Messenger
Meta PlatformConnecting your agent to Messenger is like putting a helpful assistant behind your Facebook Page — whenever someone sends your Page a message, your agent answers right away, day or night. You can also step in and reply by hand whenever a conversation needs your personal touch.
A Page is your business's public profile on Facebook (the one people follow and message), not your personal account.
Image: Messenger channel export showing a connected Facebook Page
Before you start
- A saved agent in the Agent Control Panel (at least the Profile step completed)
- A Facebook Page for your business — the one you want people to message
- Admin access to that Page (you can manage its settings)
If your Page is still in draft or unpublished, publish it first. Messenger only works on a live Page.
Setting up Messenger
There are two ways to connect. Business App is recommended for almost everyone — Meta sets everything up for you from one popup, with no developer settings to touch.
Option A — Business App (Recommended)
This option uses "Log in with Facebook" — the same secure sign-in button you see on many websites. You sign in once, approve the permissions, pick your Page, and Meta wires up the rest behind the scenes.
- Open your agent in the Agent Control Panel and click the Channels node
- Select Messenger from the Meta Platform section
- Choose Business App
- Click Start Setup — a Facebook login popup opens
- Sign in with the Facebook account that manages your Page
- Approve the permissions Nirvai asks for (these let your agent send and receive messages on your behalf)
- Select the Facebook Page you want to connect
- Your Messenger connection is ready — the Page appears as Connected
Image: Messenger Business App setup with page selection
If you already have a Meta Platform Credential for Messenger, you can pick it during setup instead of signing in with Facebook again. The same credential can power your other Meta channels (WhatsApp + Instagram + Messenger) without signing in each time.
Option B — Manual Configuration
Choose this only if you already set up a Messenger connection elsewhere and want to plug Nirvai into it. You'll enter the details by hand instead of signing in with Facebook.
- Select Messenger → Existing Flow
- Enter your long-lived access token (a secure access pass that lets Nirvai send messages from your Page), your Page ID, and your App ID (the identifier for your Meta app registration — the entry you create in Meta's developer area to give your connection an identity)
- Save the configuration
Image: Messenger manual configuration form
Manual setup means copying details out of Meta's developer area, which is easy to get wrong. Use the Business App option unless you have a specific reason not to.
What your agent can send
| Capability | Supported |
|---|---|
| Respond to messages | ✓ |
| Send text messages | ✓ |
| Send media (images, videos) | ✓ |
| Send button templates | ✓ |
| Send generic templates (cards) | ✓ |
| Send files/documents | — |
| Send audio | — |
For Meta's full rules on what you can send and when — including the 24-hour reply window — see the Messenger Platform Guide.
Chat View & human takeover
The Messenger Chat View shows every conversation happening through your Page in one place, and lets you take over from the agent whenever you want.
Image: Messenger Chat View with agent toggle
Turning agent responses on or off
Each conversation has its own toggle. This is per-conversation — switching one to Manual doesn't affect any others.
| Mode | What happens |
|---|---|
| Auto (on) | The agent answers incoming messages automatically |
| Manual (off) | The agent pauses on this conversation — you reply by hand |
When a conversation is in Manual mode:
- The agent stops replying for that conversation only
- You can type and send messages directly to the person
- Other conversations keep running with the agent active
- Switch back to Auto when you're ready for the agent to resume
Image: Toggling between agent and manual response in Messenger
Use Manual mode for the tricky conversations that need a human touch. The person won't notice the handoff — your replies come from the same Page.
Managing your connection
- Edit — Change which message types your agent can send, or view your connected Page
- Remove — Disconnect Messenger from this agent. Your Facebook Page stays exactly as it was; only the link to this agent is removed
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| My Page isn't in the list | Make sure you have admin access to the Page and that it's published (not in draft) |
| Messages aren't arriving | Check that the connection is active and that Messenger is added to your Meta app. See the Messenger Platform Guide for Meta's message rules |
| The agent isn't replying | Check that the conversation's toggle is set to Auto in the Chat View |
| The Facebook login popup is blocked | Allow popups from Nirvai in your browser settings, then try again |
| The login popup never comes back | Close it and try again. If you switched Facebook accounts mid-way, sign out of all Facebook accounts and start over |
What's next
For Meta's full rulebook — the 24-hour reply window, message types, and how to reach customers after a day — continue to Messenger Platform Guide.