WhatsApp Flow builder

A WhatsApp Flow is a form that opens inside a WhatsApp conversation. Customers fill it in without leaving the chat, which makes it a good fit for sign-ups, bookings, surveys and lead capture. The WhatsApp Flows page in the dashboard lets you design a flow, preview it, and publish it. To send a published flow from your own system, see the WhatsApp Flows API guide.

Sign-up

Collect a name, email and consent.

Bookings

Let customers pick a service and a date.

Surveys

Ask for a rating and follow up based on the score.

Verification

Collect an ID photo or a document.

Before you start

Your business needs a connected WhatsApp number. A flow lives on one number. If you have several, you choose which one when you create the flow.
Flow names must be unique on that WhatsApp account.

The flow list

Open WhatsApp Flows in the sidebar to see your flows and their state.

Status	Meaning
Draft	Still being built. It can’t be sent yet.
Published	Live and can be sent.
Deprecated	Permanently retired.
Blocked / Throttled	WhatsApp has restricted the flow.

A health label next to each flow tells you if it is ready to send: Can send, Limited or Blocked.

Create a flow

Choose how to start

Select Create Flow for a blank flow, or Choose template to start from an example.

Fill in the details

Enter a Name, optionally pick a Category, and choose the WhatsApp number that will host the flow.Categories: Sign up, Sign in, Appointment booking, Lead generation, Contact us, Customer support, Survey, and Other.

Build it

The flow opens as a Draft in the editor. Add screens and components in the Builder tab.

Save and publish

Select Save, check the preview, then select Publish. You need to save before you can publish.

Templates

Templates show what’s possible and save you time. Each one can be edited after you create it.

Template	What it shows
Welcome message	The simplest flow: one screen with a greeting.
Delivery or pickup	Fields that appear or hide based on an earlier answer, plus a gift-wrap option.
Appointment booking	Pick a service and date, then enter contact details.
Customer satisfaction survey	A rating that leads to different follow-up questions.
Account sign-up	A branded form with email, password and a terms checkbox.
Product interest	Sends answers to a backend, then shows a recommendation. Dynamic.
Vacation rental	A property description, photo carousel and date range picker.
Newsletter preferences	Topic chips, an external link and an opt-in checkbox.
Identity verification	Collects an ID photo and a proof-of-address document. Dynamic.

The editor

The editor has a preview on one side, so you can see what customers will see, and two ways to edit.

Builder tab

The Builder is a visual editor. Screens are listed on the left, the selected screen is in the middle, and the settings for the selected component are on the right.

Add screen to create steps. The last screen always ends the flow.
Add component to put content on a screen.
Screen settings let you mark a screen as terminal and control data options (see below).

The Builder shows a screen as read-only if it uses components the Builder doesn’t support yet. Edit those screens in the JSON tab.

JSON tab

The JSON tab is for advanced users. You can paste or Upload JSON, edit the flow’s JSON directly, and see validation messages as you type. The Builder and JSON tab edit the same flow. If the JSON is invalid, fix it before going back to the Builder.

Preview and mock data

The preview shows Screen 1 of N and lets you move between screens. For dynamic flows, the preview can’t call your server, so it uses mock data you enter for each screen. You can also enter mock form values to see how a screen looks once filled in.

Components

Group	Component	Use it for
Text	Heading, Subheading, Body, Caption	Titles, paragraphs and small print.
	Rich text	Longer formatted content such as terms, with headings, lists and tables.
Input	Text input	Free text, email, phone, number, password or passcode.
	Text area	Longer answers.
	Date picker / Calendar picker	A single date, or a date range.
Choice	Radio buttons	Pick one option.
	Checkboxes / Chips	Pick several options.
	Dropdown	Pick one from a long list.
	Opt-in	A consent checkbox, for example for marketing.
Media	Image, Image carousel	Show pictures.
	Photo picker, Document picker	Let customers upload a photo or a document.
Layout	If / else	Show different components depending on an earlier answer.
	Footer button	The main action button at the bottom of the screen.
	Embedded link	A tappable link in the text.

What buttons can do

Each button or option can run an action:

Action	What happens
Navigate	Go to another screen.
Complete	Finish the flow and send the answers back to the conversation.
Data exchange	Send the answers to your server and get the next screen back. Used by dynamic flows.
Open URL	Open a link.
Update data	Change a value on the current screen.

For simple flows, leave the action on Automatic. Connectly sets up navigate and complete from the screen order.

Showing and hiding fields

With If / else, you set a Condition such as ${form.age} >= 18 or ${data.has_delivery}. You can combine conditions with &&, || and !. If the condition is true, the Then branch shows. Otherwise the Else branch shows.

Static and dynamic flows

This is the main choice when you design a flow.

	Static flow	Dynamic flow
How it works	Everything is in the flow. Answers are sent back when the customer finishes.	The flow talks to your server while the customer is using it.
Good for	Surveys, sign-ups, simple forms	Availability, personalised data, validation, file uploads, recommendations
Needs a tool	No	Yes, to answer the flow’s requests
Setup	None	Turn on Dynamic flow in screen settings

To make a flow dynamic, open Screen settings and turn on Dynamic flow. This applies to the whole flow. When you save, Connectly sets up everything for you, including the tool that answers the flow’s requests, and enables Attach tool.

Once a dynamic flow’s endpoint is live in WhatsApp, Dynamic flow can’t be turned off from the editor. If you try to turn it off while screens still send data to your endpoint, Connectly warns you that WhatsApp will reject the flow.

Connect a tool

Dynamic flows are served by a tool (see Tools).

Automatic: the first time you save a dynamic flow, Connectly creates a managed tool for it. Select Open in Tools from the editor to view it.
Your own tool: select Attach tool and pick one of your business’s tools to serve the flow instead.

Attaching sends a published flow back to Draft, so publish it again afterwards. You can’t attach a tool when:

Message	What to do
That tool no longer exists	Refresh and try again.
That tool belongs to another flow	Each managed tool belongs to one flow and is deleted with it. Pick or create another tool.
This flow’s JSON never calls an endpoint	Turn on Dynamic flow first, so there is something to attach to.
This flow’s endpoint isn’t one of this business’s tools	The flow points at an external endpoint, so it can’t be replaced here.

For the technical details of what the endpoint receives and must return, see WhatsApp Flow endpoints.

Publish, edit and send

Publish makes a draft sendable. Save first.
Editing a published flow (changing its details, or attaching a tool) moves it back to Draft. Publish again before sending.
Copy flow ID copies the ID you need to send the flow from a campaign or the API.

Once published, send the flow from a campaign or through the API. See Sending a flow.

Duplicate a flow

Select Duplicate on a flow to make a new Draft copy on the same WhatsApp account. The original is untouched. Give the copy a new, unique name. If the flow uses a dynamic endpoint, the copy gets its own. If Meta reports problems with the copy, Connectly tells you how many and you can open the flow to review them.

Deprecate a flow

Select Deprecate to retire a flow.

Deprecating is permanent. There is no archive and no restore. Any campaign that uses the flow stops being able to send it immediately. A flow that was never published can be deleted instead.

The tool created for a dynamic flow is deleted along with it.

Limits and validation

WhatsApp sets limits on what a flow can contain. The editor checks these as you work and points out the screen with the problem.

Rule	Detail
One button per screen	Every screen needs exactly one footer button.
Unique field names	Each field name must be unique on a screen, even inside different If/else branches.
Component and text limits	Screens, text fields and option lists have maximum sizes. The editor shows the exact limit when you reach it.
Image carousels	One or more images, up to the maximum, and a limited number per screen.
Rich text	Can only be used alone on a screen, or with the button.
Photo and document pickers	Only one picker per screen, and the button must use Data exchange or Complete so the file can be forwarded.
Terminal screens	A screen marked as terminal must have a button that completes the flow.
Footer captions	Use a center caption or left and right captions, not both.
Navigation targets	A “Navigate” action must point to a screen that exists.

Mark password and other private fields as sensitive in screen settings. Their values are then masked wherever WhatsApp shows the flow’s responses. The editor warns you if a password field isn’t marked.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	What to check
I can’t publish	Save your changes first. Then fix any issues listed in the JSON tab.
Flow created, but content wasn’t saved	Open the flow and select Save to keep the starting content.
Meta rejected the flow	Open the JSON tab to see the validation messages from WhatsApp.
A campaign can’t send my flow	Check the status is Published and the health is Can send. A deprecated flow can’t be sent.
”Can’t be sent from this number until its encryption key is resolved”	Contact Connectly support.
Attach tool is missing	The flow isn’t dynamic yet. Turn on Dynamic flow and save.
Preview looks empty on a dynamic screen	Add mock data for that screen. The preview can’t call your server.

Next steps

Tools

Build the tool that powers a dynamic flow.

Send a flow with the API

Send a published flow from your own system.

Flow endpoints

The technical contract for data exchange.

Sign-up

Bookings

Surveys

Verification

​Before you start

​The flow list

​Create a flow

​Templates

​The editor

​Builder tab

​JSON tab

​Preview and mock data

​Components

​What buttons can do

​Showing and hiding fields

​Static and dynamic flows

​Connect a tool

​Publish, edit and send

​Duplicate a flow

​Deprecate a flow

​Limits and validation

​Troubleshooting

​Next steps

Tools

Send a flow with the API

Flow endpoints

Before you start

The flow list

Create a flow

Templates

The editor

Builder tab

JSON tab

Preview and mock data

Components

What buttons can do

Showing and hiding fields

Static and dynamic flows

Connect a tool

Publish, edit and send

Duplicate a flow

Deprecate a flow

Limits and validation

Troubleshooting

Next steps