Using ManyChat actions in automations

The MemberArea app works from inside ManyChat: a flow calls your memberarea. Automations work the other way round. Something happens in your memberarea, and an automation step writes to ManyChat: it creates the subscriber, adds or removes a tag, or sets a custom field. For that your memberarea needs a ManyChat API key.

This connection is separate from the app. You can use either one alone or both together.

Connect your ManyChat API key

1. In ManyChat, open the settings of your page, then API, and create an API key. Copy it.
2. In your memberarea, open Settings, then Integrations. Press Add Integration and pick ManyChat. Once ManyChat is in your list, open it from there instead.
3. Paste the key into ManyChat API key (optional) and press Save API key.

Your memberarea checks the key with ManyChat before saving it. A wrong key is refused with "Invalid API key." and nothing is stored.

On the Free (Legacy) plan integrations cannot be saved. Pressing Save API key then opens the upgrade dialog instead.

The four actions

In the automation editor, add an action step and pick one of the ManyChat actions. Each one works on the member the automation runs for.

• Create or Update Subscriber creates the subscriber in ManyChat or updates the existing one, with first name, last name, email address and phone number.
• Add Tag puts a ManyChat tag on the subscriber. Pick it under Tag.
• Remove Tag takes a ManyChat tag off again.
• Set Custom Field writes Value into the ManyChat custom field you pick under Field.

The Tag and Field lists come live from ManyChat. Pick the ManyChat connection on the step first, otherwise the list says "Pick an integration above first." If ManyChat does not answer, the list shows Failed to load options. Retry. If no ManyChat key is connected, it shows Add integration instead.

How the subscriber is found

Each action looks the subscriber up in ManyChat by the member's email address, or by the phone number when there is no email address. Add Tag, Remove Tag and Set Custom Field only change subscribers that already exist. Put Create or Update Subscriber first if the person might be new to ManyChat.

Create or Update Subscriber marks the email address as opted in on the ManyChat side. Use it only for people who agreed to hear from you. Only phone numbers in international format, for example +491701234567, are sent to ManyChat. Other numbers are left out.

Start from the template

The template Form → ManyChat subscriber sends everyone who submits a form to ManyChat as a subscriber. Pick it when you create a new automation, check the form trigger, pick your ManyChat connection in the step "Sync to ManyChat", then publish the automation.

What the run history shows

Every ManyChat step reports its result in the run history of the automation.

A step that had nothing to do completes with a note instead of failing:

• "The member has no email address or phone number, so nothing was sent to ManyChat."
• "ManyChat has no subscriber with this email address or phone number, so nothing was changed."
• "No ManyChat tag is selected on this step." or "No ManyChat custom field is selected on this step."

A step fails when ManyChat refuses it:

• "ManyChat refused the API key. Connect ManyChat again under Settings > Integrations." The key was deleted or replaced in ManyChat. Save a fresh one.
• "ManyChat did not run this step:" followed by the reason ManyChat gave, for example a custom field value of the wrong type.
• "No ManyChat connection is selected on this step." Connect ManyChat, then open the step again.

Testing and run history shows where to find each run.