# Pin a step so it starts in one click from any chat

> In SkedX Flow you can pin any step of an automation so it starts in one click from a chat. Pinned steps sit at the top of Run an automation (the button beside Send in a chat), under Pinned steps; Start on a pinned step starts its automation at that step for the person in the chat, and the automation carries on from there. That works for a step deep inside an automation another one starts — for example the English product cards of a language-by-language sale. To pin a step: in Run an automation, click From a step on the automation and click the pin beside the step; or, in the builder, point at a step of an automation that is on and click Pin to chats in its bar. Pins are shared by the whole team. Only a step that can start on its own can be pinned — a step that uses an earlier step’s answer cannot, and says which step to pin instead. A pinned step that cannot start in a chat (the chat’s 24-hour window is closed and the step sends free text, or the automation does not fit the chat) shows why instead of Start; when its automation is already running for that person, the button reads Restart here. Pinning changes nothing your customers see.

Product: SkedX Flow · Topic: Inbox · Draft — steps not yet re-verified in the live product

Some steps you send again and again — the product cards, the language question. Pin them once and they wait at the top of **Run an automation** in every chat: one click and the customer has them. About two minutes.

## Step 1: Your pinned steps sit at the top

In a chat, click **Run an automation** beside Send. **Pinned steps** come first: each shows the step’s own name and which automation it belongs to. **Start** sends that step to the customer now, and the automation carries on from there. Point at a pinned step to read what it does.
Open it directly: https://flow.skode.ai/inbox

## Step 2: Pin a step from the chat

In **Run an automation**, click **From a step** on the automation. Beside each step that can start on its own is a pin: click it once. The step now says **Pinned** and appears at the top for everyone on your team. Point at the pin to read what it does; click it again to unpin.

## Step 3: Or pin it in the builder

Open the automation in **Automation -> Workflows** (it must be on). Point at a step: its bar has **Pin to chats**. A pinned step’s card says **Pinned**; its bar offers **Unpin from chats**.
Open it directly: https://flow.skode.ai/automation

## Step 4: On a phone

A phone has no pointer to hover, so From a step says it in words and each pin carries its word: **Pin** or **Pinned**. Tap to pin or unpin.

## Common questions

### Who sees my pinned steps?

Everyone in your workspace. A pin is the team’s, so the step your team sends most is one click away for every agent.

### Why can’t I pin this step?

It uses an answer from an earlier step (for example the quantity the customer chose), so it cannot start on its own. Pin that earlier step, or one before it, instead. The start of an automation is not pinned either — Start on the automation’s own row already runs it from the beginning.

### My pinned step is greyed. Why?

It cannot start in this chat, and it says why: usually the chat’s 24-hour WhatsApp window is closed and the step sends free text — send a template first. If the automation is already running for this person, the button reads **Restart here**, which replaces that run.

### Does pinning change my automation?

No. Pinning makes no new version and changes nothing your customers see. If you remove the step, or turn the automation off, its pin stops showing; turn it back on and the pin is back.

### Can I find a step without pinning it?

Yes — type in the search box of Run an automation: it finds automations by their name and by any words inside them, and a found step starts in one click. See [Search automations by name or anything inside](https://skode.ai/help/flow/automation/search-automations-by-name-or-anything-inside/).

## Useful links
- Inbox in SkedX Flow — Run an automation is the button beside Send: https://flow.skode.ai/inbox
- Workflows in SkedX Flow — pin from a step’s bar in the builder: https://flow.skode.ai/automation

Videos and screenshots © 2026 SkedX, with sample data only. Share and link to them freely; copying the SkedX product or its design is not allowed. Terms: https://skode.ai/terms/

## Related guides
- Search automations by name or anything inside: https://skode.ai/help/flow/automation/search-automations-by-name-or-anything-inside/
- Pause an automation in a chat when someone on your team replies: https://skode.ai/help/flow/automation/automations-pause-when-your-team-replies/

Source: https://skode.ai/help/flow/inbox/pin-a-step-to-start-it-in-one-click-from-a-chat/