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Should respond detection determines whether your bot should reply to an incoming message. This prevents your bot from responding to every message in group chats or channels where it shouldn’t.

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Overview

In group environments, your bot receives all messages but shouldn’t respond to everything:
  • Direct mentions: @YourBot should trigger a response
  • Replies to bot: Continuing a conversation with the bot
  • Private messages: Always respond in DMs
  • Random chatter: Don’t interrupt human conversations

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How It Works

When a message arrives, the bot evaluates:
  1. Is this a private chat? Always respond
  2. Was the bot mentioned? Respond to @mentions
  3. Is this a reply to the bot? Continue the conversation
  4. Is this in a monitored channel? Apply channel rules
Message arrives
    ↓
Private chat? → Yes → Respond
    ↓ No
Bot mentioned? → Yes → Respond
    ↓ No
Reply to bot? → Yes → Respond
    ↓ No
Don't respond (silent)

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Configuration

Configure should respond detection in your bot’s behavior settings:
1

Navigate to Behaviors

Go to your bot settings and click the Behaviors tab.
2

Enable Should Respond Detection

Toggle on Should Respond Detection to filter messages.
3

Configure Triggers

Select which conditions should trigger a response:
  • Mentions (@bot)
  • Direct replies
  • Keywords (optional)
4

Save Settings

Click Save to apply changes.

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Platform-Specific Behavior

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Telegram

Private Chats:
  • Always respond to all messages
  • No filtering needed
Groups:
  • Respond to @mentions
  • Respond to replies to bot messages
  • Optionally respond to all messages (not recommended for busy groups)
Channels:
  • Bots cannot receive messages in channels
  • Only works in linked discussion groups

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Slack

Direct Messages:
  • Always respond
Channels:
  • Respond to @mentions
  • Respond to thread replies where bot is participant
  • Can be configured to respond to all messages in specific channels
App Home:
  • Always respond (dedicated bot space)

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Discord (Coming Soon)

Direct Messages:
  • Always respond
Server Channels:
  • Respond to @mentions
  • Respond to replies
  • Slash command support

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Trigger Types

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@Mention Detection

Bot responds when explicitly mentioned: 
User: @SupportBot I need help with billing
Bot: I'd be happy to help with billing! What's your question?
Supported formats:
  • @BotName - Standard mention
  • @botname - Case insensitive
  • Bot username without @ (configurable)

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Reply Detection

Bot responds when user replies to a bot message: 
Bot: Here's your order status...
User: [Replying to Bot] What about shipping?
Bot: Your order will ship tomorrow...
This maintains conversation context without requiring mentions.

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Keyword Triggers (Optional)

Configure specific keywords that trigger responses: 
Keywords: "help", "support", "question"

User: I have a question about my account
Bot: [Responds because "question" was detected]
Use keyword triggers carefully in busy channels. They can cause the bot to respond unexpectedly.

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Best Practices

Start Strict

Enable only mentions and replies initially

Test in Groups

Verify bot doesn’t over-respond in group chats

Review Conversations

Check conversations for false positives

Respect Users

Don’t interrupt human conversations

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Group Chat Etiquette

In group chats, your bot should:
  • Wait to be addressed: Don’t jump into every conversation
  • Stay on topic: Only respond to relevant queries
  • Be helpful, not annoying: Quality over quantity
  • Know when to be silent: Sometimes no response is best

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Troubleshooting

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Bot Not Responding

Possible causes:
  • Should respond detection is filtering the message
  • Bot not mentioned correctly
  • Reply detection not matching
Solutions:
  • Check trigger configuration
  • Verify mention format for platform
  • Test with explicit @mention

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Bot Responding Too Much

Possible causes:
  • Detection disabled
  • Keyword triggers too broad
  • Responding to all messages enabled
Solutions:
  • Enable should respond detection
  • Review and narrow keyword triggers
  • Disable “respond to all” in groups

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Inconsistent Behavior

Possible causes:
  • Platform-specific quirks
  • Caching issues
  • Configuration not saved
Solutions:
  • Test on specific platform
  • Clear bot cache
  • Verify settings saved correctly

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Next Steps

Response Timing

Control response delays

Typing Indicators

Show visual feedback while responding