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Flows

A flow is a conversational blueprint. It defines the entire conversation path a user can take, from the first greeting to the final action. Flows are built visually in the editor using nodes connected by edges. Each flow belongs to a workspace and is stored as a JSON structure containing:
  • Nodes (nodes) — the individual steps
  • Edges — the connections between nodes
  • Variables — data containers used throughout the flow

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Nodes

Nodes are the building units of a flow. Each node has a specific type and behavior. whatabot provides 18+ node types organized into categories:

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Execution types

Nodes behave in one of these ways:
  • Continue — Executes and immediately moves to the next node (e.g., Message, Media)
  • Wait — Sends content and pauses until the user replies (e.g., Button, List, Message Menu)
  • Transfer — Hands the conversation to a human agent and keeps the session alive
  • Finish — Ends the session

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Edges

Edges are the connections between nodes. They define the flow of the conversation. There are two types:
  • Simple edges — Connect one node to the next (used by Message, Media, etc.)
  • Option edges — Connect a specific output handle to another node (used by Button, List, Condition, API Request)
Nodes like Button, List, and Condition have multiple output handles — one per option/branch plus a fallback handle for invalid selections.

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Variables

Variables store data during a conversation session. There are two types:
  • System variables — available automatically in every flow (e.g., system.last_message.text, system.request.response, system.dateHour)
  • User variables — created by you in the editor to store collected data (names, emails, IDs, etc.)
Reference variables in text fields using the {{variableName}} syntax.
See the Variables guide for the full list of system variables, template syntax, operators, and transformation functions.

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Sessions

A session represents an active conversation between a contact and a flow. Sessions are:
  • Created via the API when a user starts a conversation
  • Stored in Redis with a 24-hour TTL (refreshed on each interaction)
  • Identified by a unique sessionId
  • Linked to a specific flow and contact
The session tracks the current position in the flow and all variable values.

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Workspaces

Workspaces are organizational containers. Each workspace has its own:
  • Flows
  • API keys
  • OAuth clients
  • AI agents
  • Sectors
A single account can have multiple workspaces, and users can access workspaces based on their role.