In-chat forms
Mid-conversation the agent can show a structured form — instead of parsing free text you get clean fields (address, preference, confirmation).
What you configure
- Tool settings (for the agent) — a name and instructions telling the agent when to offer the form.
- Form content (for the user) — a title, description, and submit-button label.
- Form fields — up to 10 fields, each with a name, label, type, and whether it's required. Supported types: text, email, phone, number, date, select (dropdown), and textarea (long text). There is no checkbox field type. For a select field you enter at least two options; you can optionally add a custom validation expression (regex) too.
- Presentation — Inline in chat (the form appears as part of the conversation) or Overlay sheet (slides over the chat).
- Require completion before chatting — when enabled, the user can't send another message until they fill in or close the form.
Kanbu offers two templates for a quick start — a blank form and a contact form (name, email, phone, message).
How it works
- In admin, create a form using the settings above.
- Assign it to an agent as a tool (a specific selection, or Available to all agents).
- When structured data is needed, the agent shows the form.
- The conversation pauses; after submit it continues with the values.
The form itself doesn't store the data anywhere — it only returns it to the agent in the conversation. If you want it written to a CRM or sent by email, the agent needs to follow up with another tool (an HTTP tool or MCP).
Validation
For an email field, Kanbu automatically checks the address format. For other types, add a custom validation expression on the field if needed. The browser also enforces required fields and the number/date format.
What happens if the user doesn't fill in the form
- They send a message instead of filling it in — the form is treated as canceled and the agent replies to the message normally.
- They close the form (when Require completion is off) — it's treated as canceled and the agent continues the conversation.
- They close the whole chat — an in-progress form isn't lost. When they reopen the conversation, the same form appears again to be filled in.
- Submission fails (e.g. a network error) — the entered values stay in the form so the user can retry without retyping.
Tip
Use forms where free text often fails — delivery address, variant selection, action confirmation. For simple FAQ, the knowledge base is enough.
Frequently asked questions
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What field types does a form support?
Text, email, phone, number, date, select, and long text (textarea). There is no checkbox (yes/no) type.
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How many fields can a form have?
Up to 10.
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Does the form data get saved anywhere automatically?
No. The form only returns the values into the conversation — any further processing (writing to a CRM, sending an email, creating a ticket) needs a follow-up tool, typically an HTTP tool or MCP.
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What if the user closes the chat with a form half-filled?
Nothing is lost — the same form reappears when they return to the conversation.
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Does the user have to fill in the form to continue the conversation?
Only if you turn on Require completion before chatting for that form. Otherwise they can close it or send a message instead — the form is then treated as canceled.