The Delay Node
Holds the workflow still. Wait For selects between two behaviours that have little in common beyond the name, so pick it first.
| Wait For | The workflow continues when | Reach for it to |
|---|---|---|
| User Response | The visitor sends a reply of the kind you asked for | Ask one open question, or ask for a photo |
| Time Delay | The duration you set has passed | Pace a sequence of messages, or schedule work for later |
Ask One Open Question#
Set Wait For to User Response and the workflow parks until the visitor sends a message. A Message node asks the question and this node collects the answer, which is how you ask something open without a Form.
Decide What Kind of Reply Counts#
Expect decides which replies resume the workflow. It is a type rather than a validation rule, and it never checks what the answer says:
| Expect | Resumes on | Leaves by No response on |
|---|---|---|
| Anything they send | Any message: text, a photo, a file | Nothing |
| A written reply | Text only | A photo or a file sent with no text |
| A file or photo | An attachment only | A typed reply with nothing attached |
Choosing A file or photo adds Accept, which narrows it to Any file, Photos only or Documents only, checked against the file's own type as it arrives.
Expect a file when you asked for one. Choosing a photo takes longer than typing "ok", so on a phone the two arrive as separate messages, and a node expecting a file is still waiting when the photo lands after the "ok". It also stops a photo with no caption resuming the run with an empty answer for a Decision node downstream to branch on.
Wire the No Response Port to Ask Again#
A reply of the wrong kind leaves by No response. The node says nothing of its own and does not ask a second time.
To re-ask, wire No response into a Message node saying what you need, and wire that node back into this Delay. The wording and the number of attempts are then drawn on the canvas.
Read the Answer in Later Nodes#
| Variable | Holds | Written when |
|---|---|---|
<Label>.userResponse | What the visitor typed | Always, and empty when they sent only a file |
<Label>.userFile | The first attachment, with .referenceUrl and .originalName | The resuming message carried an attachment |
<Label>.userFiles | Every attachment | More than one arrived at once |
Renaming the node renames the variable, and every reference to the old name stops resolving.
Pace a Sequence, or Schedule Work for Later#
Set Wait For to Time Delay and give it an Amount and a Unit. The behaviour changes at sixty seconds, and the editor tells you which side you are on:
| Duration | The workflow | Reach for it to |
|---|---|---|
| 60 seconds or less | Stays in the conversation, the bot appears to be typing, and it continues on its own | Split a long reply so the bot does not deliver four bubbles at once |
| Over 60 seconds | Leaves the conversation, is re-queued, and runs later away from the live chat | Send a follow-up hours after the visitor left |
Past sixty seconds the run keeps its state and every node that acts without the visitor: messages, API requests, Function nodes and branching. What it no longer has is a conversation to pause.
Two Ceilings on a Long Wait#
72 hours is the maximum, and anything longer is shortened to it when the workflow runs. Every conversation entering the workflow parks a job for the full duration, so a wait measured in days is a queue that never drains. Three days covers a follow-up later in the week; past that, use a scheduled campaign rather than a parked conversation.
24 hours is the practical ceiling on WhatsApp and Instagram. A delay that pushes the next message past that window means it is never delivered, and the editor warns you when a delay would do that. See what differs per channel.
What a Parked Conversation Costs#
A workflow parked on a delay is still an active conversation, and a conversation is charged again for each hour it stays active, so a delay measured in hours adds charges. See what counts as a conversation.
A parked run is abandoned after the workflow's maximum idle time, 10 minutes by default, and the whole run is bound by maximum execution time, 20 minutes by default. Both are set per workflow, and this node has no timer of its own: if the visitor never replies, the conversation closes on its own idle limit and the workflow stops here. See execution limits.
Common Questions#
Which Should I Use to Ask a Question?#
A Delay set to User Response takes one open answer. A Form gives labelled fields, validation and a required flag. Use the Delay for one open question and the Form for anything you intend to store.
How Do I Ask Again If They Send the Wrong Thing?#
Wire the No response port into a Message node saying what you need, and wire that node back into this Delay. The Delay never re-asks on its own.
Does a Paused Delay Use the Step Limit?#
No. Pausing ends the run, and the resume starts a new one with the counter reset.
Can I Delay Until a Specific Time?#
Not directly, because the node takes a duration. To wait until a time of day, compute the seconds between now and then in a Function node and set the delay from that variable.
What Happens If the Visitor Replies Before the Delay Ends?#
A timed delay is not listening for a reply, so the assistant handles the message as a new turn while the workflow carries on waiting. Where a reply is what you are waiting for, use User Response.
Why Does My Message After a Long Delay Never Arrive?#
Either the run reached a node that needs the visitor and stopped, or the delay pushed delivery outside Meta's 24-hour window on WhatsApp or Instagram, or the delay was set past 72 hours and was shortened to it. A workflow that loops back through a delay of more than 60 seconds also stops after 100 returns from it, and the execution log names the reason.
Does Archiving a Bot Stop a Delayed Follow-Up?#
Yes. When a delay of more than 60 seconds ends, Chatleadr checks that the bot is not archived and that its workspace is neither deleted nor suspended. If either has changed while the workflow waited, the run stops there and sends nothing more, and the execution log names the reason.