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Chatbot
Chatbot

Chatbot

Build a conversational bot on the canvas and run it on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, Slack and your website.

A chatbot project is a flow that answers messages. Someone writes to your bot on a connected channel, Buni.ai works out what they want, and the flow decides what to send back: a text, buttons, data from your systems, an AI-written answer, or a handover to a person on your team.

You build the flow on the canvas and publish it once. The same flow serves every channel you connect.

How a chatbot flow is shaped

Every chatbot flow has the same backbone:

  1. One Trigger node. It is where every conversation starts. It holds the channels the bot listens on and the introduction message a new user receives. A chatbot project can have only one.
  2. Intent nodes connected to the Trigger. Each intent is one thing people ask for, described by sample utterances such as "What time do you open?". When a message arrives, Buni.ai matches it to one of these intents and can pull details out of it, such as a date or an order number.
  3. The steps after each intent. An intent connects to the node that handles it: a Reply, an API call, a Data Store lookup, an AI Agent, a Form, a Live Chat handover, and so on.
Trigger
 ├─ Intent: OpeningHours  → Reply
 ├─ Intent: TrackOrder    → API → Reply
 ├─ Intent: TalkToPerson  → Live Chat
 └─ Intent: Fallback      → Reply

The canvas enforces a few rules for chatbot projects:

  • A Trigger can only connect to Intent nodes.
  • An Intent node cannot follow a Reply or Live Chat node. To send someone from a button to an intent, set the button's Target Intent instead (see Building chatbot flows).
  • A Router cannot connect to an Intent node.

Channels

One chatbot project can serve any of these channels at the same time. You pick them in the Trigger node's Platforms tab.

ChannelSet-up guide
WhatsAppWhatsApp
InstagramMessenger and Instagram
MessengerMessenger and Instagram
TelegramTelegram
SlackSlack
WebWeb chat widget

Rich messages adapt to each channel. For example, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram show at most three buttons per message and cut button titles to 20 characters, so keep button text short.

Nodes you can use

These are the nodes available in a chatbot project. Each card links to its reference page.

Triggers

TriggerStarts a chatbot flow when a message arrives on a connected channel, or when an external event is sent to the API.

Conversation

ReplySends text, images, buttons, quick replies or a WhatsApp template to the user.FormCollects several typed values as one unit, with validation, retries, confirmation and cancellation, on every channel.IntentRecognises what the user wants from sample utterances and extracts slots into structured data.Live ChatHands the conversation to a person on your team through the Inbox, with a fallback message when nobody is available.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.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.

What else a chatbot project has

Besides the Canvas, a chatbot project has these tabs: Documentation, Logs, Activity, Feedback, Integrations and Settings. Settings has chatbot-only sections:

Settings tabUse it to
GeneralCopy the bot's webhook URL (under Integration) after you publish.
Chat WidgetStyle and embed the web chat widget. See Web chat widget.
CSATSend a satisfaction survey when an agent resolves a conversation. See CSAT.
PrivacyShow a privacy notice at the start of a conversation.
HoursSet your team's time zone and business hours for live chat. See Business hours.

Next steps

Chatbot quickstart

Create a bot, add an intent and a reply, and test it in the simulator.

Building chatbot flows

Intents, parameters, replies, buttons and fallbacks in depth.

Live chat handoff

Hand a conversation to your team in the Inbox, and back to the bot.

Testing and publishing

Simulate, publish and connect your channels.

Last reviewed 24 September 2026

Cheat sheet

Quick reference for the canvas - template syntax, router operators, handles, keyboard shortcuts and a pre-publish checklist.

Chatbot quickstart

Create a chatbot project, teach it one question and its answer, add a fallback, and try it in the simulator.

On this page

How a chatbot flow is shapedChannelsNodes you can useWhat else a chatbot project hasNext steps