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Experimental config

The experimental config file is an optional JSON file used to enable experimental features and advanced runtime settings for an agent.

It can be used for things such as:

  • feature flags
  • ASR tuning
  • conversation control
  • debug-oriented options

Location

The file lives at:

agent_settings/experimental_config.json

What it contains

The file is a JSON object.

It may be:

  • flat
  • nested
  • grouped by feature category

Top-level keys represent feature areas, and values contain the settings for those features.

Example

{
  "asr": {
    "disable_itn": true,
    "eager_final": true
  },
  "conversation_control": {
    "enhanced_tts_preprocessing_enabled": false,
    "max_silence_count": 1000,
    "min_chunk_size": 1
  }
}

Schema and validation

Available features and their types are defined in:

src/poly/resources/experimental_config_schema.yaml

The ADK validates experimental_config.json against this schema when you run:

poly validate

If the configuration is invalid, it will fail validation locally. Invalid experimental config in deployed agents is not read by the runtime.

Validate before pushing

Because experimental config can affect runtime behavior in subtle ways, it should always be validated locally before changes are pushed.

When to use it

Use experimental config when you need behavior that goes beyond the standard Agent Studio settings.

Common use cases include:

  • ASR and TTS tuning

    Adjust speech recognition or speech output behavior beyond the standard channel settings.

  • Experimental platform features

    Enable features before they are generally available.

  • Conversation control

    Tune parameters such as silence handling or chunk size behavior.

Best practices

  • only set values you actually intend to override
  • omit defaults rather than copying them unnecessarily
  • validate locally with poly validate before pushing
  • remove flags that are no longer needed
  • treat the file as an advanced override layer, not a dumping ground for ordinary config

  • Agent settings

    See where experimental config sits within the broader agent settings area. Open agent settings

  • Speech recognition

    Compare experimental ASR controls with standard voice speech-recognition settings. Open speech recognition