> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chatros.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Building Workflows
> Create automation rules using the visual node-graph editor.
The automation editor gives you a visual canvas where you connect nodes to build multi-step workflows. Every workflow starts with a **Trigger** node and flows through any combination of **Action**, **Condition**, and **AI Step** nodes.
## Opening the Editor
1. Go to your agent's sidebar and click **Automations**
2. Click **New Automation** to open a blank canvas, or click an existing rule to edit it
3. Give your automation a name and click into the canvas to start building
## Node Types
The starting point of every workflow. Set it to **Conversation Started**, **Product Inquiry**, **Order Inquiry**, or **Custom Keyword**.
Performs an operation: send a reply, add to a Mailchimp list, fire a webhook, send an email, and more.
Evaluates a variable and routes the workflow down one of two branches depending on whether the condition is true or false.
Calls the AI with a custom prompt. The output is stored in a named variable you can use in downstream nodes.
## Creating a Workflow
Click the **Trigger** node on the canvas and choose when this automation should fire.
For **Custom Keyword**, enter one or more keywords and choose **Any** (fires if any keyword matches) or **All** (every keyword must appear in the message).
Click the **+** button that appears on the edge of any node, or drag a new node from the sidebar panel onto the canvas.
Connect nodes by dragging from one node's output handle to another node's input handle.
Click any Action node to open its configuration panel on the right. Select the action type and fill in the required fields.
See [Action Types](#action-types) below for all available options.
Insert a **Condition** node between two Action nodes to branch the workflow based on customer data.
Each condition evaluates a **variable** (e.g., `customerEmail`, `channelType`) using an operator, then routes to either the **True** or **False** branch.
Click **Test** to simulate the automation against a sample conversation. Review the output, then click **Save** to activate.
Toggle the **Active** switch on the automation list page to pause or resume a rule at any time.
## Action Types
### Reply
Send a message back to the customer directly through the chat. Reply actions run **before** the AI responds — they replace the AI reply entirely.
| Option | Description |
| -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Text** | A plain-text message. Supports `{{variables}}` for personalisation. |
| **File** | Share a file by entering its URL and display name. |
| **Form** | Display a dynamic form with custom fields to collect customer information. |
When a customer submits a form, the workflow automatically resumes and maps form values as `{{form_fieldname}}` variables for use in downstream nodes.
### Email
Send an email notification to any address when the automation fires.
| Field | Description |
| ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **To** | Recipient email address. Supports `{{variables}}`. |
| **Subject** | Email subject line. |
| **Body** | Email body template. Supports `{{variables}}` and markdown. |
| **Reply To** | Optional reply-to address. |
| **CC / BCC** | Optional additional recipients. |
### Webhook
Send conversation data to an external URL via HTTP.
| Field | Description |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| **URL** | The endpoint to call. |
| **Method** | GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE. |
| **Auth** | None, Bearer Token, API Key, or Basic Auth. |
| **Body Template** | JSON body with `{{variable}}` placeholders. |
The webhook response is stored in `{{webhook_response}}` and available to downstream nodes.
### Mailchimp
Add or remove a subscriber from your Mailchimp audience, or manage their tags. Requires a [Mailchimp integration](/user-guides/integrations/mailchimp) to be connected first.
| Sub-action | What it does |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- |
| `add_to_list` | Subscribes the customer to a selected audience |
| `remove_from_list` | Archives the subscriber from the audience |
| `add_tag` | Applies a tag to the subscriber |
| `remove_tag` | Removes a tag from the subscriber |
### MailerLite
Add or remove a subscriber from your MailerLite group, or manage their tags. Requires a [MailerLite integration](/user-guides/integrations/mailerlite) to be connected first.
| Sub-action | What it does |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| `add_to_group` | Adds the customer to a selected subscriber group |
| `remove_from_group` | Removes the customer from the group |
| `add_tag` | Applies a tag to the subscriber |
| `remove_tag` | Removes a tag from the subscriber |
### AI Step
Run a custom AI prompt mid-workflow and store the result in a variable.
| Field | Description |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Prompt Template** | Your instruction to the AI. Supports `{{variables}}`. |
| **Output Variable** | The name to store the result under (e.g., `sentiment`). Use it downstream as `{{sentiment}}`. |
## Available Variables
Use `{{variable}}` in any text field, body template, or prompt. ChatRos automatically populates these from the current conversation:
| Variable | Value |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| `{{customerName}}` | Customer's display name |
| `{{customerEmail}}` | Customer's email address |
| `{{customerPhone}}` | Customer's phone number |
| `{{conversationId}}` | Unique conversation ID |
| `{{agentName}}` | Your agent's name |
| `{{workspaceName}}` | Your workspace name |
| `{{channelType}}` | Channel (e.g., `whatsapp`, `messenger`, `widget`) |
| `{{message}}` | The customer's most recent message |
| `{{country}}`, `{{city}}` | Geolocation data (if available) |
| `{{timestamp}}` | Current date and time (ISO 8601) |
| `{{form_fieldname}}` | Value from a submitted form field |
| `{{outputVariable}}` | Output from an AI Step node |
## Condition Operators
Condition nodes support the following comparison operators:
| Operator | Description |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| `equals` / `not_equals` | Exact match |
| `contains` / `not_contains` | Substring match |
| `starts_with` / `ends_with` | Prefix or suffix match |
| `greater_than` / `less_than` | Numeric comparison |
| `greater_than_or_equal` / `less_than_or_equal` | Numeric comparison with equality |
| `is_empty` / `is_not_empty` | Checks if the variable has a value |
| `matches_regex` | Tests against a regular expression |
## Testing Your Automation
Click the **Test** button while in the editor to simulate a conversation event. ChatRos will walk through your node graph and show you:
* Which nodes were reached
* What data each action would have sent
* Any errors in template variables or missing configuration
Test mode does **not** send real emails, call live webhooks, or modify Mailchimp/MailerLite subscribers. It is a dry run only.
***
## What's Next?
Start from a pre-built template instead of building from scratch
Connect your Mailchimp account
Connect your MailerLite account
Back to the Automations overview