manychat-flow-builder

name	manychat-flow-builder
description	Automate ManyChat DM funnel creation via API and browser. Build support and sales ecosystems, quiz flows, cart recovery, and retention sequences programmatically.

ManyChat Flow Builder

Automate ManyChat DM funnel creation via API and browser. Build support & sales ecosystems, quiz flows, cart recovery, and retention sequences programmatically.

When to Use

• Building DM funnels and automations for e-commerce brands
• Setting up welcome flows, abandoned cart recovery, replenishment
• Creating support/FAQ handlers with human handoff
• Bulk-creating custom fields, tags, and subscriber segments
• Integrating Shopify order data with ManyChat subscriber data

Prerequisites

• ManyChat Pro account (API access requires Pro)
• ManyChat API token from Settings → API
• Instagram/Facebook page connected to ManyChat
• Node.js 18+ for MCP server
• Python 3 + Playwright for browser automation

API-First Setup (Always Do This First)

1. Get Page Info

manychat_page_info()

2. Create Custom Fields

manychat_create_custom_field(name: "wellness_goal", type: "text", description: "Primary health goal")
manychat_create_custom_field(name: "preferred_gel", type: "text", description: "Product match")
manychat_create_custom_field(name: "last_order_date", type: "date", description: "Recent order")
manychat_create_custom_field(name: "cart_total", type: "number", description: "Abandoned cart")

Field Types: text, number, date, datetime, boolean

3. Create Tags

manychat_create_tag(name: "lead_new")
manychat_create_tag(name: "customer_first")
manychat_create_tag(name: "cart_abandoner")
manychat_create_tag(name: "quiz_completed")

4. List Existing Flows

manychat_list_flows()

Browser Automation (For Flow Building)

ManyChat's API does NOT support creating/editing flows. Use Playwright browser automation.

Authentication

The account uses Google OAuth. You cannot automate OAuth login without the user's Google password. Instead:

1. Open a visible browser (headed mode)
2. Hand off to user to sign in with Google
3. Resume automation after login

from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

browser = p.chromium.launch_persistent_context(
    user_data_dir="/tmp/mc-profile",
    headless=False,  # MUST be headed for OAuth
    args=["--no-sandbox", "--disable-blink-features=AutomationControlled"],
)
page = browser.new_page()
page.goto("https://app.manychat.com/signin")
# User signs in with Google

Navigating to Flow Builder

# After login, go to automation page
page.goto(f"https://app.manychat.com/{PAGE_ID}/cms")

# Create new automation
page.locator('button:has-text("New Automation")').first.click()
page.locator('button:has-text("Start From Scratch")').first.click()
page.locator('text=Start from a blank canvas').click()

# Result: URL becomes .../cms/files/{flow_id}/edit

Key Data-Test IDs

Element	Data-Test-ID
New Automation button	cms
Flow title	cms-flow-title
Builder switch	builder-switch-button
AI generator open	ai-flow-generator-open-button
AI input	ai-flow-generator-message-input
AI send	ai-flow-generator-send-message-button
AI use automation	ai-flow-generator-use-automation-button
Flow chart	flow-chart-builder
Publish	flow-editor-publish
Preview	flow-editor-preview

Handling React UI Overlays

ManyChat uses React with overlay panels that intercept pointer events. Solutions:

# Close overlays before clicking
page.keyboard.press("Escape")
page.mouse.click(100, 100)  # Click outside panel

# Use force click to bypass overlays
page.locator('button:has-text("New Automation")').first.click(force=True)

# Use JavaScript click when DOM clicks fail
page.evaluate("""
    () => {
        const btn = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('button'))
            .find(b => b.textContent.trim() === 'New Automation');
        ['mousedown', 'mouseup', 'click'].forEach(evt => {
            btn.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent(evt, { bubbles: true }));
        });
    }
""")

Using ManyChat AI Builder

The AI builder can scaffold flows quickly. It asks a series of questions:

1. Goal: "Generate more leads and drive sales"
2. Channel: "Instagram" or "Messenger"
3. Template type: "Engage with a quiz", "Collect contact's data", "Grow email list"
4. Topic: Describe your quiz/product focus
5. Questions: Provide questions in format:

   Question: [Your question]
   Answer Options:
   A) [Option A]
   B) [Option B]
   C) [Option C]
   D) [Option D]
   Correct Answer: [Letter]
   

⚠️ Limitation: AI builder is designed for trivia/knowledge quizzes, not product recommendation flows. For sales funnels, build manually.

