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Automation
Automation

Automation

Build workflows that start from a schedule, a webhook, a form or an app event, and run without a conversation.

An automation is a workflow with no one on the other end of a chat. Something happens — a clock ticks, an HTTP request arrives, someone submits a form, a record changes in an app — and Buni.ai runs your nodes from start to finish, then records the result.

Use an automation when the work is triggered by an event rather than by a customer message: sending reminders, syncing records between systems, notifying a team when a payment fails, or processing form submissions.

A new automation's starter workflow on the canvas: Automation Trigger, a Function node that prepares the payload, an API node that sends an alert, and Respond Webhook
An automation starts from a trigger node on the left and runs left to right.

How an automation differs from a chatbot

ChatbotAutomation
Starts fromA customer message on a channelA trigger: schedule, webhook, manual run, form, error or app event
Waits for a replyYes, between turnsNo. It can pause on a Wait or Approval node, but never for a customer to type
Test buttonSimulateRun
Where runs are listedThe Logs and Activity tabsThe Activity tab

Triggers

Every automation starts from at least one trigger. The trigger decides when a run starts and what data the run receives as its input.

TriggerStarts a run when
ScheduleA timetable fires: every hour, day, week, month or a cron expression
WebhookAn HTTP request reaches the trigger's unique URL
ManualYou press Run in the editor
FormSomeone submits the trigger's hosted web form
ErrorAnother workflow run in the same project fails
App triggersA connected app reports an event (Stripe, GitHub, Shopify, Slack, Telegram) or a poll finds a change (Sessions, Data Store, Google Sheets, Airtable, HubSpot)

See Triggers for each one's settings. Error and app triggers are added from the Triggers group of the node palette.

The node palette

Automations use the same logic, data and integration nodes as chatbots, plus two nodes that only make sense without a conversation: Loop and Parallel. The Reply and Live Chat nodes are not available, because there is no conversation to reply to.

Triggers

TriggerStarts a chatbot flow when a message arrives on a connected channel, or when an external event is sent to the API.Form TriggerPublishes a hosted web form and starts the workflow each time someone submits it.

Conversation

MessagingSends an SMS through Twilio, Africa’s Talking or Infobip.

AI

AI AgentAn LLM agent that understands intent, answers from your knowledge base and calls APIs, integrations and data stores.

Logic

RouterSends the flow down one of several paths based on conditions you define.Set FieldsSets or transforms state variables by assigning expressions to named fields.FilterContinues only when a condition is true, and stops the run quietly otherwise.FunctionRuns your own JavaScript and passes its return value to the next node.LoopRepeats the nodes on its body handle once for each item in a list.ParallelRuns several branches at the same time, then continues once all of them finish.WaitPauses the workflow for a fixed duration before continuing.ApprovalPauses the workflow until a person approves or rejects it.Date & TimeGets the current time, formats and parses dates, adds or subtracts durations and computes differences.ErrorShows the user a message when their input is invalid, then lets them try again.

Data

Data StoreCreates, reads, updates and deletes records in one of your data stores.Remove DuplicatesRemoves duplicate items from a list in state, optionally comparing one field.ContactCreates or updates contacts, adds them to groups and sets custom properties from flow state.ResolveMarks the conversation’s underlying report as resolved, for loop-closure reporting.

Integrations

APICalls any HTTP endpoint and passes the response to the next node.IntegrationRuns an action in a connected service such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Sheets or Slack, without AI.Collect PaymentRequests a payment by mobile money prompt or card checkout link, on USSD, chat or a call.Respond WebhookReturns a custom HTTP status, headers and body to whoever called your webhook or trigger.

How a run works

A trigger fires

The trigger's payload becomes the run's input. Nodes read it as input or payload, for example input.email for a webhook body field.

Nodes run in order

Each node reads from the input and from state, and writes its result back to state under its output variable. Branching nodes such as Router, Filter and Approval choose which edge to follow.

The run may pause

Wait and Approval pause the run durably. The run shows as Waiting in the Activity tab and resumes later, even after hours or days.

The run finishes

The run ends as Succeeded or Failed. Every run, its input, its result and a step-by-step trace are kept in the Activity tab. See Runs and logs.

Test and production

Every automation has two environments:

  • Staging (shown as Simulator in the Activity tab) runs your current draft. Use it while building, from the Run button or a trigger's test URL.
  • Production runs the published version. Production URLs and schedules only work after you publish the project.

Publish after every change you want live

Editing the canvas changes the draft only. Production keeps running the last published version until you publish again.

Next steps

Quickstart

Build a form-to-SMS workflow in about ten minutes.

Triggers

Every way to start a run, with its settings.

Runs and logs

Test a workflow and inspect what each step did.

Best practices

Idempotency, pacing, waits and deduplication.

Last reviewed 25 September 2026

Best practices

Design call flows that respect the caller's time, always offer a person, and survive the calls that go wrong.

Automation quickstart

Build a workflow that takes a hosted form submission, sends an SMS confirmation and saves the request to a data store.

On this page

How an automation differs from a chatbotTriggersThe node paletteHow a run worksA trigger firesNodes run in orderThe run may pauseThe run finishesTest and productionNext steps