# How do I turn a flow on, and what do the Set Live errors mean?

Guide: https://instantdm.com/how-to/set-flow-live  
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:** Click Set Live at the top right of the flow editor. InstantDM checks the name, the trigger, the first step and your AI key, then shows 'Changes Published.' If it lists errors, fix each one and click Set Live again. After any later edit, click Set Live again. To turn a flow off, switch off its row in Flow Automation.

**Set Live** is the publish button of the flow editor. Until you click it, the flow is a **Draft** and sends nothing.

## Before you start

- You need **Trendsetter and above**.
- If the flow has an **AI Reply** step, save your AI key first in **Account Settings → AI Configuration**. See [add an AI key](https://instantdm.com/how-to/add-ai-key.md).

## Steps

1. Finish your edits. The top right shows "Draft Saving..." then "Draft Saved...". Drafts never reach your followers.
2. For a comment flow, open the **Trigger** card and check two things:
   - **Step 3 · Welcome message** has your own title. If you see the sentence "Thanks for commenting — type {{ for variables", it is only a placeholder that looks like real text. Click it and type your own title. If you only click in and out, that sample sentence is saved as your real welcome message.
   - **Step 4 · Reply to comment** has at least one public reply.
3. Click **Preview** to walk through the main path of the conversation.
4. Click **Set Live** at the top right.
5. If you see "Please give your automation a name before publishing.", type a name in **Name your automation**, save it, and click **Set Live** again.
6. If you see a list titled "Please fix the following before publishing:", fix each item (see the table below) and click **Set Live** again.
7. You'll see "Changes Published." and the tag at the top left changes from **Draft** to **Live**.

## What the Set Live errors mean

| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| "At least one trigger type must be enabled (DM Reply, Story Reply, or Comment Reply)." | Open the Trigger card and switch on at least one of them. |
| "Trigger must be connected to at least one node." | Drag from the Trigger card's **Then** dot to your first step. |
| "Comment Reply: At least one post, ad, or live must be selected." | Pick posts in **Step 1 · Select the posts**, or choose an "Any" option. |
| "Comment Reply: At least one trigger word is required when using Custom Word mode." | Add a word under **Custom Word** and click **Add**, or choose **All Comment**. |
| "Comment Reply: A welcome message title is required." | Write a title in **Step 3 · Welcome message**. |
| "Comment Reply: At least one comment response word is required." | Add a public reply in **Step 4 · Reply to comment**. |
| "DM Reply: At least one trigger word is required when using Custom Word mode." | Add a DM keyword, or choose **All Message**. |
| "DM Reply: Please select an interval — 'For the first time' or 'Once in a Day'." | With **All Message**, pick **For the first time** or **Once in a day**. |
| "Story Reply: At least one story must be selected." | Pick a story under **Select Stories**, or choose **Any Stories**. |
| "Story Reply: At least one trigger word is required when using Custom Word mode." | Add a word, or choose **All Message**. |
| "DM Reply node: At least one message is required." | Add a message to the step after the Trigger. |
| "Question node: At least one question must be configured." | Type the question text. |
| "Followers Only: A message title is required when 'Send a message' is selected." | Write the title of the card non-followers get. |
| "Tag Contact: At least one tag must be selected." | Pick or create a tag. |
| "Trigger Flow: A published flow must be selected." | Pick a live flow. Drafts can't be chosen. |
| "AI Reply: Business description is required in Guided mode." | Fill **What does your business do?** |
| "AI Reply: Custom prompt is required in Custom mode." | Write your instructions in **Custom prompt**. |
| "AI API key missing" | Save the key for that AI provider in **Account Settings → AI Configuration**, then click **Save**. |

## On the phone app

You can't publish or edit flows in the InstantDM app. Turn flows on and off from the web app at app.instantdm.com. The app's **Flows** screen shows your flows and the people in them.

## What your followers see

- Nothing changes for them until **Changes Published.** appears.
- People already in the middle of the flow keep going. Their next step comes from the version that is published at that moment, so check your changes before you click **Set Live**.

## Good to know

- After editing a live flow, click **Set Live** again. Until then the old version keeps running.
- The **⋮** menu next to **Set Live** has **Discard changes** (go back to the published version) and **Data Missing?** (reload the last published version if steps look missing). Both work after the flow has been published once.
- **Undo** and **Redo** are at the left of the bottom toolbar. They are cleared when you reload the page.
- Set Live only checks the step connected directly to the Trigger. An empty message further down is sent as a single "." so click through every step before you publish.
- If two live flows use the same trigger word, only the most recently published one runs.

## What you can't do

- Schedule a flow to go live later.
- Go back to older versions than the last published one.
- Publish from the flow list or from the phone app.

## How to turn it off

1. Open **Flow Automation** in the sidebar.
2. Switch off the flow's row. You'll see "Unpublish this automation?" and "This will stop the automation."
3. Click **Yes, Unpublish**. You'll see "Automation unpublished (moved to Draft)".

To delete a flow instead: click **⋮** on its row → **Delete** → **Yes, Delete**. A deleted flow can't be restored.

## If it doesn't work

- **Set Live does nothing and asks for a name** → type a name, save, click **Set Live** again.
- **The flow is Live but nobody gets a DM** → see [why didn't my automation send a DM?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automation-not-sending.md)
- **Followers got "Thanks for commenting — type {{ for variables" as the first DM** → replace the welcome title with your own words and click **Set Live** again.
- **People got the first DM but nothing after** → in comment flows they must tap the welcome button. Make the welcome title ask them to tap it.

## Questions people also ask

**I edited a live flow. Do I need to publish again?**

Yes. Edits save as a draft. Followers keep getting the last published version until you click Set Live again.

**What happens to people in the middle of a flow when I edit it?**

They keep going. Your edits reach them only after you click Set Live, because their next step always comes from the published version. If you unpublish or delete the flow, their next reply doesn't continue it.

**Can I go back to the live version after messing up my draft?**

Yes. Open the ⋮ menu at the top right and click Discard changes. It reverts the editor to the published version.

**Can I turn a draft on from the list?**

No. The list switch can only turn a flow off. Open the flow and click Set Live to publish it.

## Related guides

- [How do I create a flow from a template?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/create-flow-from-template.md)
- [What is Flow Automation and when do I need it?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/what-is-flow-automation.md)
- [Why didn't my automation send a DM?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automation-not-sending.md)
- [How do I organize, duplicate or copy a flow to Facebook?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/organize-and-copy-flows.md)