Flow Architecture Patterns

1. Welcome & Lead Capture Flow

Trigger: New Subscriber
  → Welcome message + goal buttons
    → [Energy] [Skin] [Digestion] [Wellness]
      → Acknowledge goal + quiz offer
        → [Take Quiz] [See Products]
          → Quiz Path: 3 questions
            → Product recommendation
              → [Add to Cart] [Learn More]
                → Email capture (if empty)
                  → 23hr delay → Discount reminder

Custom fields used: wellness_goal, preferred_gel, energy_level, skin_type Tags applied: quiz_completed, goal_energy/goal_skin/etc

2. Abandoned Cart Recovery

Trigger: Shopify webhook (cart abandoned)
  → Tag: cart_abandoner
  → Set field: cart_total
  → 30min delay
    → Cart reminder message
      → [Complete Order] [Need Help?]
  → 24hr delay (if no purchase)
    → Social proof + urgency
      → [Checkout] [Get 10% Off]
  → 48hr delay (if no purchase)
    → Final nudge or nurture sequence

3. Support & FAQ Flow

Trigger: Keywords (help, support, issue, refund)
  → Menu: [Order Status] [Products] [Shipping] [Returns] [Human]
    → Order Status: ask for order # → webhook to Shopify
    → Products: route to recommendation
    → Shipping: show rates + tracking link
    → Returns: collect details → tag support_open → notify Slack
    → Human: tag support_human_needed → Slack notification

4. Replenishment Flow

Trigger: 21 days after last_order_date
  → Check-in: "Running low on {preferred_gel}?"
    → [Need More] [Still Have Some] [Try Something New]
      → Reorder: 1-click checkout
      → Still have: delay 7 days, re-ask
      → New product: cross-sell recommendation

Shopify Integration

Webhook Middleware (Node.js/Express)

// Receive Shopify order created
app.post('/webhook/shopify/order-created', async (req, res) => {
  const { email, customer, line_items } = req.body;
  const subscriber = await manychat.findSubscriberByEmail(email);
  
  // Set lifecycle tags
  if (customer.orders_count === 1) {
    await manychat.addTag(subscriber.id, 'customer_first');
  }
  
  // Set product tags
  line_items.forEach(item => {
    const tag = PRODUCT_TAG_MAP[item.handle];
    if (tag) await manychat.addTag(subscriber.id, tag);
  });
  
  // Set custom fields
  await manychat.setCustomField(subscriber.id, 'last_order_date', new Date());
});

Shopify → ManyChat Events

Shopify Event	ManyChat Action
Order created	Tag customer, set last_order_date
Cart abandoned	Tag cart_abandoner, set cart_total, trigger flow
Order fulfilled	Remove cart_abandoner, schedule review flow
Refund created	Tag refund_requested

Meta Ads → DM Bridge

Meta Ads Manager:
  Campaign Objective: Messages
  Ad Format: Click to Message
  CTA: Send Message
  
ManyChat:
  Keyword trigger: "ATL same day" (or custom keyword)
  → Trigger: ATL Same-Day Flow

Growth Tools Setup

Instagram Comment Automation

Post Type	Trigger Comments	Auto-DM
Product posts	"LINK", "PRICE", "INFO"	Product card + welcome flow
Educational	"GUIDE", "MORE", "TIPS"	Lead magnet PDF
Atlanta-specific	"ATL", "SAME DAY"	ATL campaign flow

Story Reply Triggers

• Reply to story → Welcome Flow
• Story poll response → Segmentation tag + follow-up
• Story mention → UGC Flow + discount code

Message Voice & Tone

Do

• "Hey beautiful soul! 🌿"
• "Welcome to the Holistic Vitalis family"
• "What brings you here today?"
• Use warm, natural language
• Include emojis sparingly (🌿💚✨🌊)

Don't

• Sound robotic or corporate
• Use all caps
• Send 3+ messages without user response
• Pushy sales language ("BUY NOW!!!")

Analytics to Track

Metric	Target
DM opt-in rate	8-15%
Quiz completion	45-60%
Cart recovery	10-18%
Bot resolution	70-80%
Replenishment conversion	15-25%

Troubleshooting

"Channel permissions lost" modal

Close by pressing Escape or clicking the X button before proceeding.

Clicks not registering

React event delegation requires specific event sequences:

page.evaluate("""
    ['mousedown', 'mouseup', 'click'].forEach(evt => {
        btn.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent(evt, { bubbles: true, cancelable: true, view: window }));
    });
""")

Flow builder URL pattern

https://app.manychat.com/{PAGE_ID}/cms/files/{FLOW_ID}/edit

Cookie import fails

ManyChat cookies are under manychat.com and app.manychat.com. Use both domains when importing.

Complete Build Checklist

• Connect ManyChat Pro + API token
• Connect Instagram/Facebook channels
• Create all custom fields (12)
• Create all tags (30+)
• Build Welcome Flow
• Build Support/FAQ Flow
• Build Abandoned Cart Flow
• Build ATL Same-Day Flow
• Build Replenishment Flow
• Build Review & Referral Flow
• Build Story Mention Flow
• Build Bundle/Upsell Flow
• Set up Shopify webhooks
• Set up comment automation
• Set up ad-to-DM bridge
• Test all flows end-to-end
• Publish all flows

Resources

• ManyChat API Docs: https://api.manychat.com/swagger
• Playwright Docs: https://playwright.dev/python/
• Holistic Vitalis Ecosystem: ~/Projects/Clients/Holistic-Vitalis/manychat-ecosystem/