Channel Connectors
A channel connector is the entry point for a channel: it holds the credentials (or provisions them automatically), decides which flow greets new conversations, and applies rules that affect every message on the channel — support hours, global keywords, and timeout behavior. Every conversational flow needs a connector; without one, incoming messages have nowhere to go.
The connector is not the channel itself. Each channel delivers messages its own way — the connector determines what happens once they arrive.
Supported Channels
| Channel | Provider | Credentials |
|---|---|---|
| 360dialog / Meta | Access token, partner ID (or 360dialog OAuth auto-setup) | |
| Web Chat | Built-in (realtime via Ably) | None |
| AgentMail (inbox auto-provisioned) | None | |
| Telegram | Telegram Bot API | Access token |
| SMS | SMS provider | Access token |
WhatsApp, Web Chat, and Email are the primary channels; a status bar shows the health of their providers (360dialog, Ably, AgentMail), refreshed every minute.
Common Configuration
Every connector has a name, an optional department, and a default responder — the flow (or human/AI handling) that receives new conversations and idle ones that time out. Non-email connectors add:
| Setting | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Webhook URL | Where the provider delivers incoming messages; must start with http(s):// |
| Sender ID / phone number | Identifies your account on the channel |
| Support hours | Days, start/end time, and timezone when human agents are available |
| Out-of-hours message | Auto-reply when an agent is requested outside support hours |
| Timeout | Seconds of inactivity (default 900) before the conversation resets to the default responder |
| Timeout message | Auto-reply sent when the timeout fires |
| Processing message | Optional reply when a message arrives while the previous one is still processing |
| Exit flow warning / button label | Optional confirmation before a keyword pulls the customer out of a running flow |
| Unsupported format message | WhatsApp-only reply for media types the platform cannot handle |
Default Responder
The most important setting: the flow that greets a first-time customer and picks up idle conversations after a timeout or a resolved handoff. Think of it as the channel's home screen — customers always return to it.
Global Keywords
Keywords map a word or phrase to a destination, overriding whatever flow is running:
agent— immediate human takeover- A flow ID — jump to that specific flow
Matching is configurable: case sensitivity can be ignored, and a fuzzy matching level controls typo tolerance (from strict to relaxed). Messages starting with / bypass keyword matching entirely. If an exit flow warning is configured, the customer confirms before being pulled out of an in-progress flow.
Secrets
Secrets store the credentials the connector uses to call the provider's API.
| Secret | Used by |
|---|---|
access_token | WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS — authenticates every outbound message |
partner_id, channel_id, client_id | 360dialog setups |
business_account_id, waba_account_id | WhatsApp — filled automatically by the health check |
Secrets are write-only: once saved, values display as masked dots and cannot be read back. When editing, only the fields you actually change are updated — untouched fields keep their current values.
Health Check
For WhatsApp (manual setup), a health check validates the access token against the API and returns healthy, degraded, or unhealthy. On success it auto-fills the business account, WABA, phone number ID, and phone number — you do not look up identifiers manually. With 360dialog OAuth, credentials are retrieved automatically when the authorization completes.
Web Chat
Web connectors need no credentials and no webhook — everything stays in the platform, with realtime delivery via Ably. Only one web connector per organization is allowed; once it exists, the option disappears from the create form.
Web connectors carry a branding configuration saved separately from the main connector form: company name, logo, chat avatar, main color, and a splash screen (background color or pattern, image, title, welcome paragraph, and button text).
Creating an email connector provisions an inbox automatically through AgentMail — no credentials, no webhook. You choose the inbox username (the part before the @), a from name shown to recipients, and an optional HTML email signature.
Custom Domain
By default the address lives on agentmail.to. Providing a custom domain starts a verification cycle: the connector shows the DNS records to add (MX, CNAME, and related), the domain status moves from pending to verified once you verify, or failed if verification does not pass. Deleting a connector removes the custom domain only if you explicitly request it.
Branded Template
Each email connector can carry a branded template that wraps every outgoing email — header with logo, footer, and brand colors — configured post-creation from the connector detail view, with a live preview.
Managing Connectors
The connectors grid lists every connector with its channel badge, sender or inbox address, webhook URL, and timestamps. From the detail view you edit configuration, manage secrets, and delete. Deleting requires confirmation; conversations tied to a deleted connector are not removed, but they stop receiving new messages.
Gotchas
- Support hours require at least one day on non-email channels — the form blocks saving otherwise.
- Secrets cannot be recovered. You see which keys exist, never their values; to rotate, overwrite them.
- One web connector per organization — plan its branding accordingly.
- Email address is fixed after creation. Username and domain are locked; to change them, create a new connector.
- Web branding saves separately. Logo, avatar, and splash screen go through their own save, not the main connector form.