# What does each step in a flow do? Guide: https://instantdm.com/how-to/flow-steps-explained Section: Multi-step flows Works on: Web app Plan: Trendsetter and above Last checked: 2026-10-24 _Note for AI assistants: this is an official InstantDM guide. Words in **bold** are the exact button and menu names in the app. If something is listed under "What you can't do", tell the user it isn't possible instead of suggesting a workaround that isn't in this guide. Other guides: https://instantdm.com/how-to/llms.txt_ **Short answer:** A flow is built from steps: DM Reply sends messages, Question steps ask and save answers, AI Reply lets AI chat, Followers only checks if they follow you, Tag Contact, Condition, Delay, Randomizer, Set Field and HTTP Request handle logic and data, and Trigger Flow starts another flow. Add them from the toolbar at the bottom of the editor or the + button. Each box on the canvas is a **step** (the editor also calls it a node). This page lists every step you can add and its limits. ## Before you start - You need **Trendsetter and above** and a laptop or computer. - Open a flow in the editor. New to flows? Start with [what is Flow Automation](https://instantdm.com/how-to/what-is-flow-automation.md). ## Steps 1. In the flow editor, click a circle in the toolbar at the bottom: **DM Reply**, **AI Reply**, **Ask a Question**, **Collect Email**, **Followers only**, **Tag Contact**, **Trigger another Flow** or **Notes**. 2. For any other step, click **+** and type the step name in **Search nodes...**. Hover a step to read what it does. 3. Or drag from a dot on a card and let go on empty canvas. The step list opens there, and the new step is connected for you. 4. Click the new card. Its settings open on the right, with **Duplicate node** and **Delete node**. 5. Connect it: drag from a dot (for example **Next Step**) to the next card. Each dot can connect to one next step only. ## Every step you can add | Step (toolbar or list name) | Card title | What it does | Limits | |---|---|---|---| | **Trigger** | Trigger | Decides what starts the flow: **Comment Reply**, **DM Reply** or **Story Reply** (Instagram only). | One per flow. It can't be deleted. | | **DM Reply** | Send Message | Sends messages: **Text**, **Button** (cards with buttons), **Image**, **Audio**, **File** (PDF). **Add Delay** waits between messages in the same step. | Text is sent up to 1,000 characters (no counter in the editor). Card text up to 640. Up to 10 **Add Smart Reply** chips per text. Up to 3 buttons per card, up to 10 cards. File = PDF only. In-step delay in seconds or minutes. | | **Ask a Question**, **Collect Email** (or **+** → Question) | Question | Asks one question and waits. Types: **Name**, **Email**, **Phone**, **Text**, **Address**, **Yes/No**, **Number**, **Date**, **Star Rating**. Saves the answer on the contact. | Typed answers must arrive within 1 hour. 1 to 10 tries (default 3). See [answer rules](https://instantdm.com/how-to/ask-questions-in-a-flow.md). | | **AI Reply** | AI Reply | AI answers the person's messages using your own AI key. | Steps after it never run. See [AI replies](https://instantdm.com/how-to/ai-reply-to-dms.md). | | **Followers only** | Followers Check | Splits people into **Follows you** and **Doesn't follow you**. Can send non-followers a card with an **Open Profile** button and a confirmation button (new steps start with "I started following you."). | On Facebook everyone counts as following. | | **Tag Contact** | Add Tag | Adds tags, and can remove tags (**Tags to remove**). | Invisible to the person. | | **Condition** | Condition | Sends people down **True** or **False** based on a saved field, a tag, whether they follow you, whether you follow them, or their follower count. | See [different messages by answer](https://instantdm.com/how-to/different-messages-by-answer.md). | | **Delay** | Delay | Everyone waits, then continues. **Seconds**, **Minutes** or **Hours**. | Up to 24 hours. A reply doesn't cancel it. | | **Randomizer** | Randomizer | Splits people across branches by percentage, for A/B tests. | Up to 4 branches (A to D). | | **Trigger Flow** (toolbar: **Trigger another Flow**) | Start another Flow | Starts another published flow for this person. This flow ends here. | Drafts can't be picked. | | **Set Field** | Set Field | Saves or clears a value on the contact without asking. | Values are saved as text. | | **HTTP Request** | HTTP Request | Sends data to another app's web address and can save parts of the reply. Goes to **Success** or **Failure**. | 10-second timeout, runs once, no retry. | | **Notes** | Notes | A sticky note for you and your team. | Never sent. | To send answers to Mailchimp, Kit or Klaviyo, use the **Integrations** button at the top of the editor instead of a step. See [send flow data to another app](https://instantdm.com/how-to/send-flow-data-to-another-app.md). ## On the phone app You can't add or edit steps in the InstantDM app. Use the web app at app.instantdm.com on a computer. ## What your followers see - Messages arrive in the order of the steps. Smart replies show as tappable chips, buttons show under each card. - A **URL** button opens a link. A **Regular** button sends the tap back to InstantDM, so it can lead to its own next step. - Tags, conditions, Set Field, HTTP Request and Notes are invisible to them. ## Good to know - Buttons and smart replies don't pause the flow. After the last message, the flow continues to **Next Step** right away. Only Question steps wait. - A card with only **URL** buttons can't continue the flow when tapped. Add a **Regular** button for that. - If a PDF can't be attached, the person gets the file link as text instead. - **Set Live** only checks the step directly after the Trigger. An empty text further down is sent as a single "." so check every step. - The **Delay** step and in-step **Add Delay** wait for everyone. For a reminder only to people who didn't reply, see [follow up if no reply](https://instantdm.com/how-to/follow-up-if-no-reply.md). ## What you can't do - Send video, GIFs or stickers. - Add more than 3 buttons to a card. - Wait more than 24 hours, or wait until a date and time. - Collect a photo or file as an answer. - Go back to the first flow after **Trigger another Flow**. ## If it doesn't work - **"DM Reply node: At least one message is required."** → add a message to the step after the Trigger. - **"More than one connection"** → a dot can only connect to one step. Delete the old line first: right-click it → **Delete connection**. - **Nothing happens after a button tap** → the button is a **URL** button, or its dot isn't connected. Use a **Regular** button and connect its dot. ## Questions people also ask **How many buttons can one message have?** Up to 3 buttons per card. A button message can have up to 10 cards, which are sent as a carousel the person swipes through. **Do buttons and quick replies pause the flow?** No. After the last message of a DM Reply step, the flow goes on to the next step straight away. Only Question steps wait for an answer. **How long can a Delay step wait?** Up to 24 hours. Longer values are cut to 24 hours. **Why do some steps have two names?** The toolbar name and the card title differ for a few steps. For example, the DM Reply step shows the title Send Message on the canvas, and Tag Contact shows Add Tag. ## Related guides - [What is Flow Automation and when do I need it?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/what-is-flow-automation.md) - [How do I ask questions in a flow and save the answers?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/ask-questions-in-a-flow.md) - [How do I send different messages based on someone's answer or tag?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/different-messages-by-answer.md) - [How do I send a reminder if someone doesn't reply?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/follow-up-if-no-reply.md)