depending on the type of Spark actions.

• Details: View information about the selected action.

• Configure action approval: Define whether Spark should request employee consent before running the action.

• Employee messages: View the messages shown to the employee:

  • Before action execution

  • During action execution

  • After the action completes (optional)

• Edit: Edit the selected remote action or workflow.

• Execute action: Run the action on a relevant device to verify its behavior before enabling it for Spark.

Accessing action details

Explore the custom actions and Agent actions automatically installed as system content to understand what they do and how they improve device and employee experience.

To view specific action details, from the Manage actions page, open the action menu on the right side of the table, and select Details. The Details dialog provides a concise overview of the selected action, allowing you to quickly understand its behavior and scope. The dialog includes:

• Action name: The name of the Agent action, for example Start application.

• Description: A brief explanation of the action behavior and supported application types.

• Origin: The functional area the action belongs to, for example Application Management.

• Type: The action type, for example Agent action.

• Purpose: The intended use of the action, for example Remediation.

• Platforms: The supported operating systems, for example Windows.

Use this information to confirm that an Agent action fits your use case before enabling it for Spark.

Enabling Spark permissions

Use the Spark permissions column to enable or disable an Agent action, Remote Action, or Workflow. When you enable a Remote action or Workflow, the Configure action approval panel appears.

Configuring action approval

Use Configure action approval in the action menu to define whether Spark requires employee approval and how Spark communicates with the employee.

At this step, you define the messages Spark displays at each stage of the action lifecycle. These messages help employees understand what is happening and why.

In the configuration dialog, specify:

Execution mode:

• Ask for employee approval first: Spark prompts the employee before running the action.

• Run without employee approval: Spark executes the action automatically.

Employee messaging

Employee messaging varies by Spark action type.

Define the messages Spark displays at each stage of execution:

• Before execution: Explains why the action is required and what Spark is about to do.

• During execution: Informs the employee that the action is running and describes any temporary impact.

• After execution (optional): Confirms that the action has completed and explains what changed or what to do next.

These messages ensure transparency and support a positive employee experience.

Querying Agent actions with NQL

Refer to the Spark NQL capabilities documentation for more information.