Waits, delays, and schedules

Four nodes — plus one message option — cover every “when” a conversation needs. Wait pauses for a duration you set. Schedule pauses until a clock time. Wait for Response pauses until the contact replies. Messaging Window branches on whether Instagram’s standard DM window is available. And message nodes with URL buttons can wait for the click itself.

Waiting states are stored so a run can continue after the wait. The Runs page shows what it is waiting for. A pause, opt-out, disconnection, or other stop condition can still end the run.

The Wait node pauses for a set duration — seconds, minutes, hours, or days, up to a hard maximum of 30 days. A few seconds before a reply makes automation feel human; a day between value messages makes a sequence feel intentional. While a longer wait is pending, the run shows as “Delayed.”

Instagram’s standard window lasts 24 hours from the latest inbound message. Ravela applies a safety margin, so the window must still be available when the delayed DM is attempted. The builder warns about long waits before publishing. For follow-ups over several days, consider email automation on Growth and above, with the person’s permission and a configured sender.

The Schedule node resumes the run at a time of day rather than after a duration — “continue at 9:00 AM” — in two flavors: the next occurrence of that time (today, or tomorrow if it’s already passed), or the next matching day when you toggle specific weekdays. Time is set to five-minute precision, and a waiting run shows as “Scheduled.”

Timezones are explicit: use your workspace timezone (the default), the contact’s own timezone when their record carries one, or a fixed zone you pick. The same messaging-window caution applies as with long waits — the builder warns when a scheduled resume can land outside the window.

Wait for Response pauses until the contact says something — any reply counts, whether it’s typed text, a quick-reply tap, or an attachment. The run takes the Reply branch when they do, or the No Reply branch when your timeout passes (four hours by default, configurable up to 30 days). What they said lands in {{lastMessage.text}}, ready for a Condition node to branch on.

A reply consumed by a waiting conversation resumes that run instead of being reused to start a matching DM trigger. Opt-out messages are handled first and stop automation.

Messages with URL buttons have a sibling option: Wait for URL click pauses until the recipient actually taps a link, with per-button branching if you want it and a timeout from one minute up to 7 days. It’s how a flow follows up differently with people who opened your link versus people who didn’t.

Message nodes already enforce Instagram’s delivery rules at send time. The Messaging Window node exists for flows that want to decide earlier: it checks whether the contact has messaged you within your safety margin (up to 23 hours) and branches Open or Closed before a standard DM is attempted. Contacts with no inbound message history take the Closed path.

The Closed path is where good flows differentiate themselves — send the follow-up by email, notify a teammate, or tag the contact for the next campaign, instead of letting the conversation end in silence. In a comment-triggered flow, Closed only means the standard DM window is unavailable: the opening text message can still use Instagram’s one-time private reply when that comment allowance is valid.

Waits and schedules resume when due unless the run has been stopped. The next message step then checks sending eligibility. A reply near the start of a three-day wait will not keep the window open until the end; it needs to be recent enough when the send is attempted.

An ordinary message arriving during a Wait or Schedule does not finish the pause early. It appears in the Inbox and can match other triggers. Opt-outs and human takeover still stop automation. Read the messaging limits guide for the window and delivery rules.