Configure workflow channels and settings
Last updated: August 10, 2026
Workflow channels determine where a workflow can run. Workflow settings determine whether contacts can enter again, whether existing contacts are to be included, and how the workflow interacts with eligibility and Autopilot.
Select workflow channels
Open the workflow builder.
Select Select Channels or the current channel list in the header.
Choose every channel on which this workflow should run.
Resolve any compatibility warning shown for the trigger or an action.
Select Save in the channel dialog.
Select Save Workflow or Update Workflow to persist the channel change.
Channel | Availability | Common channel-specific steps |
|---|---|---|
Available when the Instagram connection is configured | Direct messages, comment triggers, and comment replies | |
Available for supported Facebook activity | Direct messages, comment triggers, and comment replies |
Every selected channel must support the workflow's trigger and all its actions.
Open Workflow Settings
The settings dialog opens when you save a new workflow, activate an inactive workflow, or select the settings gear in the editor.
Setting | What it controls | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
Workflow Status | Activates or Deactivates the workflow | It will only affect the future runs and not the current ones |
Contact Re-enrollment | Whether a contact can enter the same workflow again | - |
Enroll Existing Contacts | Whether matching existing contacts are considered at first activation | Can be enabled only during creation or first activation |
Remove If Ineligible | Re-checks supported trigger conditions before each action or delay and stops the run when they no longer match | Re-evaluates Schedule and Contact Tag eligibility only |
Allow Workflow Chaining | Allows an action from another workflow to start this workflow | - |
Autopilot Compatibility | Allows an eligible workflow to run while Autopilot handles the contact | Available only for |
Set the workflow status
Choose Active when the workflow is ready to accept new matching events. Choose Inactive while building, testing, or preventing new enrollments.
Deactivating or deleting a workflow does not cancel a run that already started. Check Workflow Runs before changing a live automation that contains delays or later message steps.
Configure contact re-enrollment
Turn on Contact Re-enrollment when the same contact should be able to start another run after a later matching event. Leave it off for one-time sequences.
Re-enrollment does not create a second simultaneous run for the same workflow and contact. It applies after an earlier run is no longer active and the contact produces another eligible event.
Example | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
One-time welcome or onboarding sequence | Off |
Reply to every new matching direct message | On, after checking for overlapping workflows |
Tag-added sequence that should run only once | Off |
Enroll existing contacts
Use Enroll Existing Contacts when the workflow should include contacts that matched before its first activation. The settings dialog shows the number of contacts Winly currently finds for selected trigger type.
Review existing-contact behavior by trigger before enabling it.
Treat this as a creation-time or first-activation decision. Editing the option later is not currently not supported.
Remove contacts that become ineligible
Turn on Remove If Ineligible when a workflow should stop processing a contact who no longer matches its original eligibility conditions.
Winly performs the recheck when the run reaches its next Action or Delay step. It is not a continuous check, so changing a tag or contact value does not stop the run immediately.
Workflow trigger | Example of becoming ineligible | Result when the setting is enabled |
|---|---|---|
Contact Tag | The workflow started because the contact had the Qualified tag, but that tag is removed before the next action or delay | The run is marked Completed and the current and remaining steps are skipped |
Schedule | The contact initially matched every schedule condition, but a tag, latest-message time, or latest-message direction changes before the next action or delay | The run is marked Completed and the current and remaining steps are skipped |
If the setting is off, a run that already started continues even when the contact no longer matches the original Contact Tag or Schedule trigger conditions.
This eligibility recheck applies only to Contact Tag and Schedule workflows.
Message Text, Any Message, Comment Text, and Any Comment trigger workflows are not re-evaluated by this setting because the event that started the run has already occurred.
Allow workflow chaining
Workflow chaining allows an action performed by one workflow to start another workflow. The most common case is an Add Contact Tag action starting an active Contact Tag workflow.
The receiving workflow must have Allow Workflow Chaining enabled. Winly blocks direct cycles and limits nested workflow starts, but you should design a clear one-way chain.
Before activation:
Draw the intended order of the workflows.
Check every tag-adding action and tag trigger.
Make sure no later workflow restores a tag that starts an earlier workflow.
Test the entire chain with one contact.
Review a separate run for each workflow.
Configure Autopilot Compatibility
For a Message Text or Comment Text workflow, Autopilot Compatibility allows the workflow to accept the matching event while Autopilot handling is enabled for the contact.
Leave it off when Autopilot-handled contacts should be excluded from the workflow. Turn it on only when the workflow steps have been reviewed alongside the messages or contact changes Autopilot can make.
Taking over a conversation in the Inbox does not stop an active workflow. A later workflow step can still run, including a message action. Review active runs before sending a manual response when duplicate communication would be harmful.
See Autopilot Handling Conversations for the customer-level handling control.
Save settings safely
Settings use a separate save action from the workflow canvas:
Select Save Settings in Workflow Settings for the controls on this page.
Select Update Workflow in the editor for name, description, channels, trigger, actions, delays, and branches.