---
title: "Inbox in Workflows"
url: https://flexie.io/resources/inbox/workflows-and-automation
description: "The consolidated catalogue. Every channel trigger and action with what each one runs against, the data each one makes available to your workflow, five end-to-end recipes that bridge email, SMS, and WhatsApp, and a debug checklist for when a trigger doesn't run."
---

# Inbox in Workflows

Last updated 26 May 2026

![An inbound message on the left triggering a workflow that sends a reply on the right, with the workflow data payload shown in the middle](https://flexie.io/image/resources/inbox-workflows-and-automation.png)

Every channel can be a workflow **trigger** (a message came in) and a workflow **action** (send a message). Most automation in the communication area lives in that loop, a message in, a workflow run, a message back out.

For workflow fundamentals (building, runtime, parallel branches, passing data) see [Workflows (in depth)](https://flexie.io/resources/workflows/overview).

## At a glance

A workflow can start with a message **coming in** (a trigger) and respond with a message **going out** (an action). Most automation in the communication area lives in that loop.

## Triggers: full catalogue

| Trigger               | Runs when                                                                                                | Data your workflow can read |
| --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| **Incoming emails**   | Inbound email matched to a record. Filter by account, folder, read/unread state, and new-vs-reply.       | incoming\_email             |
| **Email opened**      | A previously-sent email is opened by the recipient.                                                      | (no extra data)             |
| **Incoming SMS**      | Inbound SMS matched to a record. Optional text pattern (YES\*, \*opt out\*, etc.).                       | incoming\_sms               |
| **SMS delivered**     | An outbound SMS is reported delivered by the provider. Useful for "X minutes after delivery" follow-ups. | delivered\_sms              |
| **Incoming WhatsApp** | Inbound WhatsApp matched to a record. Includes group fields when the message is from a group chat.       | incoming\_whatsapp          |

> A trigger "runs once per matched record". If an inbound message links to a contact _and_ a lead, the workflows on both record types run independently. See [Workflows → Triggers and sources](https://flexie.io/resources/workflows/triggers-and-sources).

### What's in each data bundle

Each trigger exposes the message's fields under a name in your workflow data. Use them anywhere [Flexie Scripting](https://flexie.io/resources/flexie-scripting/overview) is accepted: message bodies, subjects, decisions, field updates.

#### `incoming_email`

```twig
{{ __data.incoming_email.from_email }}
{{ __data.incoming_email.from_name }}
{{ __data.incoming_email.subject }}
{{ __data.incoming_email.text }}            {# plain-text body  #}
{{ __data.incoming_email.html }}            {# HTML body         #}
{{ __data.incoming_email.cc_emails }}       {# array of strings  #}
{{ __data.incoming_email.cc_names }}        {# array of strings  #}
{{ __data.incoming_email.date_received }}
{{ __data.incoming_email.has_inline_attachments }}
{{ __data.incoming_email.has_regular_attachments }}
{{ __data.incoming_email.all_attachments_count }}
{{ __data.incoming_email.all_attachments }} {# array of {name, attachment_type, mime, size} #}

```

#### `incoming_sms`

```twig
{{ __data.incoming_sms.sender_number }}  {# +14155551212 #}
{{ __data.incoming_sms.to_number }}      {# your line    #}
{{ __data.incoming_sms.text }}
{{ __data.incoming_sms.date_received }}

```

#### `delivered_sms`

```twig
{{ __data.delivered_sms.text }}
{{ __data.delivered_sms.date_delivered }}

```

#### `incoming_whatsapp`

```twig
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.from_number }}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.to_number }}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.text }}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.message_type }}        {# "text" or "media"   #}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.direction }}           {# always "inbound"    #}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.whatsapp_message_id }}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.is_group }}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.display_name }}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.date_received }}

{# only when is_group is true: #}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.group_jid }}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.group_name }}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.participant }}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.participant_jid }}

```

See [Workflows → Passing data between steps](https://flexie.io/resources/workflows/passing-data-between-steps) for the broader `__data` model.

