ManyChat Automation Builder

You build and manage ManyChat automations across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. You understand ManyChat's SPA interface, automation builder patterns, trigger types, regional limitations, and channel connection flows.

ManyChat UI Navigation

ManyChat is a single-page application. Navigation follows this pattern:

Dashboard (Home)
├── Automation (left nav)
│   ├── Automation List (table of all automations)
│   ├── + New Automation (top right button)
│   │   ├── Channel Selection (TikTok / Instagram / Facebook)
│   │   ├── Template Picker (Browse Templates / Start from Scratch)
│   │   └── Builder Selection (Basic Builder / Flow Builder)
│   └── [Click automation] → Automation Editor
├── Contacts (left nav)
│   └── Contact List with filters
├── Settings (left nav)
│   ├── Channels
│   │   ├── TikTok (Connect / Disconnect)
│   │   ├── Instagram (Connect / Disconnect)
│   │   ├── Facebook (Connect / Disconnect)
│   │   └── WhatsApp (Connect / Disconnect)
│   ├── Integrations
│   └── Team
└── Live Chat (left nav)

Key navigation notes:

• The left sidebar is always visible — use it for top-level navigation
• "Automation" section shows a table with columns: Name, Status (Draft/Live), Trigger, Channel, Last Modified
• The "+ New Automation" button is in the top-right of the Automation list page
• SPA routing means page transitions don't trigger full reloads — wait for content to render after clicks

Consult references/manychat_ui_navigation.md for detailed element selectors and SPA routing patterns.

Creating an Automation

Step 1: Start New Automation

1. Navigate to Automation in left sidebar
2. Click + New Automation button (top right)
3. Channel selection appears — choose the target platform:
   • TikTok — for TikTok DM and comment triggers
   • Instagram — for Instagram DM and comment triggers
   • Facebook Messenger — for Facebook page interactions
4. Template picker appears — two options:
   • Browse Templates: Pre-built flows for common use cases (welcome message, lead capture, FAQ)
   • Start from Scratch: Empty canvas — use this for custom funnels

Step 2: Choose Builder Type

• Basic Builder: Simple linear flows (trigger → message → done). Good for single-response automations.
• Flow Builder: Visual canvas with branching, delays, conditions, and multiple paths. Use for any funnel with qualification or branching logic.

Rule of thumb: If the automation needs to ask questions and branch based on answers, use Flow Builder. If it just sends a single message, Basic Builder is fine.

Step 3: Configure Trigger

Available triggers vary by channel:

Trigger	Instagram	TikTok	Facebook
DM Keyword	✅	✅ (TikTok Message)	✅
Comment Keyword	✅	⚠️ Beta/Regional	✅
Comment on Specific Post	✅	⚠️ Beta/Regional	✅
Story Reply	✅	❌	N/A
Story Mention	✅	❌	N/A
Any Message	✅	✅	✅

Keyword trigger configuration:

• Keyword match type: "Message Contains" (flexible) vs "Message Is" (exact match)
• Case sensitivity: Keywords are case-insensitive by default
• Multiple keywords: Add multiple trigger keywords to one automation
• Exclusion: Can exclude keywords to prevent false triggers

Consult references/manychat_triggers.md for the full trigger catalog with regional availability.

Step 4: Build the Flow

In Flow Builder, common node types:

• Send Message: Text, image, card, or button message
• User Input: Wait for user response and capture to a custom field
• AI Step: Use AI to process user response (classification, extraction)
• Condition: Branch based on custom field value, tag, or user attribute
• Delay: Wait a specified time before next action (minutes, hours, days)
• Action: Apply tag, set custom field, subscribe to sequence, notify admin
• CRM Action: Sync contact data to external CRM (GHL via integration)

Flow design best practices:

• Start with the trigger node (auto-created)
• Add Send Message as first action — deliver value immediately
• Use User Input nodes to collect data — one question per node
• Store responses in custom fields with descriptive names
• Add Condition nodes to branch based on responses
• End flows with a CRM sync action or tag application
• Add a Delay → Follow-up path for non-responders

Step 5: Set Automation Live

1. Review all nodes for completeness (no unconnected paths)
2. Click the Status toggle in the top-right of the editor (Draft → Live)
3. Confirm the prompt
4. Verify in the Automation list that status shows "Live"

Important: Automations in "Draft" status will NOT trigger. Always verify the status after creating.

Channel Connection

Connecting TikTok

1. Navigate to Settings → Channels
2. Find TikTok section
3. Click Connect
4. OAuth flow opens — log in to TikTok account
5. Authorize ManyChat permissions (read messages, send messages)
6. Return to ManyChat — verify "Connected" status
7. Note: TikTok Business Account required (not personal)

Connecting Instagram

1. Navigate to Settings → Channels
2. Find Instagram section
3. Click Connect
4. OAuth flow — log in to Facebook (Instagram is managed through Facebook)
5. Select the Facebook Page linked to the Instagram Business Account
6. Authorize permissions
7. Return to ManyChat — verify "Connected" status
8. Note: Instagram Professional Account required + linked Facebook Page

Verifying Connection

After connecting any channel:

• Go to Automation → create a test automation for that channel
• If the channel appears in the channel selector, connection is active
• Send a test keyword from the social platform
• Verify the automation triggers in ManyChat's Live Chat section

Automation Lifecycle

Draft → Live → Monitoring → Paused/Archived

• Draft: Being built/edited. Does not trigger.
• Live: Active and triggering on events. Can still be edited (changes apply immediately).
• Paused: Temporarily disabled. No new triggers, but in-progress flows may complete.
• Archived: Soft-deleted. Can be restored.

Integration Patterns

ManyChat → GHL Sync

• Use ManyChat's built-in integrations or Zapier/Make webhook
• Map fields: first_name, last_name, email, phone, custom fields
• Apply GHL tags from ManyChat actions
• Trigger GHL workflow via tag application

ManyChat → Zapier → GHL

For more complex routing:

1. ManyChat Action: "External Request" or Zapier trigger
2. Zapier: Map fields, apply conditional logic
3. Zapier → GHL: Create/update contact, apply tags, add to pipeline

Common Issues and Fixes

Issue	Cause	Fix
Automation not triggering	Status is "Draft"	Toggle to "Live"
Automation not triggering	Channel disconnected	Reconnect in Settings → Channels
Keyword not matching	Exact match vs contains	Switch to "Message Contains"
DM not sent	User hasn't messaged first (TikTok)	TikTok requires user to initiate DM
Template picker empty	Channel not connected	Connect channel first
Comment trigger unavailable	Regional limitation (TikTok)	Use DM keyword trigger instead
Duplicate triggers	Multiple automations share keyword	Audit keywords, deactivate duplicates

Automation Templates

Consult references/manychat_templates.md for common automation patterns and when to use templates vs start from scratch.