How to build your first flow

A flow is for anything with branches, waits, conditions or an AI step. The simple automation form covers the common shape — trigger, public reply, DM, optional email ask — and nothing requires the canvas. When you do want one, this is the path.

Before you start

• Instagram is connected — Connect Instagram.
• You are an owner, admin or agent on the workspace.
• Free is capped at 5 flows. Every paid plan is unlimited. The canvas itself is free; the cap is on how many flows you keep.

Open the canvas

1. Go to Automations and scroll to the Flows section, then click New flow (or Open the canvas on a workspace with no flows yet).
2. With nothing loaded, the canvas offers three ways in:
   • Start from a template — pick a recipe, or import a flow file. Templates can be searched, filtered By trigger, or browsed by category. You review it before saving.
   • Create with AI — describe what you want and have the graph drafted.
   • Start from scratch (badged Advanced) — a blank canvas with just a trigger.

Already have an automation? Open as flow on its row rebuilds it as an editable flow. Your automation keeps running.

Build it

1. Every flow starts with one Trigger. Click it to choose the channel and the trigger — on Instagram: Comment-to-DM, DM keyword, Story reply, Story mention, Manual and more.
2. Add steps from the Add step panel on the left, or double-click empty canvas to add one right there:

AI Step and Randomizer need Growth or above.

1. In a Message step, add blocks — Text, Image, Card, Gallery, Data collection and more — and up to 3 buttons (labels up to 20 characters) or 11 quick replies. Don't mix buttons and quick replies in one message.
2. Drag a port onto another step to connect them, or click the port, then the step. Alt + drag duplicates a step.
3. Use Auto-arrange to tidy the layout. Scroll pans; Ctrl/⌘ + scroll zooms.

On a comment trigger, the first private reply may hold one text or one image block only — buttons are fine — and the richer content goes in the step after the tap.

Check it before you publish

1. Read the design checks panel. Red issues disable Set live — an unwired trigger, a button going nowhere, missing media, a step wired after a Pause automations. Most carry a Fix it → link.
2. Click the preview toggle to open the simulator: a phone that plays your flow with nothing sent. Tap buttons to follow each branch.
3. If the flow came from a template, open Finish setup and swap every placeholder for your own.

Save and set live

• Save writes the flow. The header reads All changes saved.
• Set live saves and publishes. Set draft returns a live flow to draft.

Test it on Instagram

Fire the trigger from a different Instagram account — comment the keyword, DM the word, reply to the story. The first message lands in that account's inbox and the conversation appears in your Inbox. Once the flow has real traffic, toggle Drop-offs to shade steps by where people are lost.

Common problems

Set live is disabled. A red design check is open. Read the panel; each issue links to the step.

I hit the flow cap. Free keeps 5 flows. Delete one (restorable for 30 days from Recently deleted) or upgrade.

A button tap ends the conversation. An Open URL button leaves the DM, so that path of the conversation ends there. Use Go to step to continue inside the flow.

Full reference: flow-builder.md.