General automation troubleshooting

You may encounter a few issues while setting up your automations, but don’t worry,  this guide will help you quickly find the right solution.

In this article, we’ll cover how to troubleshoot the following problems:

• Can’t publish an automation
• Automation was not sent to a contact
• Can’t open an automation
• How to stop an automation that has already been sent
• Automation stops after a button is clicked

Can’t publish an automation

If you can’t publish your automation, click Set Live while the automation is open in Flow Builder.

The system will automatically highlight any issues that need your attention and display a red notification explaining what must be fixed.

Common problems include:

• Unattached steps
• Missing attachments (for example, an image or file block with no file uploaded)
• Empty blocks

Simply update or remove the problematic block(s), and then try publishing again.

If your account is on the Free plan, make sure your automation doesn’t contain features that are only available on certain paid plans. Free accounts can add paid-plan features to a flow, but they cannot publish automations that include them.

To resolve this issue, you can:

• Remove the blocks that contain paid features, or
• Upgrade to a plan that supports them.

You can find more information about available plans on our pricing page.

Automation was not sent to a contact

There are several reasons why an automation may fail to send to a subscribed contact. The most common causes relate to the automation’s configuration.

First, verify the following:

• The automation is published.
• The automation does not contain empty cells, such as incomplete action blocks, data collection fields, or sequences.
• The automation has not been permanently deleted.

If any of these conditions aren’t met, the automation will not be delivered to your contacts.

Automation is used as a Welcome Message

If your automation is set as the Welcome Message but does not send after a user taps the Get Started button (even though the Welcome Message is enabled), try refreshing your permissions. 

For step-by-step instructions, see how to refresh permissions for the Facebook channel.

Default Reply is not sent

If your Default Reply isn’t being sent, first check whether it’s enabled and review how often it is configured to fire.

If everything is set up correctly and the Default Reply still doesn’t trigger, try refreshing your permissions, as this often resolves channel-related delivery issues.

Main Menu doesn’t react to clicks

If your Main Menu isn’t responding when users click its buttons, it’s likely related to missing or outdated channel permissions. Try refreshing your permissions before checking anything else, this usually resolves the issue.

Keyword automation

If an automation is linked to a Keyword, it won’t be sent if the keyword trigger is disabled. Make sure the trigger is turned on.

And if everything looks correct but the automation still isn’t firing, try refreshing permissions, it often resolves delivery issues.

Sequence message is not arriving

If you subscribe yourself to a Sequence but the message doesn’t arrive, first make sure the Sequence is activated.

Also check whether you’ve already been subscribed to it before. If you previously tested the Sequence, you are still considered subscribed, and Sequence messages won’t be sent to a contact twice.

To restart it for testing:

1. Unsubscribe yourself from the Sequence.
2. Subscribe again.

This will reset the Sequence and allow the messages to be sent as expected.

Automation connected to a trigger is not sent

If you’ve configured a Trigger but the connected automation isn’t sent to your contacts, first check whether the trigger is active and verify that it’s set up correctly.

For detailed setup instructions, refer to the individual trigger guides available in the Help Center.

Can't open an automation

If you’re unable to open an automation, try logging into Manychat using a different browser or Incognito mode.

If the automation opens successfully there, then clearing the cache and cookies in your primary browser will usually resolve the issue.

How can I stop an automation that was already sent?

In most cases, once an automation has been sent, the primary way to stop it is to delete the automation.

To do this:

1. Open the Automation tab from the sidebar.
2. Find the automation you want to delete.
3. Hover over it and click the three-dot menu icon that appears.
4. Select Delete.
5. Confirm your decision by clicking Delete in the pop-up window.

To permanently delete an automation:

1. Open the Automation tab from the sidebar.
2. Click on the Trash button.
3. Hover over it and click the three-dot menu icon that appears.
4. Select Permanently delete.
5. Confirm your decision by clicking Delete now in the pop-up window.

If the automation includes a Smart Delay, you can also modify the steps that come after the delay. These updates will apply to any contacts who have not yet passed the Smart Delay. Once their delay ends, they will move on to your updated steps.

If the automation was sent as a broadcast, it cannot be stopped or changed afterward, since sent broadcasts cannot be deleted.

Automation stops after a button is clicked

If an automation stops after a user clicks a button, start by refreshing your channel permissions.

Next, make sure the automation where the issue occurred is published.

Try running the automation yourself to check whether you can reproduce the problem.

If you can’t recreate the issue, open the Live Chat conversation with the contact who experienced it and compare their path through the automation with yours. This can help identify whether the user encountered a channel-specific limitation or followed a different route.

If the problem persists after trying these steps, contact our Support team so we can help you get everything working again.