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Channel Rules

Configure automation rules for how your assistants handle conversations across different channels.

Auto-Pause Safety Net configuration The Auto-Pause Safety Net monitors conversations and automatically pauses AI when human attention is needed.

Common Setups

  • Customer support: Auto-reply ON, 10-30s delay
  • Comment engagement: Questions only, 30-60s delay
  • Email support: Filter by subject keywords

What Are Channel Rules?

Customize how your AI assistant behaves on each platform.

Configure:

  • Auto-reply settings
  • Response delays (appear more human)
  • Message filtering
  • Assistant assignment

Why use them:

  • Make responses feel less robotic
  • Avoid spam and follow platform policies
  • Manage high-volume conversations

How It Works

  1. User sends message on platform
  2. Webhook delivers to Functional AI
  3. Rules evaluated (auto-reply enabled? filters? delay?)
  4. If rules pass: Wait for delay → Assistant processes → Response sent
  5. If rules block: Message saved (available for manual reply)

Note: Filtered messages still appear in Conversations for manual review.

Accessing Settings

  1. Go to Integrations (not Conversations)
  2. Select platform (Instagram, Facebook, etc.)
  3. Configure webhook settings and delays

Response Delay

Add delays to make responses feel more human-like.

Configuration:

Set min and max values in seconds (0-600):

  • Fixed: Min: 30, Max: 30 → Always 30 seconds
  • Random: Min: 30, Max: 120 → Randomly 30-120 seconds (more natural)
  • Instant: Min: 0, Max: 0 → No delay

Recommended by Platform:

Platform Delay Why
Instagram DM 30-90s Casual conversation pace
Instagram Comment 15-60s Public, quicker expected
Facebook Messenger 20-60s Similar to Instagram
Website/Shopify 0-5s Instant support expected
Gmail 5-10 min Email doesn't need instant

24-Hour Windows

Instagram and Facebook have 24-hour reply windows. Keep delays well under this limit!

Advanced: Example Configurations

Natural Instagram engagement: 

Min: 45s, Max: 120s
→ Random 45-120s delay (feels like typing)

Quick customer support: 

Min: 3s, Max: 8s
→ Brief pause (responsive but human)

Busy business simulation: 

Min: 120s, Max: 300s
→ 2-5 min delay (like helping other customers)

Message Filtering

Control which messages trigger automatic responses. Configure at the integration level.

Strategies:

  • DMs only (not comments)
  • Comments only (not DMs)
  • Separate public vs private engagement
  • Questions only (messages with ?)
  • Keyword triggers ("price", "available")
  • Avoid emoji-only or short comments
  • New users only
  • Block known spam accounts

Comment Filtering:

Why filter public comments?

  • High volume of irrelevant comments ("Nice!", "❤️")
  • Avoid appearing spammy
  • Platform policies around automation

Best Practice: Start selective (DMs only, questions only) and expand carefully.

Custom Trigger Conditions

Create intelligent rules that detect when human intervention is needed:

Add trigger condition modal Define natural language triggers like "user is angry" with customizable sensitivity thresholds.

Per-Conversation Pause

Pause auto-reply for specific conversations while others continue:

  1. Open conversation
  2. Toggle Auto-reply to pause
  3. Manually reply if needed
  4. Toggle back on to resume

Use when:

  • Customer needs personal attention
  • Complex issue beyond AI capability
  • Sensitive matter requiring judgment

Troubleshooting

Auto-replies not working

Check in order:

  1. Auto-reply enabled globally? (Integration settings)
  2. Paused for this conversation? (Look for red border)
  3. Webhook configured? (Status: "Connected")
  4. Delay too long? (Wait for delay period)
  5. Platform restrictions? (24-hour window expired)
  6. Message type supported? (Stories/reels may not trigger)

Debug: Send test message, check if it appears, wait for delay

Delay not working
  • Verify delay set (both min and max)
  • DM delay vs comment delay are separate
  • Test with fresh conversation (incognito)
  • Time with stopwatch
Assistant responding when it shouldn't
  • Each conversation must be paused individually
  • Check which assistant assigned to channel
  • Old webhook may still be active
Messages delayed too long

Remember: Delay is in SECONDS, not minutes

  • 300s = 5 minutes
  • 3600s = 1 hour

Max recommended: - Instagram/Facebook: 300s (5 min) - Website/Shopify: 10s

Webhooks keep disconnecting

Common causes:

  • OAuth tokens expire (60-90 days)
  • Password changes invalidate tokens
  • Platform policy violations

Prevention: Monitor status weekly, reconnect proactively

Responses sound robotic

Delays alone don't make responses human:

  • Improve assistant instructions (add personality)
  • Use random delay ranges (30-120s), not fixed
  • Match platform culture (casual vs professional)

Next Steps