Message Step

The Message step is available to both automation types. It must contain text, an uploaded attachment, an attachment variable, or a dynamic button block. Buttons added manually are not sufficient on their own.

Prepare The Text

Select the Message step on the workflow.

Enter the message in the text editor. Select text and use the formatting toolbar for headings, lists, links, and other elements. The content is stored as Markdown.

The insert data and variables button opens separate tabs for the current run, project, lead variables, dialog variables, and system lead data. System lead data is available only to For dialogs automations. If a variable does not exist yet, create it in the same dialog; it is inserted automatically afterward.

Value inserts the selected field at the cursor. Condition adds one text branch for a filled project, lead, or dialog value and another for a missing value. A current-run variable can be inserted only as a value.

The AI action opens commands for writing or editing the text. The AI suggestion is first shown for review and is applied to the field only after acceptance.

Different sources use distinct templates: {{lead_data.first_name}} inserts the current lead's profile name, {{lead.city}} inserts a custom lead variable, {{project.manager_phone}} inserts a project variable, {{dialog.deal_id}} a field from the current conversation, and {{run.answer}} inserts a current-run value. Trigger data such as {{trigger.matched_keyword}} can also be written in the template. If a required value is missing, an empty string is inserted in its place. Verify the message with a test run that has suitable data.

Choose Channel Types

Select the Message step on the workflow. At the top of its settings, check Channel types. The step inherits the automation selection by default. For a particular message, you can keep only part of that set so the editor shows suitable button options.

The step selection does not restrict automation triggers or prevent it from running in other channels. If a change to the automation settings leaves the step with no matching types, select them again or choose Use automation settings.

Choose A Recipient

If the settings panel is closed, select the Message step on the workflow.

The Send to field offers:

• Current dialog, only for a For dialogs automation; if the current lead has no dialog yet, the system finds or creates a private one;
• Selected lead: open the lead picker and use search if needed;
• Selected dialog: open the dialog picker and find it;
• Lead from variable or Dialog from variable: use the variable field to choose a value containing the recipient ID. The scope and name are shown together, and the expanded list groups them under Run, Lead, Dialog, and Project.

The result list contains the matching recipients. To narrow it, start entering a name or another available identifier; search begins after two characters.

The recipient variable must contain a valid lead or dialog ID. The Lead scope also requires the run to have a current lead, so that scope is not offered in a background automation.

Choose Whose Data to Insert

In the step settings, open Whose data to use in variables and choose an option:

• Process lead and dialog uses the data the automation is running with. This is the default.
• Recipient lead and dialog uses the data of whoever will receive the message. For a private dialog, this means its lead; a group has no individual lead for substitution.

For example, a customer starts an automation that sends a message to a manager in another dialog. The first option inserts the customer's name; the second uses the message recipient's data. Set the recipient separately in Where to send.

The choice applies to text, attachments from variables, dynamic button blocks, and saving a reply or clicked button. Run and Project variables keep their source. Later steps also continue with the original run data.

A Background automation has no lead or dialog of its own. In a Message step, however, you can select a specific recipient, including through an ID variable, and enable Recipient lead and dialog. The corresponding Lead and Dialog variables then become available for that step. This does not grant the same access to other steps in the background flow.

Reply To The Lead's Message

Select the Message step in the automation, then set Send to to Current dialog.

When sending to the current dialog, you can enable Reply to the lead’s source message. The automation then sends the text as a reply to the lead message that caused this step to run.

This setting is intended only for branches that start from a lead message. If a branch starts when a lead enters a segment, there is no message to reply to, so the automation cannot be published with this setting enabled.

Continue The Automation After A Lead Reply

Enable Wait for a reply when the automation should wait for the next incoming message in the recipient's dialog after sending. A separate Reply output appears on the step. Connect it to the next step in the branch that should run after the lead replies.

In Save reply to variable, choose a scope and name. Run keeps the text only in this run; Lead and Dialog save it using the selected data source, and Project stores it as a shared project value. In a Background automation, Lead and Dialog are available for this step only in recipient-data mode. The picker shows only string variables and lets you create a compatible variable when you have the required permission.

The incoming message text is written to the selected variable before the Reply branch continues. The default is Run · answer; later steps can insert it as {{run.answer}}.

This setting does not hold the main branch after the message is sent. The next incoming message starts the separate Reply branch when it arrives.

