Human Agent Escalation

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Your app can implement an escalation path to a human agent using a custom inbox only or using an automated experience.

Custom inbox only (no automation)

With the custom inbox only solution (no automation), end users interact with the human agent directly rather than initiating the conversation with a keyword or intent. If your app uses this path to escalate to a human agent, ensure it can:

• Receive messages sent by end users and render them correctly in the custom inbox using the Conversation API with the given app ID
• Reply to messages via the custom inbox and confirm that end users receive them, using the Send API with the given app ID

Automated experiences

If your app has an automated experience, it can escalate to a human agent using a fallback intent, keyword, or quick replies when a certain scenario or flow is met.

As soon as the scenario or flow is met the escalation to a human agent can be done in the following ways:

• Custom Inbox - The ability to receive or reply to messages to end users from the custom inbox, which is powered by the same app ID
• Conversation Routing API - Use this API to pass thread control to either Instagram Inbox (first-party) or a custom third-party inbox solution (using another FB app ID). For the app review process, demonstrate that when escalation to a human agent happens, thread ownership transfers to the inbox and the agent can use the inbox to reply to end users.