---
title: "Session Timeout & Manual Chat Expiry"
description: "### ⏱️ Session Timeout & Manual Chat Expiry Flowbee allows you to control how long a chatbot session or manual chat remains active. This ensures conversations are properly managed and automatically reset when users become inactive. #### What is Session…"
url: "https://support.flowbee.io/docs/%e2%8f%b1%ef%b8%8f-session-timeout-manual-chat-expiry/"
updated: "2026-05-09"
category: 🤖 Chatbot
---

# Session Timeout & Manual Chat Expiry

### ⏱️ Session Timeout & Manual Chat Expiry

Flowbee allows you to control how long a chatbot session or manual chat remains active. This ensures conversations are properly managed and automatically reset when users become inactive.

#### What is Session Timeout?

*Session Timeout* defines how long a chatbot conversation stays active when the user is inactive.

👉 If the user does not respond within the defined time:

- The session expires
- Chatbot resets
- Next message starts from the beginning

![](https://support.flowbee.io/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-08-at-12.05.20-PM-1024x535.png)

#### ⏱️ Session Timeout (Minutes)

Set the inactivity time for chatbot session.

*Example:*

- Set to 180 minutes
  → If user does not reply for 3 hours
  → Chatbot restarts from beginning

#### 💡 Behavior

- User inactive → Session expires
- User sends message later → Chatbot starts fresh
- Welcome / Default flow will trigger again

#### What is Manual Chat Expiry?

Manual Chat Expiry controls how long a conversation stays in *manual mode* (agent handling).

👉 After expiry:

- Chat automatically closes
- Chatbot resumes control

#### 👤 Manual Chat Expiry (Minutes)

Set how long manual chat remains active.

*Example:*

- Set to 180 minutes
  → After 3 hours of inactivity
  → Manual chat ends
  → Chatbot takes over again

### How It Works

#### Chatbot Session Flow

1. User interacts with chatbot
2. No response for defined time
3. Session expires
4. Next message → chatbot restarts

#### Manual Chat Flow

1. Bot switched to manual chat
2. Agent handles conversation
3. No activity for defined time
4. Manual chat closes
5. Chatbot becomes active again

#### Why It Matters

- Prevents stuck conversations
- Automatically resets chatbot flow
- Ensures smooth user experience
- Reduces dependency on agents

#### Tips

- Keep session timeout reasonable (e.g., 30–180 mins)
- Use shorter timeout for fast-response businesses
- Always configure manual expiry to avoid dead chats
- Test behavior before going live

#### Common Scenarios

*User comes after long gap*
→ Chatbot starts from beginning

*Agent forgot to close chat*
→ Manual chat auto-expires

#### Summary

Session Timeout and Manual Chat Expiry help you manage conversation flow efficiently. They ensure inactive chats are reset and control is properly handed between chatbot and human agents.