Add Buttons

Select the Message step on the workflow and scroll the side panel to the buttons. Select Add button to open its settings.

Saved buttons appear in the layout recipients will receive. Drag a button within a row to reorder it, or into a gap between rows to create a new row.

When the message has a branch button, the Allow buttons to be clicked multiple times setting appears. It is enabled by default, so each click can start the branch separately. When disabled, all branch buttons in this message become unavailable after the first accepted click; link buttons continue to work.

Select the required button to edit it. In the dialog, select the button type and appearance, then enter its text:

• Branch transition continues the run through this button's separate output after it is selected. Save the button, then connect the new output beside the step to the next step;
• Link requires an address that begins with https:// in the URL field. Selecting the button opens this address.

Appearance sets the semantic emphasis: Neutral, Primary, Positive, or Negative. A channel uses its closest supported style, so the color may remain unchanged on some platforms. The website widget displays all four options with distinct styles.

The editor offers only button types supported by every channel selected for the step. Telegram, VK, MAX, Discord, and Widget support branch transitions and links. Email supports only a link and delivers it as a plain text URL. StreamVi and Avito do not support message buttons. If the set includes a channel without buttons, remove it only from this step's Channel types field; the automation can still start for that channel.

Each button can contain up to 40 characters. Senler's overall limit is 40 buttons, but channels impose stricter layout limits:

• Telegram: up to 8 buttons per row and 40 total;
• VK: up to 5 per row, 10 rows, and 40 total;
• MAX: up to 7 per row, but no more than 3 in a row containing a link; up to 30 rows and 40 buttons;
• Discord: up to 5 per row, 5 rows, and 25 buttons;
• Website widget: up to 3 per row, 5 rows, and 15 buttons;
• Email: one link per row and up to 40 links.

For a step with several channel types, use the strictest limit among the selected platforms.

To remove a button, open its settings and select Delete.

Send Buttons From An Agent Reply

If a Run agent step precedes the message, store its Response button block in a Run, Lead, Dialog, or Project variable. Then select Add button, choose Dynamic button block, select that result in the variable field, and select Add. For Lead and Dialog variables, check the selected message data source; in a background flow, they are available only in recipient-data mode.

The dynamic block appears among the regular button rows as a separate dashed card. Drag the entire card above, between, or below rows to choose where the agent's buttons appear in the message. Select the card to choose another variable, save the change, or remove the dynamic block. The agent's buttons and manually configured buttons are sent in one message in the selected order.

All dynamic branch buttons share one Button clicked output on the step. Connect it to the next step. Link buttons only open their URL and do not create a branch.

Under Save clicked button, choose a scope and an Object or JSON variable. When the lead selects a dynamic branch button, its identifier, text, and value are written to that variable. Run is suitable when the selection is immediately passed to Clicked button from variable in the next Run agent step. Lead and Dialog use the selected message data source, while Project stores a shared project value. In a Background automation, Lead and Dialog are available here only in recipient-data mode.

Dynamic buttons follow the same selected-channel limits and repeated-click setting as manually configured buttons.

Add Attachments

In the same panel, select the Message step on the workflow.

Select the paperclip below the editor. In the dialog, choose a source:

• Upload file: choose files from the device; you can also drag them into the editor or paste them from the clipboard;
• From variable: use the source field to select an Attachments variable from Run, Lead, Dialog, or Project. Every file in its array is added to the message, such as attachments returned by an agent.

Common image, video, audio, PDF, document, spreadsheet, text, and archive formats are supported. Uploaded files and attachments from the variable are merged; the combined message must contain no more than 10 files.

Uploading starts immediately, and its progress appears on the file card. Wait for uploading to finish before saving the step. If the file is unsupported or uploading fails, remove the card with the error and choose the file again.

Files uploaded directly to the step appear below the editor. Select a card to open the file. The cross button removes it from the message.

After you select a variable, its dashed card immediately appears below the editor. It identifies the attachment source, not the files themselves: the files are obtained when the run executes. Select the card to choose another variable, or use its cross button to remove that source.

For the attachment source, dynamic buttons, and clicked-button result, the pencil lets you enter a nested path.

Verify Real Delivery

A test run is not a preview: a message to a fixed lead or dialog may actually be sent. Use a training project or safe recipient, then open the run to inspect the step result.