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Chat Sessions

Overview

Chat sessions in Open Chat Studio define the scope of conversations between a user and a chatbot within a specific channel. Sessions are isolated, ensuring data privacy and contextual continuity for the duration of an interaction.

Session Scope

A session is uniquely defined by:

  • User: The individual engaging with the chatbot.
  • Channel: The platform through which the chat occurs (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram, Web, Slack). See channels.
  • Chatbot: The specific chatbot handling the conversation.

Each session is independent, meaning:

  • The session's data is bound to that session only and is not shared with other sessions.
  • When a user interacts with a chatbot, the bot receives the session's history to maintain context.
  • Multi-Session Channels: Channels such as Web, API, and Slack allow multiple active sessions per user, enabling parallel conversations.
  • Single-Session Channels: Platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and SureAdhere support only one active session per user at a time.

History Management

  • As conversations progress, all previous messages within a session are stored as history.
  • If the session history exceeds a predefined maximum length, it is summarized, and the bot will only receive:
  • A summary of older interactions.
  • The most recent exchanges to maintain context.

Participant Data

Aside from session-specific data, Open Chat Studio maintains participant data, which:

  • Persists across sessions.
  • Is tied to the same User, Channel, Chatbot scope.
  • Helps retain long-term user preferences and contextual information beyond a single session.

Anonymous Sessions

On the Web channel, users can have anonymous sessions, where:

  • Participant data is only available for the duration of the session.
  • Since user identity cannot be verified, data cannot persist beyond the session.

Resetting Sessions

For Single-Session Channels like WhatsApp and Telegram, the current session continues until it is explicitly ended.

However, sessions can be reset either manually by the user or automatically.

When a session is reset:

  • The current session is marked as completed.
  • A new session is started with a fresh history.

This means that, aside from participant data, the bot loses all information about the previous conversation — including the fact that it even took place.

For task-focused setup instructions, see How to reset sessions.