Skip to main content
Solved

External requests not triggered on Whatsapp automation

  • May 6, 2026
  • 4 comments
  • 20 views
BrennaSocial

Hi,

I have created an automation for WhatsApp, but the external requests are not being triggered.

The request itself seems to be correct, because the test request works properly.

My request calls a PHP file where I added logs for the incoming requests. When I run the test, I can see the request in the logs. However, when the WhatsApp automation runs, the request is not made, and the flow continues with an empty response.

Few time ago, I used similar external calls with the Instagram channel and they always worked correctly.

Could you please help me understand why this is happening?

Thanks

Ely

Best answer by BrennaSocial

After ManyChat support investigation, seems Bitninja protection blocks platform requests.

Hope this could be helpful.

Ely

    4 replies

    rogerioaraujo
    Forum|alt.badge.img+1

    Hello ​@BrennaSocial ,

    I suggest running two checks to identify the cause of the error.
    The first is to review the flow to make sure that this external request is actually being sent to the contact.

    - Is the flow triggered by a keyword? Is it really configured correctly and working?
    - Is the flow set as the default reply flow?
    - Is there any conditional block preventing it from being sent?

    If you are unsure whether the flow is properly configured, you can run a test. Next to the external request block, add a test block that adds a TAG. Then, when you run the flow, check the contact profile and confirm whether the TAG was added. If it was, that means the flow reached that point, so everything is working correctly up to there.

    The second test is to confirm whether the issue is related to response mapping. When making the external request, it returns the parameter "user". If, in your Manychat flow, you are saving this value in a custom field, you may not have mapped the response correctly in the "Response Mapping" tab.

    rogerioaraujo
    Forum|alt.badge.img+1

    Another point to pay attention to is how long your server is taking to respond. In Manychat, unless this has changed, the external request block waits a maximum of 10 seconds.

    In your test, it seems to be working fine, but depending on what is being executed by that server, if during a real flow test it takes longer to respond for any reason, it could be a timeout issue.

    BrennaSocial
    • BrennaSocial
    • Author
    • Up-and-comer
    • May 7, 2026

    Thank you for your detailed explanation and the many suggestions.

    After I found this issue, I created a simple flow that makes the call immediately after a message. This is the flow you can see in my example.

    I tried both POST and GET requests.

    I used two different servers, with different configurations, to host the PHP script to be called.

    The flow works and is executed in the chat, but the call to my PHP script is not made.

    I added logging to the PHP script, and the logs show that it is not being called.

    The script is called only when I run the test, as shown in the example.

    Who can provide support on this?

    BrennaSocial
    • BrennaSocial
    • Author
    • Up-and-comer
    • Answer
    • May 7, 2026

    After ManyChat support investigation, seems Bitninja protection blocks platform requests.

    Hope this could be helpful.

    Ely

    Community Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement