Rule-based automation in Wati helps you automatically perform tasks based on specific events and conditions. By creating rules, you can trigger actions such as sending messages, updating information, or responding to customers without manual effort.

Each rule in Wati is built using three core components: Triggers, Filters, and Actions. This guide explains what these components mean and walks you through how to create your first automation rule.

Rule-based automation works by connecting three elements that define when, why, and what should happen.

A Trigger is the event that starts the automation.

Examples of triggers include:

When this event occurs, the rule begins to run.

A Filter defines the conditions that must be true for the rule to continue. For example, you may only want the rule to run if a message contains a specific keyword, if the message has a image or document attached, if the message is a voice note, or if a contact attribute has a certain value.

An Action is the automated task that Wati performs after the trigger occurs and the filter conditions are met.

Examples of actions include:

Follow these steps to create your first automation rule in Wati:

After selecting a trigger, you will be taken to the Rule Builder page. Give an appropriate name for your rule before proceeding.

The Rule Builder allows you to configure the three components of your rule:

For this example, we will use the trigger New attribute is added to a contact.

Filters let you narrow down when the rule should act. For example, you can set a filter so the rule only runs if a message contains a specific keyword or if a contact attribute has a particular value. If no filter is added, the rule runs for every contact that matches the trigger.

For this example:

Wati will continue to add more automation actions over time to support additional use cases.

Here is a simple example of how a rule works.

Scenario:

Result:

Wati automatically sends a predefined wati_test template message to that contact.

This type of automation helps businesses instantly respond to customers based on their information or activity.

Wati evaluates automation rules from the top of the Rules list to the bottom. When multiple rules match the same message, all matching rules run, with one exception: only 1 chatbot or AI agent can take a conversation.

If multiple matching rules attempt to start a chatbot or assign the conversation to an AI agent, only the action in the highest matching rule takes effect. Other actions in the matching rules continue to run as usual.

You can change the order of rules to control which chatbot or AI agent takes a conversation when multiple rules match.

Suppose 3 rules match the same incoming message:

In this example:

If you want the AI agent to take the conversation instead, move the Talk to support rule above the Book an appointment rule.

A rule does not run in the following situations:

Rules triggered by other events can still run while an agent is handling the chat. These include:

If one of these rules sends a message or starts a chatbot, the conversation moves from the assigned agent back to the bot.

To avoid interrupting an agent's conversation, use actions such as:

These actions leave the conversation with the assigned agent.

If 2 matching rules start different chatbots, the chatbot in the rule higher in the Rules list starts. The chatbot in the lower rule is skipped, but its other actions still run normally.

You can change which chatbot takes the conversation by changing the order of the rules.

New rules are added to the top of the Rules list, giving them the highest priority. You can move a new rule to a different position after it is created.

Time-Based Rules cannot be reordered. They run according to their schedules and do not have a priority order.

Rule-based automation in Wati automatically performs tasks based on specific events and conditions. Rules can trigger actions such as sending messages, updating information, or responding to customers without manual effort.

A Wati automation rule has 3 core components:

A trigger is the event that starts an automation rule. Examples include receiving a new message, adding a contact attribute, and updating a contact attribute.

A filter defines the conditions that must be true for an automation rule to continue. For example, a filter can check whether a message contains a specific keyword, has an image or document attached, is a voice note, or whether a contact attribute has a specific value.

An action is the automated task Wati performs after the trigger occurs and the filter conditions are met. Examples include sending a template message, updating contact attributes, and assigning a conversation.

Wati evaluates automation rules from the top of the Rules list to the bottom. All matching rules run, except when multiple matching rules attempt to start a chatbot or assign a conversation to an AI agent. In that case, only the action in the highest matching rule takes effect. Other actions in the matching rules continue to run normally.

If 2 matching rules start different chatbots, the chatbot in the rule higher in the Rules list starts. The chatbot in the lower rule is skipped, but its other actions still run normally.

A Wati automation rule does not run when: