> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://chatbase.co/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Overview
> Give your AI agent a repeatable, step-by-step procedure to follow whenever a conversation matches a trigger you define.
A **procedure** captures how your AI agent should handle a specific situation as a
repeatable, standard operating procedure (SOP). Each one pairs a
**trigger** (the situation that engages it) with an ordered list of **steps** the
agent works through, including the
[actions](/docs/user-guides/chatbot/actions/actions-overview) it calls along the way.
Reach for procedures on high-stakes flows like refunds, escalations, and
onboarding, where you don't want the agent improvising.
## Anatomy of a procedure
Every procedure has three parts:
| Field | Purpose |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name** | A human-readable label (e.g. "Refund Request"). Shown on the chat log and used in [analytics](#analytics). |
| **Trigger** | A description of *when* this procedure should engage: the situation or intent that should route the conversation here. Labeled **When to use** in the editor. |
| **Steps** | The ordered list the agent follows. Steps can reference actions and branch on conditions. |
## Steps
Steps run **in order**, top to bottom. There are two kinds:
* **Instruction steps**: a plain instruction the agent follows ("Ask the customer
for their order number").
* **Branch steps**: a decision point with one or more `if` / `else if` conditions
and an optional `otherwise`. The agent evaluates the conditions top-to-bottom,
runs the **first** matching branch, then continues after the branch.
Limits: up to **15** instruction steps per procedure, up to **5** branches per
decision point (`if` / `else if` / `else`), and a branch **can't** be nested
inside another branch.
### Referencing actions with `@`
Inside a step, type `@` to reference an [action](/docs/user-guides/chatbot/actions/actions-overview)
the agent should run at that point (for example `@lookup_order`). When the agent
reaches that step, it invokes the tool.
If a step references an action that isn't available on the current channel, the
**entire procedure is skipped** for that conversation. See
[How procedures run](/docs/user-guides/chatbot/procedures/how-procedures-run#procedures-are-dropped-when-an-action-isn-t-available).
If a step references an action that doesn't exist or is disabled, the editor flags
it and won't let you enable the procedure until you fix or remove the reference.
### Using variables with `{{ }}`
You can personalize your steps and branch conditions with `{{token}}` variables
that are resolved at runtime. Type `{{` in a step or condition to open the picker,
which groups the available variables into:
| Group | Variables | What it resolves to |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Contact attributes** | `{{contact.name}}`, `{{contact.email}}`, `{{contact.phonenumber}}` | The matched contact's saved details. |
| **Custom attributes** | `{{contact.custom_attributes.*}}` | Any custom contact attributes you've defined for this agent. |
| **Session attributes** | `{{user.name}}`, `{{user.email}}` | Identity passed by the embedding site for the current session. |
| **Help desk** | `{{agentAvailable}}` | `true` when at least one help-desk agent is available right now (handy in branch conditions). |
A variable resolves only when its value is available for the conversation. For
example, `{{user.email}}` is empty unless the embedding site passes it, and
`{{contact.*}}` requires a matched contact. Write steps so the agent can still
proceed (or asks for the value) when a variable is missing.
## Start from a template
Don't want to build from scratch? Open the **Templates** tab to browse ready-made
procedures for common flows like order returns, subscription cancellations, and
billing disputes, all grouped by category. Pick one to create an editable copy,
then tailor its trigger and steps to your business.
## Creating a procedure
Go to your agent and open **Procedures**, then click **Add procedure** (or start
from a [template](#start-from-a-template)).
Give it a clear name, then use the **When to use** field to describe the
trigger: the situation that should route the conversation to this procedure.
Add instruction steps, reference actions with `@`, add variables with `{{ }}`,
and add conditional branches where the flow forks.
Save and set the procedure to **Active**. Only active procedures are considered
at runtime.
## Analytics
Open a procedure and switch to the **Analytics** tab to see how it's performing
over a date range you choose:
| Metric | Meaning |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Triggered** | How many times the agent engaged this procedure. |
| **Pending** | Runs still in progress — the flow was triggered but hasn't finished yet. |
| **Resolved** | Runs that reached their end. |
A trend chart below the counters breaks the same numbers down by day, so you can
spot patterns (for example, a spike in refund requests) at a glance.
## Next steps
Understand triggering, one-procedure-per-turn, and how procedures interact with actions.