## Actions: full catalogue

| Action                                     | What it does                                                                |
| ------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Send email**                             | Send an email from a template or an inline subject/body to the record.      |
| **Send notification email**                | Send a notification email (to staff or a fixed address).                    |
| **Send SMS**                               | Send SMS to the record.                                                     |
| **Send WhatsApp**                          | Send WhatsApp to the record (only available when WhatsApp is enabled).      |
| **Save email attachments to the customer** | Save inbound-email attachments against the linked record's attachments tab. |

### Send email

Form fields:

* **Email template**: pick a saved [email template](https://flexie.io/resources/inbox/templates), or inline a one-off subject and body.
* **To**: usually the record's primary email field, but you can override with another field or a literal.
* **CC / BCC**: optional.
* **From address / Reply-to**: overrides the template's defaults.
* **Attach a file**: optional; you can attach a generated PDF (quote, invoice) by name.

Variables resolve against the record the workflow is running on, just like in compose.

### Send SMS

Form fields:

* **Message**: text body with variables.
* **Mobile field**: which field on the record holds the destination phone (a phone/mobile field).
* **From line**: which connected SMS line to send through.

### Send WhatsApp

Form fields:

* **Message**: text body with variables.
* **Mobile field**: phone field to send to.
* **Channel**: which connected WhatsApp number to send through.

**Constraint:** the recipient must have an **existing inbound message** on the chosen channel. WhatsApp's session-window model forbids cold outbound to a brand-new number, the action enforces this on its side.

### Save email attachments to the customer

Form fields:

* **Attachment filter**: optional name / file-type filter (e.g. `*.pdf` to copy only PDFs).
* **Attachment categories**: where to file the copies in the record's attachments collection.

Most often used right after an "Incoming emails" trigger to file inbound documents.

## End-to-end recipes

### 1\. Customer replies "STOP" → opt them out of SMS

### 2\. Incoming contract email → file the PDF on the deal

### 3\. WhatsApp "INVOICE" → reply with the latest invoice PDF

### 4\. Email open within 24 h → keep cadence, otherwise follow up

### 5\. Customer texts back about an open case → keep it in the same case

This one's **automatic**, no workflow needed. When you reply on a case via SMS, Flexie inserts a short reference token (`[FX-XXXXXXXX]`) into the outbound text. If the customer replies from the same number, the incoming message attaches itself to the same case. The case page shows the full back-and-forth as one thread.

See [SMS → Auto-case-threading](https://flexie.io/resources/inbox/sms#auto-case-threading-the-fx-xxxxxxxx-reference).

## The `__data` shape, in context

The `__data` namespace is built up step by step as a workflow runs. For communications:

```twig
{{ __data.incoming_email.subject }}     {# only if triggered by "Incoming emails"      #}
{{ __data.incoming_sms.text }}          {# only if triggered by "Incoming SMS"         #}
{{ __data.incoming_whatsapp.text }}     {# only if triggered by "Incoming WhatsApp"    #}
{{ __data.delivered_sms.text }}         {# only if triggered by "SMS delivered"        #}

{{ first_name }}                        {# always — the current record's field         #}
{{ contacts[0].first_name }}            {# always — related record, even on mail flows #}

```

Use the trigger-specific name when you need data from the message that started the workflow; use the top-level record fields for everything else.

## When a trigger doesn't run (debug checklist)

In roughly increasing difficulty:

1. **Is the workflow published?** Unpublished workflows don't run at all.
2. **Is the trigger configured for the right record type?** An "Incoming SMS" trigger on _Contact_ won't run when the SMS links only to a _Lead_. Either add the trigger for both record types, or change the record-type selection on the workflow.
3. **Did the inbound message link to any customer?** Check the inbox under the **Not linked** filter. No link → no customer → no trigger.
4. **Does the text match?** Patterns are case-insensitive but require literal `*`/`?` wildcards. `YES` doesn't match `"Yes please"`. Use `YES*`.
5. **For email:** does the trigger's _account + folder + read state + new/reply_ combination match the actual message?
6. **For WhatsApp:** is WhatsApp enabled for this account? The "Incoming WhatsApp" trigger only appears in the picker when WhatsApp is on.

Open the workflow's **History** tab to see whether the trigger ran but the next action errored, or whether the trigger itself never ran in the first place.

## Next

* [Workflows (in depth)](https://flexie.io/resources/workflows/overview): the canvas, triggers, actions, decisions, async vs sync, the tree.
* [Flexie Scripting](https://flexie.io/resources/flexie-scripting/overview): the language used in template bodies, message bodies, and `__data` expressions.
* [Inbox overview](https://flexie.io/resources/inbox/overview): the shared inbox concept, filters, channel mix.