Guide · AI agents · For the owner who wants customers tapping, not typing
Buttons, lists and carousels from Meta's AI agent on WhatsApp: what Meta says to write so it sends the right one
A customer who can tap a choice answers faster than one who has to type it. Meta's AI agent for business can send buttons, lists, carousels of cards, a map pin and a form inside WhatsApp. Meta's guide says how a business tells the agent which one to send, and when.
Published 6 October 2026
You describe the message in words
Meta says a business does not fill in the parts of these messages as structured data. It chooses the kind of message and then writes an instruction in plain words that says two things: when the agent should send it, and what goes in each part. For a button that opens a web page, that means the text above the button, the words on the button and the page it opens.
The one exception is a form. A form is linked to one the business has already set up, and the instruction covers the rest: the words on its button, the text that introduces it, and anything that should be filled in for the customer on the first screen.
The nine kinds, and the limits Meta sets
- A button that opens a web page
- Text of up to 1,024 characters, one button with a label of up to 20, and a secure web address. An image or video can sit above the text and a short footer of up to 60 characters below it.
- An image
- A product photo, a receipt or a map snapshot, with an optional caption.
- A list
- One button that opens up to 10 options, such as delivery choices or appointment times. Each option has a title of up to 24 characters, kept distinct, and an optional line of up to 72.
- Reply buttons
- Up to three buttons under the text, each with a different label of up to 20 characters. The label the customer taps is their reply.
- A location pin
- Where a shop, event or pickup point is. Meta says the coordinates should come from a verified source, such as a lookup in the business's own system, and that the agent is instructed never to make them up.
- A location request
- Asks customers to share where they are, for example to find the nearest branch or arrange a delivery.
- A carousel of cards with links
- Between 2 and 10 cards side by side, each with an image, a caption of up to 160 characters and a button that opens a web page. Every card has the same parts.
- A carousel of cards with reply buttons
- The same cards, but each button sends a reply instead, so customers choose a card and stay in the chat.
- A form
- A WhatsApp Flow: several screens inside WhatsApp, such as an appointment booking, an enquiry form or a survey. Its button label is up to 20 characters.
Choosing between them
- Two or three choices: reply buttons. Meta suggests them for a small set of choices, such as tracking an order or talking to a person, where the conversation carries on.
- Up to ten choices: a list. Customers open it, pick one, and the business's system receives the name it gave that option.
- Several products side by side: a carousel. Cards with links send customers to the website; cards with reply buttons keep them in the chat, which Meta suggests when the conversation should continue there.
- Details over several steps: a form. A booking or an enquiry with several questions fits a form better than a long exchange of messages.
Writing the instruction
Meta's advice on the parts themselves is short: button labels brief and about the action, list titles that cannot be confused, reply buttons that each say something different, and a fixed name behind every list option so the business's system knows which one was tapped. A pin should only ever show a location the business's own records give the agent.
The same message kinds, sent by a business's own system rather than the agent, are covered in the reply buttons and lists guide and the location request guide. What the agent is, and what it does on a WhatsApp number, is in the Meta Business Agent guide.
Questions
Do we write the buttons as code for the agent?
Not as structured data, Meta says. The business picks the kind of message and describes in plain words when to send it and what each part says. Only a form is linked by reference, to one set up beforehand.
How many choices can one message offer?
Up to three reply buttons, up to ten options in a list, and between two and ten cards in a carousel.
Can the agent send our shop's location?
Yes, as a map pin. Meta says the coordinates should come from a verified source such as a lookup in the business's own system, and the agent is instructed never to make them up. It can also ask customers to share where they are.
Can the agent open a booking form inside WhatsApp?
Yes, if the business has already set up a WhatsApp Flow for it. The agent sends a message with a button that opens the form and can fill in its first screen in advance.
Sources
- Meta's developer documentation: Meta Business Agent, Writing interactive messages, read 6 October 2026.
More plain-language notes like this one are on the guides page.
Want a person to pick up where the agent stops?
We set up a business's WhatsApp number on a system its team runs, so when an AI agent hands a conversation over, a person can pick it up in one place the business owns. A short call is the easiest way to see how that would work for you.
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