> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.skyfree.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# WhatsApp Group Triggers

> Start an automation from activity in a WhatsApp group — a message, someone joining or leaving, or a join request — and respond with text, media, or a group action.

## What is this?

If you run [WhatsApp Groups](/workspace/whatsapp/groups) on your business number, an automation can react to what happens inside a group: a message is written, someone joins or leaves, or someone asks to join a group that needs approval. These are **WhatsApp group triggers**. They start ordinary WhatsApp automations, but they only fire for group activity, and the normal one-to-one WhatsApp triggers never fire for groups.

\[SCREENSHOT: automation-whatsapp-group-trigger — The Create New Automation dialog with the WhatsApp channel type and the group triggers in the Trigger Type list]

<Info>
  Group automations need the same access as other [Automation](/workspace/automation/overview) flows and a WhatsApp channel with [WhatsApp Groups](/workspace/whatsapp/groups) set up.
</Info>

## What can I do here?

| Trigger | Runs when… |
| - | - |
| **Group message** | Someone writes in a WhatsApp group |
| **Member joined group** | Someone joins a WhatsApp group |
| **Member left group** | Someone leaves or is removed from a WhatsApp group |
| **Group join request** | Someone asks to join a group that needs approval |

* Limit a trigger to specific groups, or let it run in every group on the channel
* For **Group message**, start only for any message, for a `/command`, or for messages that contain your keywords
* Reply in the group with **Send Text** or **Send Media**
* Use the **Group Action** step to approve or reject a join request, or to remove the person who wrote the message

## How to use it

### Create a group automation

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the automation">
    Go to **Automation**, click **Create Automation**, and choose **WhatsApp** as the **Channel Type**. Open **Trigger Type** and pick one of the four group triggers.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the groups">
    Under **Groups**, tick the groups the automation should run in. Leave all of them unticked to run in every group on this channel. If the channel has no groups yet, the list says "No groups on this channel yet."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set what a group message must look like">
    For **Group message** only, choose **Start when the message**: **Is any message**, **Is a /command**, or **Contains keywords**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build the reply">
    Add steps in the builder. See [Steps you can use in a group](#steps-you-can-use-in-a-group).
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Group message options

| Option | What it does |
| - | - |
| **Is any message** | Runs for every message that gets through the group's own setting (see the note below) |
| **Is a /command** | Runs when a message starts with the command. In **Command**, type it without the slash — for example `pricing`. Leave it blank or use `*` to match any command |
| **Contains keywords** | Add one or more keywords with **Add keyword**, then choose **Contains any keyword** or **Matches a keyword exactly** |

<Warning>
  A message has to pass two checks: your trigger's match rule **and** the group's own **Automations start from** setting in [WhatsApp Groups](/workspace/whatsapp/groups) (**Never**, **Only /commands** — the default — or **Every message**). With the default, only messages that start with a slash command get through, so a trigger set to **Is any message** or **Contains keywords** will not fire for ordinary messages until you change the group to **Every message**. Keep in mind that a reply in a group is billed once for every participant it reaches.
</Warning>

### Steps you can use in a group

A group has many people in it, so only a few steps make sense:

* **Send Text** and **Send Media** — reply in the group
* **Group Action** — available only when the automation uses a group trigger
* Steps that work on any channel and don't wait for one person's reply — such as conditions and delays — also work

Steps that wait for one person's answer (the **Ask** steps), the AI response steps, **Send Event Invite**, **Send Event QR**, and **Sequence Drip** can't be used in a group automation. The other WhatsApp send steps appear greyed out in the palette with the note "Not available in WhatsApp groups (text and media only)."

\[SCREENSHOT: automation-whatsapp-group-palette — The builder palette on a group automation, with Send Text, Send Media and Group Action available and the other WhatsApp steps greyed out]

### Group Action

The **Group Action** step acts on the WhatsApp group that started the automation. Choose the **Action**:

| Action | What it does | Works with |
| - | - | - |
| **Approve the join request** | Lets the person into the group | **Group join request** only |
| **Reject the join request** | Turns the request down | **Group join request** only |
| **Remove the sender from the group** | Removes the person who wrote the message | **Group message** |

The two join-request actions are disabled unless the automation starts from **Group join request**; if you pick one on another trigger the panel warns "This action only works when the automation starts from a group join request."

### Example: welcome rules to new members

1. Create a WhatsApp automation with the **Member joined group** trigger and pick the groups it applies to.
2. Add a **Send Text** step with your group rules.
3. Save, test in a small group, then **Activate** it.

## Troubleshooting / Technical Notes

* **The automation never fires for a group message.** Open the group in [WhatsApp Groups](/workspace/whatsapp/groups) and check **Automations start from**. The default (**Only /commands**) blocks messages that aren't commands, whatever your trigger says. Also check the automation is **Active** and that the group is ticked under **Groups** (or none are, to cover all).
* **A one-to-one WhatsApp automation doesn't answer in a group.** By design — one-to-one and group automations are kept separate. Create a group automation with a group trigger.
* **Group Action says it only works for a join request.** Approve and reject need the **Group join request** trigger. To remove someone who wrote a message, use **Remove the sender from the group** on a **Group message** automation.
* **A step is greyed out.** In a group automation only **Send Text**, **Send Media**, **Group Action**, and logic steps are available.
* **"No groups on this channel yet."** Create or connect a group first in [WhatsApp Groups](/workspace/whatsapp/groups).

## Related docs

* [Triggers](/workspace/automation/triggers/overview)
* [WhatsApp Groups](/workspace/whatsapp/groups)
* [Builder Steps](/workspace/automation/steps/overview)
* [Create a Workflow](/workspace/automation/create-a-workflow)
* [Manage Live Flows](/workspace/automation/manage-live-flows)


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