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Start a Flow when someone sends a file

  • May 13, 2026
  • 2 comments
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R

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to figure out whether there is a way to use a keyword trigger or at least a workaround to start an automation whenever a user sends a file through WhatsApp. 

More specifically, I’d like to trigger a flow when someone uploads a document such as a PDF.

I’ve tried using conditions such as "message starts with https" and "message contains pdf", based on the way files appear in the Inbox as links (for example: https:// manybot-files.manychat dot io/example.pdf), but that approach didn’t work for me. 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Best answer by cata_rendon

Hey ​@renanhvieira  Unfortunately, ManyChat doesn't currently have a native trigger for "file received" on WhatsApp — there's no way to automatically start a flow when a user sends a file unprompted.

The only potential workaround using triggers would be tagging the contact when the file is received, but that only works if the file is saved to a Custom User Field (CUF). If the user sends the file outside of a specific flow, it won't be saved to a CUF automatically — and without that, there's no way to fire a trigger or configure an automation rule around it.

So practically speaking, your best options are:

  1. Ask users to send a keyword along with the file (e.g., "SEND FILE" or "UPLOAD") — that keyword activates the trigger, and you can then handle the file from there.
  2. Use a Keyword Trigger to start the flow proactively — prompt the user to send the file, then collect it via a Data Collection block (Reply Type: File).

Neither is fully seamless, but they're the most reliable native paths available right now.

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

Catalina Rendon

    2 replies

    R
    • renanhvieira
    • Author
    • Up-and-comer
    • May 13, 2026

    Just to clarify, I’m already aware of the Data Collection block with Reply Type set to File, which works well when the flow asks the user to upload a document, what I’m trying to achieve is triggering a flow when a user sends a file on their own, without being prompted by us first.

    cata_rendon
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    • cata_rendon
    • Community Moderator
    • Answer
    • May 13, 2026

    Hey ​@renanhvieira  Unfortunately, ManyChat doesn't currently have a native trigger for "file received" on WhatsApp — there's no way to automatically start a flow when a user sends a file unprompted.

    The only potential workaround using triggers would be tagging the contact when the file is received, but that only works if the file is saved to a Custom User Field (CUF). If the user sends the file outside of a specific flow, it won't be saved to a CUF automatically — and without that, there's no way to fire a trigger or configure an automation rule around it.

    So practically speaking, your best options are:

    1. Ask users to send a keyword along with the file (e.g., "SEND FILE" or "UPLOAD") — that keyword activates the trigger, and you can then handle the file from there.
    2. Use a Keyword Trigger to start the flow proactively — prompt the user to send the file, then collect it via a Data Collection block (Reply Type: File).

    Neither is fully seamless, but they're the most reliable native paths available right now.

    Hope this helps!

    Cheers!

    Catalina Rendon

    https://www.dominariai.com | www.linkedin.com/in/catalina-rendon-gamboa
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