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Channels

Hunch channels let you run the same session, handoff, analytics, compliance, and credit model across communication surfaces outside the website widget.

Current supported channels:

  • Email
  • Telegram
  • WhatsApp

Naming​

Use these terms consistently:

  • Channels: customer communication surfaces like email, Telegram, and WhatsApp
  • Connectors: external systems or knowledge sources like CRM, Notion, Drive, Shopify, or Calendly
  • Extensions: packaged Hunch capabilities that add workflow behavior

Email, Telegram, and WhatsApp are channels, not extensions.

What channels do​

When a channel is connected, Hunch can:

  • ingest inbound messages into a normal Hunch session
  • generate automated replies using the website's active AI configuration
  • open human handoffs from the same thread
  • let operators reply back to the customer through the same channel
  • keep delivery history, retry state, attachments, and reporting in the dashboard

Credit behavior​

The current billing behavior is:

  • successful automated AI channel replies consume 1 AI credit
  • every outbound email sent through Hunch consumes 1 delivery credit
  • automated AI replies sent by email therefore consume 2 total credits
  • failed outbound AI deliveries are refunded
  • failed outbound email deliveries are refunded
  • inbound customer messages do not consume credits
  • human replies from operators do not consume AI credits, but human email replies still consume the outbound email delivery credit

This applies to website chat and external channels through the same credit ledger.

Email channel​

The email channel uses Hunch-managed mail infrastructure.

How it works:

  • Hunch provisions an inbound alias on the Hunch mail domain
  • inbound email is received by the Hunch API worker
  • Hunch creates or resumes the matching session
  • Hunch sends automated or operator replies back through the same thread

Current architecture note:

  • inbound email is handled by Hunch's worker email ingress
  • outbound email is sent through Hunch's configured provider
  • Resend is used for outbound delivery, not inbound receipt, in the current implementation

Important implication:

  • Hunch remains the relay for the email channel
  • the website owner is not speaking directly to the visitor's mailbox outside Hunch when using this feature

Telegram channel​

Telegram is configured per workspace:

  • the workspace owner creates a Telegram bot
  • they paste the bot token into Hunch
  • Hunch verifies the token and configures the webhook automatically

No extra Hunch-wide Telegram secret is required.

WhatsApp channel​

WhatsApp supports two setup modes:

  • guided Meta embedded signup
  • advanced manual credential entry

Guided embedded signup​

The dashboard can launch Meta's embedded signup flow and finish provisioning automatically.

Hunch:

  • exchanges the Meta authorization code server-side
  • verifies the returned phone number
  • creates or updates the integration
  • subscribes the WhatsApp Business Account
  • overrides the callback URL and verify token automatically

This requires one-time Hunch platform configuration:

  • WHATSAPP_EMBEDDED_SIGNUP_APP_ID
  • WHATSAPP_EMBEDDED_SIGNUP_APP_SECRET
  • WHATSAPP_EMBEDDED_SIGNUP_CONFIG_ID

Manual mode​

Advanced teams can still connect WhatsApp manually by entering:

  • access token
  • phone number ID
  • webhook app secret
  • approved template settings

Attachments and delivery​

Channels support:

  • direct operator replies
  • inbound attachments
  • outbound attachments
  • delivery records
  • retry visibility
  • automatic retry backoff for failed sends

Provider behavior differs:

  • email sends native attachments
  • Telegram sends native media messages
  • WhatsApp sends native media messages and supports approved templates when required outside the 24-hour reply window

Handoff behavior​

Channels plug into the existing Hunch handoff system.

That means a handoff can:

  • be created from a channel conversation
  • be answered in the Hunch inbox
  • send the operator reply back through the same customer channel
  • optionally notify an operator through a configured channel target

Reporting​

The channel surfaces in the dashboard include:

  • channel setup and health
  • inbox threads
  • retry visibility
  • attachment history
  • delivery success and failure metrics
  • open, handoff, and resolved thread counts

See also: