How to Set Up Your AI Assistant Chatbot in FlowMattic

The AI Assistant in FlowMattic lets you add an intelligent chatbot to your WordPress site in minutes. This guide walks you through every setting in the Setup tab so you can get your chatbot running quickly.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• FlowMattic 6.1.0 or later installed and activated
• An OpenAI account with an API key
• Your OpenAI API key added as a Connect in FlowMattic (go to FlowMattic > Connects > Add New and select OpenAI)

Creating a New AI Assistant

1. Go to FlowMattic > AI Assistants in your WordPress dashboard
2. Click Add New to create a new assistant
3. You will get a popup to create your Assistant. Just fill the required fields and click “Create Assistant”
4. Your assistant will be created and you will see it in your Assistants page now. Just click the newly created assistant name to edit.
5. You’ll land on the Setup tab — this is where all the core configuration happens

Step 1: Set the Identity

Chatbot Name

Enter a name for your chatbot. This is the name your visitors will see in the chat header.

Example: “Support Bot”, “Sales Assistant”, or your brand name like “ACME Helper”

Description

Add a short description (up to 512 characters) for internal reference. This helps you identify the chatbot’s purpose when you have multiple assistants.

Example: “Customer support chatbot for the help center”

Step 2: Connect Your AI Model

OpenAI Connect

Select the OpenAI Connect account you created earlier. If you haven’t added one yet, click the link to go to Manage Connects and set it up first.

AI Model

Choose which OpenAI model powers your chatbot. The dropdown automatically fetches all available models from your OpenAI account, so you’ll always see the latest options. Generally, larger models give better quality responses but cost more per message — pick the one that fits your quality and budget needs.

Vector Store ID

The Vector Store is where your chatbot’s knowledge base lives. When you add content (documents, web pages, posts), it gets stored in a Vector Store on OpenAI so the chatbot can search and reference it.

You have two options:

Option A: Paste an existing Vector Store ID

If you already have a Vector Store on OpenAI, paste its ID directly in the field (it looks like vs_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx). You can find or create Vector Stores from the OpenAI Dashboard — Storage.

Option B: Create one from FlowMattic

If the Vector Store ID field is empty, you’ll see a Create New button next to it. Clicking it opens a dialog where you enter a Vector Store Name (e.g., “Customer Support - FlowMattic”). It uses the OpenAI Connect you already selected in the Setup tab.

Click Create Vector Store and FlowMattic will create the vector store on OpenAI and populate the ID automatically.

Note: Make sure you’ve selected an OpenAI Connect in the Setup tab before creating a vector store.

Once a Vector Store is connected, you’ll see a green Connected badge next to the field.

Step 3: Configure Behavior

Instructions

This is the system prompt — the most important setting for your chatbot’s personality and behavior. Tell the AI who it is, what it should do, and what it should avoid.

Example Instructions:

You are a helpful customer support assistant for ACME Inc. 
You help customers with product questions, order tracking, and returns.
Always be polite and professional.
If you don't know the answer, suggest the customer contact [email protected].
Do not discuss competitors or make up information.

You can use up to 32,768 characters — be as detailed as you need.

Welcome Message

The first message visitors see when they open the chatbot. Make it friendly and actionable.

Example: “Hi there! I’m here to help with any questions about our products or your orders. How can I assist you today?”

Input Placeholder

The placeholder text shown inside the chat input box before the user types anything.

Example: “Type your question here…” or “Ask me anything about our products”

Step 4: Session Settings

Load User Session Chats

When set to Yes (default), returning visitors will see their previous chat messages when they reopen the chatbot. Set to No if you want every visit to start with a fresh conversation.

Step 5: Save and Embed

1. Click Save to save your chatbot configuration
2. After saving, you’ll get a shortcode that you can place on any page, post, or widget area
3. You can also use the full-page mode or widget mode (configured in the Themes tab)

What’s Next?

Your chatbot is now configured and ready to answer questions. To make it smarter, head to the Content tab to add your knowledge base — documents, web pages, database tables, and WordPress posts.

• Managing Content for Your AI Assistant — Add knowledge sources
• Customizing Your Chatbot Appearance — Change colors, position, and style
• Setting Up Lead Capture and Meeting Scheduling — Add interactive actions