The Trigger Intent feature lets you
manually activate a specific Intent in your Flow using the syntax cIntent: followed by the Intent name.
This feature overrides the default Intent mapping process, giving you precise control over the Flow’s next steps based on user input, such as a message or button click.
Use the Trigger Intent feature when you need to:
- Skip NLU processing and direct the Flow to a specific Intent.
- Ensure consistent navigation in response to button clicks or system actions.
- Improve the user experience by minimizing errors from misinterpreted user input.
Key Benefits
- Precise Flow Control. Ensures the correct Intent drives the Flow forward.
- Postback Support. Triggers a specific Intent smoothly when a user clicks a button with a Postback value.
Prerequisites
Before using this feature, ensure the following:
- You set up your Flow with specific Intents for the scenarios you want to trigger.
- You have a Say, Question, or Optional Question Node in the Flow editor.
Restrictions
- This feature bypasses full NLU processing, preventing default replies from triggering and automatically setting the Intent score to 1. Don’t use this feature for general NLU analysis.
How to Use
- In the Flow editor, identify the Intent needed to continue your Flow. For example,
Continue Booking.
- In a Say, Question, or Optional Question Node, use the syntax
cIntent:Continue Booking as a Postback value in Output Types that support Postbacks.
Follow these syntax rules:
- No space should follow the colon, though spaces within the Intent name are allowed. For example,
cIntent:Continue Booking.
- (Optional) Add a text for Slot parsing after a pipe symbol (
|). For example, cIntent:continueBooking|book tomorrow.
How to Test
Test the feature in the Interaction Panel:
- Open the Interaction Panel and enable Debug Mode.
- Test your Flow with the
cIntent:continueBooking Postback value. The system debug message shows:
Intent Match
Flow: Slots
Intent: Continue Booking
Intent score: 1
- Test your Flow with the
cIntent:continueBooking|book tomorrow to verify Slot extraction, for example, tomorrow. The system debug message shows:
System Slot Match
Start: February 26, 2025 (2025-02-26T00:00:00+01:00)
Text: tomorrow
Slot: DATE
Last modified on June 2, 2026