---
url: https://docs.corbitaltech.dev/products/whatsmark-saas/tenant/stop-bot.md
description: >-
  Learn how to pause all automated bots for a specific chat in WhatsMark and let
  them restart automatically. Covers in-chat toggle usage and settings
  configuration.
---

# Stop Bot 

The **Stop Bot** feature lets you pause all three automated bots — **Message Bot**, **Bot Flow**, and **Template Bot** — for one specific conversation at the click of a button. Once paused, bots stay quiet for however many hours and minutes you've configured, then automatically come back without any action needed from you.

::: warning Before you start
You must configure Bot Settings once before using it in any chat. → [Jump to Settings](#configure-bot-settings)
:::

## Using Stop Bot in a Chat

### Step 1: Open a Chat and Click "Stop Bot"

Go to your **Chat** page and open the conversation where you'd like to pause bots. In the top-right corner of the chat, click the **three-dot menu (⋮)** to reveal chat options, then click **Stop Bot**.

![Chat three-dot menu showing the Stop Bot option](../images/whatsmark-settings/chat-stop-bot.png)

::: info Toggle behaviour
The menu label always reflects the current state:

| Label | Means | Click to |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 🔴 **Stop Bot** | Bots are running | Pause bots immediately |
| 🟢 **Start Bot** | Bots are paused | Resume bots immediately |
:::

### Step 2: Bots Are Now Paused

All three bots (Message Bot, Bot Flow, Template Bot) are now silent for this chat. The three-dot menu will now show **Start Bot** instead. If you want bots to resume before the timer runs out, click **Start Bot** and they'll come back immediately.

![Chat three-dot menu showing Start Bot after bots have been stopped](../images/whatsmark-settings/chat-start-bot.png)

### Step 3: Bots Restart Automatically

Once the number of hours and minutes set in *Restart Bots After* has passed, all three bots automatically turn back on for this chat. A notification confirms whether bots were stopped or started successfully.

::: tip Nothing to do
Bots come back on their own — you don't need to remember to re-enable them. To keep bots stopped indefinitely, set *Restart Bots After* to **number of hours and minutes** in [settings](#configure-bot-settings).
:::

## Configure Bot Settings

This is a one-time setup. Once saved, these settings apply across all your chats.

### Step 1: Go to Application Settings

From your WhatsMark dashboard, click **Application Settings** in the left sidebar.

### Step 2: Open the Bot Settings Section

Inside Application Settings, click **Bot Settings** in the left sidebar menu. The settings panel will load two fields: *Stop Bots Keyword* and *Restart Bots After*.

![Bot Settings page showing Stop Bots Keyword and Restart Bots After fields](../images/whatsmark-settings/stopbot.png)

### Step 3: Set Your Stop Bots Keyword

In the **Stop Bots Keyword** field, type a word and press `Enter` or `Space` to add it as a tag. You can add multiple keywords. When a customer sends any of these words in a chat, bots pause automatically — just like clicking Stop Bot yourself.

::: tip Example
Add the keyword **stop** — if any customer types "stop", bots will automatically pause for their chat.
:::

### Step 4: Set "Restart Bots After" (Hours & Minutes)

In the **Restart Bots After** field, enter how long bots should stay paused before
automatically restarting. Set **Hours** and **Minutes** separately for precise control.

![Restart Bots After showing separate Hours and Minutes fields](../images/whatsmark-settings/stopbot\(1\).png)

| Field | Range | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Hours** | 0 – 23 | `1` = 1 hour |
| **Minutes** | 0 – 59 | `30` = 30 minutes |

::: warning Minimum value required
At least one field must be greater than 0. If both are set to **0**, you will see:
*"Please set at least 1 minute or 1 hour."*
:::

**Examples:**

| Hours | Minutes | Bots restart after |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 0 | 30 | 30 minutes |
| 1 | 0 | 1 hour |
| 1 | 30 | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| 2 | 0 | 2 hours |

### Step 5: Save Your Settings

Click the **Save Changes** button in the bottom-right corner. Your configuration is now active. → [Go use it in a chat](#using-stop-bot-in-a-chat)

## Tips & Best Practices

* **Choose a realistic timer.** Set *Restart Bots After* to match how long your
  typical human-handled chats take — **1 hour 30 minutes** is a common starting
  point. Both hours and minutes must not be 0 at the same time.
* **Keywords give customers control too.** When a customer types your stop keyword, bots pause automatically — a great way to let customers opt out of automated replies.
* **Per-chat control.** Stopping bots in one conversation never affects any other chat.
* **Read the button label.** "Stop Bot" means bots are on. "Start Bot" means bots are off. The label always shows what will happen when you click.