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"Chatbot flows"

Last updated: 29 October 2026

In the earlier look, you build a WhatsApp chatbot in Stravax Engage by dragging nodes onto a visual canvas (send a message, ask a question, branch on a condition, and more), connecting them with edges, and publishing. Once published, a matching inbound message starts a flow session on that conversation, and the flow steps forward one node at a time as the contact replies.

How do I build a WhatsApp chatbot in Stravax Engage?

The new-look flow editor is not available yet. In the earlier look, open the flow builder and drag nodes from the palette onto the canvas, then connect them with edges to define the order the conversation follows. Configure each node in the side panel (message text, question, condition), then publish. A draft never triggers, no matter how complete it looks; only a published flow runs.

What can trigger a flow?

A flow starts when an inbound WhatsApp message matches its configured trigger:

Trigger	Starts the flow when
Keyword	The inbound message matches a keyword you set
Click-to-WhatsApp	The contact arrived from a click-to-WhatsApp ad
New conversation	Any first message on a brand-new conversation

If more than one trigger could match the same message, keyword takes priority, then click-to-WhatsApp, then new conversation.

What node types are available?

At a feature level, the palette covers:

Send a message: plain text, media, or a message with buttons or a list of options for the contact to pick from.
Ask a question: collects an answer (text, number, phone, email, date, or a button/list choice) and stores it against the contact. If the answer doesn't match the expected type, the flow re-prompts instead of failing.
Branch on a condition: routes down one of two paths depending on a value.
Wait: a short delay before the next step (not a multi-day wait, for longer, scheduled follow-ups use sequences instead).
Set a variable: stores a value for later steps to use.
Jump: moves the cursor to another point in the flow.
Check business hours: branches based on your configured business-hours schedule.
Update contact or conversation details.
Assign or hand off: to a human agent, or back to the AI qualifier.
Resolve: ends the conversation.

A safeguard stops a looping flow from running forever: if a path cycles without reaching an end, the session closes automatically after a capped number of steps.

How does a live flow interact with human agents and auto-replies?

While a flow session is active on a conversation, the flow owns the reply: away/welcome auto-replies and the AI qualifier both stand down for that conversation. If a human agent sends a manual reply, that ends the flow session immediately, handing the conversation back to normal human control.

Can I edit a flow that's already live?

Yes. Editing and republishing doesn't disrupt conversations in progress: a session that started before the update keeps running on the version it started with, and only new sessions pick up your changes. Each plan caps how many flows can be live at once; see current plans for details and upgrade options.

How do I test a flow before publishing?

In the earlier look, use the test-on-WhatsApp option to try the draft you are editing from your own WhatsApp number before publishing. The test sends real WhatsApp messages to a real number. The new-look flow editor is not available yet. If you test against a conversation that already has a live flow session, the test is refused rather than ending that session, since it would interrupt a real conversation. Use a separate WhatsApp number to avoid the conflict.

How do I see how contacts move through a flow?

The funnel view shows how many sessions started and where people dropped off, step by step, with a badge on each node showing how many stalled there. The logs panel shows what happened at each step for a given session, useful for tracing why a contact ended up where they did.