a recommended way to configure a KB consultation node so it auto-continues without waiting for user input? a known issue related to KB lookup + workflow transitions in voice/chat agents? any best practice for separating the “I’m checking the manual” messa

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Hello Retell team,

We are seeing a recurring issue in both voice agents and chat agents when using a workflow that includes a Knowledge Base consultation step.

Issue

After the agent says something like:

  • “One moment, I’ll check the manual”

  • “Let me look that up in the KB”

the agent sometimes does not return to the conversation automatically after the KB lookup.

Instead, it appears to wait for another user message such as:

  • “ok”

  • “yes”

  • silence ending with another prompt from the user

Only after that extra user input does the agent continue to the next step.

Expected behavior

Once the issue is already identified and the agent reaches the KB consultation node, the agent should:

  1. consult the KB,

  2. decide internally whether there is a valid procedure or not,

  3. continue automatically to the next node / response,

without requiring an extra user message.

Actual behavior

The agent says it is checking the KB, but if the user stays silent, the conversation can get stuck there and does not resume on its own.

Impact

This is especially problematic in:

  • voice agents, because silence after “let me check” is natural,

  • chat agents, because users often wait after the agent says it is reviewing the manual.

It creates the impression that the agent is frozen, even though the KB step should already have enough context to continue.

Context

This happens in workflows where the structure is roughly:

  • greeting

  • issue identification

  • KB/manual consultation

  • if KB has a clear procedure → guide the user step by step

  • if KB does not have a clear procedure → fallback / escalation

So the problem is not that the user failed to provide context, but that the agent does not always continue automatically after the KB lookup.

Question

Is there:

  • a recommended way to configure a KB consultation node so it auto-continues without waiting for user input?

  • a known issue related to KB lookup + workflow transitions in voice/chat agents?

  • any best practice for separating the “I’m checking the manual” message from the actual internal KB decision step?

Thanks in advance.

1 Like
2

Hi @chgut31

You’re likely using a Conversation Node for the KB lookup step. Conversation nodes transition after the user speaks — so the agent says “let me check” and then waits for user input before transitioning.

Recommended fix — use “Skip Response”:

Enable Skip Response on the node where the agent says “let me check the manual.” This makes the agent transition automatically after it finishes speaking, without waiting for user input. You then connect it to the next node that actually processes the KB result.

Recommended architecture:

  1. Node A (with Skip Response ON): Agent says “One moment, I’ll check the manual” → auto-transitions to Node B without waiting for user input

  2. Node B: Has the KB attached at the node level, with transition conditions like “KB has a clear procedure” vs. “KB does not have relevant info” — this node processes the KB and responds

This separates the “I’m checking” message from the actual KB decision step, and the Skip Response setting ensures the agent doesn’t wait for user input between them.

KB retrieval happens automatically for every response generation — no special trigger is needed. Just attach the KB to the relevant node.

For more details you can see ( Conversation Node - Retell AI ) and ( Step 3: Add transition conditions - Retell AI )

Thank You