Alexa Skill Not Calling Endpoint Under Certain Conditions - alexa

Question

I am developing an Alexa skill and testing it in the Alexa Developer Console. I am having issues with certain questions I ask will trigger no response. On these occasions, my endpoint is not getting called, or the DefaultFallback intent being fired.
I can re-produce the error and it only happens on certain questions. The debug log shows the entries below. I have deployed the skill to a device and get the same response (i.e. nothing). The skill remains open as I can continue to ask other questions and get a response.
If I substitute the word 'sausage' for certain words it gives no response, but using a word such as 'free' will return a response.
Run out of ideas about what is going on...
Event: Text.TextMessage
{
"event": {
"header": {
"namespace": "Text",
"name": "TextMessage",
"messageId": "messageId",
"dialogRequestId": "ba1efffc-b29e-4cef-bcc0-3ceb418b89ec"
},
"payload": {
"textMessage": "do you have any sausage samples"
}
},
"context": [
{
"header": {
"namespace": "System",
"name": "SettingsState",
"payloadVersion": "1"
},
"payload": {
"settings": [
{
"key": "com.amazon.alexa.characteristics.viewport.experiences",
"value": "[{\"arcMinuteWidth\":\"246\",\"arcMinuteHeight\":\"144\",\"canRotate\":\"false\",\"canResize\":\"false\"}]"
},
{
"key": "com.amazon.alexa.characteristics.viewport.shape",
"value": "RECTANGLE"
},
{
"key": "com.amazon.alexa.characteristics.viewport.pixelWidth",
"value": "1024"
},
{
"key": "com.amazon.alexa.characteristics.viewport.pixelHeight",
"value": "600"
},
{
"key": "com.amazon.alexa.characteristics.viewport.dpi",
"value": "160"
},
{
"key": "com.amazon.alexa.characteristics.viewport.currentPixelWidth",
"value": "1024"
},
{
"key": "com.amazon.alexa.characteristics.viewport.currentPixelHeight",
"value": "600"
},
{
"key": "com.amazon.alexa.characteristics.viewport.touch",
"value": "[\"SINGLE\"]"
}
]
}
},
{
"header": {
"namespace": "SpeechSynthesizer",
"name": "SpeechState"
},
"payload": {
"token": "amzn1.as-ct.v1.ThirdPartySdkSpeechlet#ACRI#ValidatedSpeakDirective_amzn1.ask.skill.8f0abe6c-a5e8-4585-912f-4e21df999811_6bf05e00-bc3a-4b1e-8b40-9664b36c0378",
"offsetInMilliseconds": 1000,
"playerActivity": "FINISHED"
}
},
{
"header": {
"namespace": "AudioPlayer",
"name": "PlaybackState"
},
"payload": {
"token": "",
"offsetInMilliseconds": 0,
"playerActivity": "IDLE"
}
},
{
"header": {
"namespace": "Alerts",
"name": "AlertsState"
},
"payload": {
"activeAlerts": [],
"allAlerts": []
}
},
{
"header": {
"namespace": "VisualFocusManager",
"name": "VisualFocusState"
},
"payload": {
"inFocus": {
"component": "ListRenderer",
"idleTimeInMilliseconds": 0
}
}
},
{
"header": {
"namespace": "AudioFocusManager",
"name": "AudioFocusState"
},
"payload": {
"dialog": {
"component": "SpeechSynthesizer",
"idleTimeInMilliseconds": 0
}
}
},
{
"header": {
"namespace": "ListRenderer",
"name": "RenderedListState"
},
"payload": {
"listToken": "amzn1.as-lt.v1.ThirdPartySdkSpeechlet#LRID#amzn1.ask.skill.8f0abe6c-a5e8-4585-912f-4e21df999811::JTEXd",
"itemsVisibleOnScreen": [],
"selectedItems": [],
"focusedItem": {},
"renderedItemDetail": {
"listItemIdentifier": "amzn1.as-lt.v1.ThirdPartySdkSpeechlet#LRID#amzn1.ask.skill.8f0abe6c-a5e8-4585-912f-4e21df999811::JTEXd",
"ordinalNumber": 1
},
"highestOrdinalSeen": 1,
"lastItemOrdinal": 1
}
}
]
}
Directive: SpeechRecognizer.RequestProcessingCompleted
{
"header": {
"namespace": "SpeechRecognizer",
"name": "RequestProcessingCompleted",
"messageId": "77057f6b-8f91-4fb4-aab0-c86efc934adc",
"dialogRequestId": "ba1efffc-b29e-4cef-bcc0-3ceb418b89ec"
},
"payload": {}
}
Directive: SkillDebugger.CaptureDebuggingInfo
{
"header": {
"namespace": "SkillDebugger",
"name": "CaptureDebuggingInfo",
"messageId": "c3175e0f-3c0a-450c-8ef4-5246ce2e1a31"
},
"payload": {
"skillId": null,
"timestamp": "2019-01-21T10:25:31.211Z",
"dialogRequestId": "ba1efffc-b29e-4cef-bcc0-3ceb418b89ec",
"skillRequestId": null,
"type": "ConsideredIntents",
"content": {
"intents": [
{
"name": "General_MobileApp",
"confirmationStatus": "NONE",
"slots": {
"Deliverables": {
"name": "Deliverables",
"value": "samples",
"resolutions": {
"resolutionsPerAuthority": [
{
"authority": "amzn1.er-authority.echo-sdk.amzn1.ask.skill.8f0abe6c-a5e8-4585-912f-4e21df999811.MARSHALLS_Deliverables",
"status": {
"code": "ER_SUCCESS_MATCH"
},
"values": [
{
"value": {
"name": "samples",
"id": "6ef9161b900632671022358216c7dfe7"
}
}
]
}
]
},
"confirmationStatus": "NONE"
},
"Company": {
"name": "Company",
"value": "you",
"resolutions": {
"resolutionsPerAuthority": [
{
"authority": "amzn1.er-authority.echo-sdk.amzn1.ask.skill.8f0abe6c-a5e8-4585-912f-4e21df999811.MARSHALLS_Company",
"status": {
"code": "ER_SUCCESS_MATCH"
},
"values": [
{
"value": {
"name": "Marshalls",
"id": "abfd923a6acfc93e81ba94b0310b47b2"
}
}
]
}
]
},
"confirmationStatus": "NONE"
},
"Media": {
"name": "Media",
"value": null,
"confirmationStatus": "NONE"
},
"Contact": {
"name": "Contact",
"value": null,
"confirmationStatus": "NONE"
}
}
}
]
}
}
}
Edit:
I now think a certain confidence score is not being met causing the intent not to fire (but not then calling the default fallback intent). If I ask 'flag laying patterns' the intent fires correctly and I get a full debug trace:-
If I ask 'flag laying sausages' then I get a small debug trace together with the same considered intent, but no answer and no endpoint call:-