Overview
Ice breakers and slash commands (collectively conversational_components in Meta's API) are in-chat UX features configured per WhatsApp business phone number. They help users start and navigate conversations faster. Note: these are not the same as interactive messages (CTA URL buttons, lists, carousels) — for those, see Interactive Service Messages.
Supported types:
- Ice Breakers — tap-to-send starter prompts
- Commands — slash commands with hints
In Dualhook setups, webhook events for these interactions are delivered directly from Meta to your endpoint through Webhook Override.
Meta removed the Welcome Messages feature and its request_welcome webhook type from Conversational Automation in March 2026. Opening a chat without sending anything no longer produces a webhook, so an integration cannot reliably detect that event. Send a welcome response after the customer's first actual inbound message instead.
Ice Breakers
Tappable starter prompts shown when a user opens chat for the first time.
- Up to 4 Ice Breakers per phone number
- Up to 80 characters each
- Emojis are not supported
- Tapping sends a normal text message — the selected text appears in
messages[].text.body
If a user enters chat through a wa.me link with pre-filled text, the Ice Breaker UI can be dismissed.
Commands
Slash-prefixed text options users discover by typing / in the chat:
- Up to 30 commands
- Keyword max 32 characters
- Hint max 256 characters
- Emojis are not supported
Command usage is delivered as a normal text message. Your backend should parse messages[].text.body and run the associated action.
Implementation Notes
- Treat Ice Breakers and Commands as plain inbound text events.
- Keep webhook handling idempotent using message IDs.
- Return
HTTP 200quickly and process asynchronously.
For setup instructions, see Configure Ice Breakers & Commands. For Dualhook customers, these components are configured in WhatsApp Manager at phone-number level.