Early access. These guides cover the current product build. Access and connected-channel availability depend on your organization's setup. Public Instagram messaging access is not available yet.

Test a Play

A sample test shows what Echo would do with the Play you have saved. It sends nothing, changes no contacts, and adds nothing to your night log or usage.

Before you test

Open Plays, choose an Echo Play, and save any changes first. The preview uses the saved version, including its keyword rules and response text. You can test a draft or paused Play without activating it.

Start with a fixed DM reply

In Plays, choose Create a Play, then Reply to a keyword in a DM. Replace the starter keyword and reply with your own, then choose Create Play to save the draft. Its scope is Every channel. Use Save changes after later edits.

Keep at least one keyword to match. This starter matches the whole message, not a word anywhere in a sentence: HOURS! can match hours, but What are your hours? does not. Try both a matching message and a longer question in the sample test. Echo uses your saved reply text; it does not answer from Knowledge or guide a conversation across replies.

Under Test with a sample, choose A message in Someone sends, enter the sample in Message, and select a contact who recently messaged you under From. Choose Test it and review the result. The sample sends nothing; saving the draft does not switch it on.

Normal sending checks still apply, including the conversation window, Echo's pause, test mode and other limits. This starter does not resume a paused conversation or guarantee delivery. It belongs to ordinary Plays; First Play setup below still supports the comment template only. FAQ/Knowledge and email-collection conversation templates remain unavailable.

Start with guided setup

First-run setup is an optional early-access capability, off by default. When it is enabled for your workspace, First Play setup helps you connect a channel, choose a supported template, configure the Play and test a sample before activation. It does not imply public Instagram approval or availability for every workspace.

An owner, admin or editor manages setup; viewers can read its progress. Choose Start setup to save your start time; opening the page alone does not start the recorded setup or switch anything on. Choose Open Channels for the existing channel connection flow. An owner or admin manages connections. Return to setup after connecting an eligible channel.

Choose Create from the comment template to start a Play that responds to a comment with a direct message. Select a synced post, enter your keyword and reply, then review and save the form as a draft. The selected post determines the channel. Choose the saved Play under Play for this setup, then Use this Play. FAQ and collect-email templates need classification that is not available in this setup flow; they are not ready to activate. Choosing a template does not make those missing capabilities work.

Run the saved Play's sample test using the steps below. This is a read-only preview, not a message to a real contact. Saving, a successful sample and activation are separate steps. Test again after changing the Play or sample, choosing another Play, or reloading the page. Activate explicitly with Switch on Play only after reviewing the saved Play and sample. Setup does not change Echo's settings or test mode; use Review Runner settings to check them. Channel permissions, plan limits and other sending checks still apply. Activation does not promise that a reply will be sent.

Revise a supported draft with Pilot

Pilot draft revisions are optional and may not be enabled for your workspace. They have a separate workspace gate and still require Pilot's other availability checks. When available, choose Revise a draft Play and select an eligible inactive keyword Play. Pilot supports only the fixed channel or exact post and Play type already saved on that draft; active or paused Plays cannot be revised.

Describe the changes you want, then review the Before and after values for the name, exact keywords, private reply and optional public reply. Edit them as needed and choose Save reviewed changes to update the draft. If the draft changed after Pilot read it, nothing is overwritten: open its current version and start a new proposal. Saving does not activate the Play or send a message, and a proposal does not establish that its reply will work as intended. Use the existing sample test and activation steps above when you are ready to check the saved draft.

Add details to an unsaved Pilot proposal

Pilot follow-ups are optional and may not be enabled for your workspace. They have a separate workspace setting and still depend on Pilot's other availability checks. On an unsaved create proposal that needs more detail, choose Add details. On a candidate you want to change, edit its fields first, describe what Pilot should adjust, then choose Ask Pilot to adjust. Your unsaved edits are included in that request. The Play type, channel and post stay fixed.

Each follow-up uses more of your workspace's AI budget and replaces the previous candidate, even if it fails. You can follow up at most three times. The replaced candidate cannot be saved; review and save only the current candidate using the existing confirmation form. If a request is still processing or its result is unclear, choose Check proposal status to recover it. This checks the same request and does not automatically send it again.

Understand the first-reply time

Time to first recorded reply measures from the recorded setup start to the first qualifying provider acknowledgement for the selected Play and version. It is not a timer for filling in the form or a five-minute promise. A sample preview or a manual inbox reply does not count.

The recorded reply may be a test-mode send to an allowed test contact. It is not proof of delivery or a confirmed live launch. If no qualifying reply has been recorded, setup cannot show a completed first-reply time. Use the night log to inspect recorded activity and any reasons an action was held back. Choose Refresh setup progress to check for recorded activity.

A recorded time describes past activity. It does not prove that every step finished or that the current Play will reply again after changes, a pause or loss of channel access.

Try a sample

Find Test with a sample on the Play page.
Choose a comment or message under Someone sends, then enter your sample. Start with a keyword you saved in the Play.
Choose a known contact under From to check their conversation window and test-mode allowance. For Someone else, add Their handle if you want to check the test-mode allowlist.
Select Test it and read the decision and each proposed step.

For a Play tied to one post, leaving the sample post unselected uses that Play's post. A sample for all posts without a selected post has no caption keywords.

Read the result

No match: Check the event type, selected post, and saved keyword. The preview does not use AI classification when a keyword does not match.
An action would be held back: Read the reason shown next to the step. Test mode, a disabled Runner, caps, quiet hours, or a closed conversation window can affect the result.
An action would need approval: The preview explains this without creating a confirmation card.
A later step is withheld: A public reply or a contact update may depend on an earlier send. If that send is held back, its dependent steps are held back too.

A preview is a snapshot

The result uses the current saved Play and current guardrails. It does not reserve capacity or guarantee a later send. A real event can arrive after a cap, permission, or conversation window has changed.

To see actual recorded activity, read the night log.