Skip to main content
The genai_get_role function retrieves the role of a message at a specific position in a GenAI messages array. This allows you to understand who sent a particular message in the conversation (user, assistant, system, tool, etc.). You can use this function to validate conversation structure, analyze message patterns, verify conversation flow, or process conversations based on role sequences.

​
For users of other query languages

If you come from other query languages, this section explains how to adjust your existing queries to achieve the same results in APL.
In Splunk SPL, you would use mvindex to access the role field at a specific position.
| eval message_role=mvindex(role, 2)
In ANSI SQL, you would unnest the array and access the role at a specific offset.
SELECT 
  conversation_id,
  role as message_role
FROM conversations
CROSS JOIN UNNEST(messages) WITH OFFSET AS pos
WHERE pos = 2

​
Usage

​
Syntax

genai_get_role(messages, index)

​
Parameters

NameTypeRequiredDescription
messagesdynamicYesAn array of message objects from a GenAI conversation. Each message typically contains role and content fields.
indexlongYesThe zero-based position of the message whose role you want to retrieve. Use 0 for the first message, 1 for the second, etc.

​
Returns

Returns a string containing the role of the message at the specified index (such as ‘user’, ‘assistant’, ‘system’, ‘tool’, ‘function’), or an empty string if the index is out of bounds.

​
Example

Get the role of the first message in a GenAI conversation. Query 
['genai-traces']
| extend first_role = genai_get_role(['attributes.gen_ai.input.messages'], 0)
| summarize conversations_with_system = countif(first_role == 'system'), total_conversations = count()
Output
conversations_with_systemtotal_conversations
12501450
This query verifies that most conversations are properly initialized with system prompts.
  • genai_get_content_by_index: Gets content at a specific index. Combine with genai_get_role to understand both role and content at positions.
  • genai_message_roles: Lists all roles in the conversation. Use this to get a complete picture of all roles rather than checking individual positions.
  • genai_get_content_by_role: Gets content filtered by role. Use this when you need content from a specific role type.
  • array_length: Returns the total number of messages. Use this to validate index bounds before accessing positions.