> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.useinvent.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Channels
> Connect your assistant to WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, and more
Channels are how your customers reach your assistant. Connect the platforms your customers already use, and every message lands in the same [Inbox](/guides/inbox) with the same assistant answering, no matter which channel it came from.
## How Channels Work
Every channel in Invent follows the same shape:
* A **channel type** (WhatsApp Business, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, Web Widget, and more).
* A reusable **[Connection](/workspace-management/connections)** that holds the authenticated link to that provider (your Meta account, your Telegram bot token, etc.).
* A per-assistant **binding** that picks a specific resource on that connection (a WhatsApp phone number, a Facebook Page, an Instagram account) and turns it on.
Because connections are separate from the assistants that use them, you authenticate with a provider **once**. From then on, any assistant in your workspace can reuse that connection without signing in again.
## The Universal Connection Flow
Adding any channel to an assistant follows the same five steps. The only thing that changes is the provider's sign-in screen in the middle.
Open your assistant's **Channels** tab, find the channel you want to add, and click **Connect**. A dialog opens with two fields: a **Connection** (the authenticated link to the provider) and the channel-specific resource picker (phone number, page, bot, etc.). The example below shows the WhatsApp dialog the first time it is opened, but every channel works the same way.
If you already have a connection for this channel, it shows up in the **Connection** dropdown and you can skip straight to the resource picker. If not, open the dropdown and click the **+ Connect *Channel*** button at the top (for example **+ Connect WhatsApp**) to start the provider's sign-in flow.
Invent opens the channel's **standard sign-in flow** in a popup or new tab. This is the provider's own screen, run by Meta, Telegram, or whoever owns the channel, so your credentials are only entered on their domain, never on Invent's.
Finish the provider's flow as you normally would: pick the business, select the number, page, or account to grant access to, and confirm the permissions.
When you are done, the provider redirects you back to Invent automatically.
Back in Invent, you are asked to give this connection a label (for example, "Acme WhatsApp" or "Support Team Messenger"). This is just the name you will see inside Invent, it does not change anything on the provider.
Click **Create** and Invent stores the connection in [Settings → Connections](/workspace-management/connections), where you can rename or disconnect it at any time.
The channel dialog reopens with your new connection already selected and any channel-specific fields listed underneath. Invent fetches the available options for you, so you just pick from a dropdown:
* **WhatsApp Business** → pick the phone number to receive and send messages on
* **Facebook Messenger** → pick the Page
* **Instagram** → pick the connected Instagram account
* **Telegram** → pick the bot
No copy-pasting IDs, no hunting through provider settings.
Invent binds the resource to this assistant. The channel appears in the Channels tab with an **Enabled** toggle and a **Manage** button. Send it a test message, and you are live.
The next time you add this same channel to *any* assistant in your workspace, you will see your existing connection in the dropdown. Just pick it, choose the resource, and click **Connect Channel**. No re-authentication required.
## Managing Connected Channels
Each channel you have added to an assistant shows up as its own row with:
* **Identifier**: the phone number, Page name, account handle, or bot username for this binding.
* **Status**: **Active** when the connection is healthy, or a warning if the provider requires re-authentication.
* **Enable / Disable toggle**: pause the channel without removing its configuration. Useful during maintenance or while you refine Instructions.
* **Manage**: open channel-specific settings.
* **Disconnect**: remove this binding from the assistant. The underlying [Connection](/workspace-management/connections) itself is untouched, so other assistants that share it keep working.
## Multiple Connections Per Channel
A single assistant can have **more than one connection of the same channel type**. Add two WhatsApp Business numbers, three Facebook Pages, a mix of Instagram accounts, or any combination, all under the same assistant running in parallel.
Once a channel is connected once, click **+ Add another** below the existing connections and run through the same flow with a different number, page, or account.
### When to Use Multiple Connections
* **Regional numbers**: one WhatsApp number per country or language, all sharing the same Instructions, Knowledge, and Memory.
* **Brand portfolio**: several Facebook Pages from different product lines routed to a single assistant.
* **Migrations and handoffs**: keep a legacy number active alongside a new one during a rollout, then disable the old connection when you are ready.
* **Team and department splits**: route sales and support numbers to the same assistant without duplicating its configuration.
All connections under the same assistant share its Instructions, [Knowledge](/guides/knowledge), [Memory](/guides/memory), and [Actions](/assistants/actions). Every conversation lands in the same [Inbox](/guides/inbox), with the originating channel shown on each conversation.
## One Assistant, Every Channel
A single assistant handles every connected channel at once. A customer might:
1. Ask a question on Instagram
2. Continue the conversation on WhatsApp a few days later
3. Complete a purchase on your website
Your assistant remembers everything through [Memory](/guides/memory), so the customer never has to repeat themselves. The channel the message came in on is recorded on the conversation, but the assistant itself stays the same across all of them.
## Channel-Specific Capabilities
Your assistant's personality is consistent everywhere, but each channel has its own native features and the assistant uses them automatically:
* **WhatsApp**: voice messages, images, documents, contact cards, location sharing, typing indicators, read receipts, interactive buttons.
* **Instagram**: DMs, story mentions, image messages.
* **Messenger**: Page messages, quick replies.
* **Telegram**: bot commands, inline buttons.
* **Web Widget**: rich cards, suggested questions, inline embed or bubble button.
For the full list of what the assistant can send and receive, see [Capabilities](/assistants/capabilities).
## Seeing It in Action
Once a channel is connected, customers can message your assistant directly from that platform. Here is what it looks like when a customer sends a message through WhatsApp:
Every message lands in your [Inbox](/guides/inbox), where you can see the full conversation, the originating channel, the contact's profile, and [memories](/guides/memory) for that customer:
## Channel Guides
Each channel has its own authentication screens and requirements. Pick a channel below for the full setup walkthrough, including prerequisites, screenshots, and channel-specific settings.
Connect a WhatsApp Business phone number through Meta's embedded signup and start replying in minutes
Put your assistant on Messenger for your Facebook Page with Meta login and Page authorization
Reply to Instagram DMs, Story replies, and Reel shares from a professional account in one popup
Spin up a Telegram bot with @BotFather, paste the token, and start replying in under five minutes
More channel guides are on the way. For channels not yet documented here, everything still follows the [universal connection flow](#the-universal-connection-flow) above: click **Connect**, authenticate with the provider, name the connection, pick the channel resource (Page, bot, number, etc.), then **Connect Channel**.
## Best Practices
1. **Start with one channel**: get the experience right on a single channel before turning on more.
2. **Match your customers**: add the channels your customers already use, not every channel you can find.
3. **Keep branding consistent**: use the same assistant name and avatar across all channels so the experience feels unified.
4. **Test every channel after connecting**: send a real message from your own device to confirm round-trip works.
5. **Reuse connections**: authenticate once per provider and share the same [Connection](/workspace-management/connections) across every assistant that needs it.
6. **Monitor the Inbox**: check it regularly, especially "Waiting for Human" conversations the AI transferred.
## Next Steps
Manage every authenticated link to external platforms in one place
See everything your assistant can understand and send on each channel
Embed the chat widget on your website with platform-specific install guides
Manage every conversation from every channel in one unified space