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title: Choose how a flow starts description: Set the Flow Start block of a chatbot: keywords, match type, regex, templates, Meta ads, QR codes, custom events, intents and session settings.

Choose how a flow starts

Every flow begins at Flow Start. This block decides which customer message wakes the bot, and how the bot behaves while it runs. Follow this page to set keywords, add other ways to start, and set the timeout and the reply when the bot does not understand.

Before you start

How a flow can start

On a blank canvas, the menu How does this flow start? lists these choices.

Start What happens
Start WhatsApp flow Someone messages you a keyword. This is the chatbot start.
Form submitted A form on your site is filled in.
Run by hand You start it yourself, for example with Run test.
Email journey Someone joins a list or gets a tag.
Google Form response Someone answers your Google Form.
New Google contact A contact is added in Google Contacts.
Start from a recipe A complete ready-made flow opens on the canvas.

This page covers Start WhatsApp flow. For the other starts, see Build an automation flow.

Steps

Start a flow with a keyword

  1. Open your flow in the builder.
  2. On the blank canvas, click Add first step….
  3. Choose Start WhatsApp flow. The window Start a WhatsApp flow opens.
  4. In Keywords, type the words that wake the bot, for example hi, menu, order. Separate them with commas.
  5. Open Match when the message and choose one:
    • Has the keyword as a word: the keyword appears as a whole word in the message. This is the default.
    • Contains the keyword: the keyword appears anywhere in the message.
    • Is exactly the keyword: the message is only the keyword.
  6. In Test on this number, type the phone number that Run test sends the first message to, for example +91 98765 43210.
  7. In Session timeout (minutes), type how long the bot waits for a reply, for example 20. Use 1 minute to 7 days.
  8. Click Start building. The Flow Start card appears and its settings open in the Step panel.

A keyword can start only one bot

If another bot already uses a word, the window says "hi" already starts "Welcome bot". Pick another word, or pause that bot. Change the word or pause the other flow.

Set the Flow Start block

  1. Click the Flow Start card. Its settings open in the Step panel.
  2. Under Type, press enter to add keyword, type a word and press Enter. Repeat for each keyword.
  3. To use a pattern instead, switch on the toggle beside Enter regex to match substring trigger. Enable toggle for case sensitive regex.
  4. In Enter Regex, type the pattern, for example ^(hi|hello)\b.
  5. Under Add upto 1 template to begin flow, click Choose Template and pick an approved template. The flow also starts when a customer replies to that template.
  6. Under Add upto 20 Meta Ads to begin flow, click Choose Facebook Ad and pick an ad. The flow also starts when a customer messages from that ad.

If the lists are empty, the panel says No approved templates yet. or No Meta ads found. Connect an ad account and run an ad that opens a WhatsApp chat.

Make an ad's chats go to the bot

A new chat from an ad waits in Requesting in the inbox when no active flow matches it, and a chat an agent has taken over (Intervened) is never answered by the bot. To have the bot answer every lead from your ads, publish a flow and add the ads under Add upto 20 Meta Ads to begin flow. To start a flow from an ad's icebreaker, add the icebreaker's exact text as a keyword: when someone taps it, that text arrives as their message.

Set the trigger panel

The trigger panel holds the full set of start options. Click the Flow trigger start tile to open it.

  1. Under WhatsApp · what starts it, check Keywords and Match when the message.
  2. In Regex (optional), type a pattern, for example ^(hi|hello)\b.
  3. Switch on Case-sensitive regex if capital letters matter.
  4. Switch on Also start on a first message from a new contact to greet every new contact, even without a keyword.

Add more ways to start

  1. Click More ways to start it. It reads Templates, Meta ads, QR campaigns, custom events.
  2. Under Templates that begin it, click Choose a template and pick one.
  3. Under Meta ads that begin it (up to 20), add the ads.
  4. Under QR campaign, click Choose QR campaign and pick one.
  5. To make a new QR code, click + New QR campaign. In Message the scan sends, type the text the customer sends after scanning, for example Menu please. Click Create.
  6. Under Custom events that begin it, click Choose a custom event and pick one. If none are listed, the panel says No custom events are defined. See Manage tags, user attributes and custom events.

Jump to a step by phrase

An intent sends the customer to a step when the message matches a phrase. The bot checks intents before the waiting step sees the reply.

  1. Open Intents (jump by phrase). It reads No intents yet until you add one.
  2. Click + Add intent.
  3. In the name box, type a name, for example Talk to a person.
  4. In Phrases, type the words, for example agent, human, help.
  5. Open Match when the message and choose a match type.
  6. Open Jump to and choose a step, or Hand off to an agent.
  7. To delete an intent, click Remove intent.

Set how the bot runs

  1. Under Testing, in Send test runs to (phone), type your own number, for example +91 98765 43210. A flow run by hand has no contact, so Run test starts the chat with this number.
  2. Under While the bot runs, set Session timeout (minutes). The chat closes after this much quiet. The default is 20 minutes. You can choose 1 minute to 7 days.
  3. In When the reply is not understood, say, type the message, for example Sorry, I didn't get that. Please choose an option.
  4. Open Then and choose what happens next:
    • Ask again
    • Hand off to an agent
    • Start the flow over
    • End the conversation
    • Let the AI answer
  5. In After how many tries, type a number, for example 3.

Some trigger settings may not be live yet

[VERIFY: whether intents, session timeout and the not-understood reply already run in live chats. The builder stores them with the flow.]

Save and test

  1. Click Save.
  2. Click Test and send a keyword. See Test a chatbot flow with the chat simulator.
  3. Click Publish.

Troubleshooting

Issue Cause Fix
"hi" already starts "…" Another flow uses the same keyword. Pick a different word, or pause the other flow.
The bot does not answer a keyword The message does not match the Match when the message setting. Use Contains the keyword, or add more keywords.
No approved templates yet. No template has the status Approved. Create and submit one. See Create a WhatsApp message template.
No Meta ads found. Connect an ad account… No ad account is connected, or no ad opens a WhatsApp chat. Connect an ad account and run a Click-to-WhatsApp ad.
The chat stops after a few minutes Session timeout (minutes) is short. Raise the number.