What a flow is

A flow is a series of nodes connected by arrows. When an inbound message matches the trigger, the flow runs. Each node either sends something, waits for a reply, runs a condition, calls AI, or pauses for a delay.

Step 1: Create a flow

Sidebar → Auto Flows → New Flow. Give it a name like "Order confirmation Q&A".

Step 2: Pick a session

Each flow is bound to one connected WhatsApp number. Pick the session in the dropdown at the top.

Step 3: Drop a Trigger node

Drag the Message Received node from the left palette onto the canvas. Click it to configure:

Match type: Contains, Exact, Starts with, or Regex.
Keyword: e.g., "order".

Now any inbound message containing "order" will start this flow.

Step 4: Drop a Send Message node

Drag Send Message onto the canvas. Connect the trigger's bottom handle to the new node's top handle by dragging from one to the other.

Click the Send Message node and configure:

Message: e.g., "Hi {{firstName}}, {thanks for your order|appreciate your purchase}! What's your order number?"
Transport: leave on Auto for the smart router to pick.

The {{firstName}} part is filled per-recipient from your contact row. The {thanks|appreciate} part is spintax that picks one alternative each time.

Step 5: Wait for a reply

Drop a Wait for Reply node and connect Send Message → Wait for Reply.

This node pauses the flow until the customer replies or a timeout fires.

Step 6: Use the AI Conversation node (optional)

Drop AI Conversation and connect Wait for Reply → AI Conversation. Configure:

Prompt: "You are a helpful customer service assistant for Acme Stores. Answer questions about order status briefly and courteously."
Knowledge base: optional documents the AI can reference.

The AI now responds to whatever the customer says next, using your prompt and knowledge.

Step 7: Add a Jitter node for human cadence

Between Send Message and Wait for Reply, drop a Jitter node. Connect the chain like this:

Send Message → Jitter → Wait for Reply

Configure jitter:

Min: 5 seconds
Max: 30 seconds
Unit: seconds

Each time the flow reaches this node it picks a random delay in that range. Subsequent messages don't all fire at the same robotic interval, which keeps your number's behavioural fingerprint human-shaped.

Step 8: Save and test

Click Save at the top right. Then Toggle Active to enable the flow.

Send yourself a test message containing "order" from a different phone. The flow runs end-to-end in a few seconds.

Step 9: Inspect the run

Open Flow History to see every execution: which node ran, what was sent, how long each step took. If something didn't fire, the history shows the exact failure reason.

What to try next

Vary your message phrasing per recipient with spintax
Mimic human cadence with the Jitter node
Add a Condition node to branch based on what the customer said
Trigger the flow from a webhook (e.g., Shopify "order created") instead of a keyword

Build your first WhatsApp automation flow