> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.jelou.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Custom channel

> Enable and configure the custom channel to connect your own app to Brain Studio.

## Introduction

The **custom** channel lets your application (web, mobile, or backend) run flows published in Brain Studio via webhook and REST API, without relying on WhatsApp or Meta.

Jelou receives interactions from your app, processes the flow asynchronously, and delivers bot replies to the URL you configure.

## Prerequisites

Before enabling the channel, make sure you have:

* An active Jelou account and access to the **Channels** section
* A public endpoint in your infrastructure to receive agent replies

## Enable the channel

**1. Open the Channels section**

Sign in to Jelou, go to **Channels**, and select the **custom** option.

![Jelou Channels section with the custom option highlighted](https://mintcdn.com/jelouai/gJH8RLsyTV3C4rxe/assets/images/channels/custom-selector-en.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=gJH8RLsyTV3C4rxe\&q=85\&s=6efd8e4708d13592ccda4ff44af5c7ea)

Channel selector with the custom option

**2. Name the channel**

Give the channel a descriptive name, for example `Mobile app - Production`. The name must be between 4 and 50 characters.

**3. Complete the configuration modal**

In the modal, provide:

* The **webhook URL** where Jelou will deliver agent replies (required).
* An optional **authentication type** (`api_key`, `bearer`, or `basic`) and its value, if your endpoint requires it.
* The **signing key** (HMAC), **required**. Use it to sign your requests to Jelou's API and verify the replies that arrive in your system.

![custom channel configuration modal with webhook, authentication, and signing key](https://mintcdn.com/jelouai/gJH8RLsyTV3C4rxe/assets/images/channels/custom-modal-en.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=gJH8RLsyTV3C4rxe\&q=85\&s=8c535b850c8115712cab439625792b5b)

custom channel configuration modal

> [!NOTE]
>
> Secrets are encrypted at rest and are not shown in plain text after saving. If you lose a value, generate a new one and update the configuration.

**4. Save and connect**

Save the configuration and make sure the channel is connected to the corresponding project.

**5. Build the logic in Brain Studio**

Open the project in Brain Studio, select the **custom** channel in the workflows list, and start building with Jelou.

![Brain Studio with the custom channel selected in the workflows list and the Start node on the canvas](https://mintcdn.com/jelouai/gJH8RLsyTV3C4rxe/assets/images/channels/custom-canvas-en.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=gJH8RLsyTV3C4rxe\&q=85\&s=4ed7219b9467839b5384adecde468688)

Brain Studio canvas with the custom channel selected

## Reply delivery

When the agent replies, Jelou `POST`s to your webhook. Delivery has a 20-second budget covering up to 3 attempts, retried on 5xx, 429, connection refused and reset sockets. Timeouts and DNS failures are **not** retried. Every attempt carries the same `messageId`, so your endpoint must deduplicate by it and respond idempotently. See [Delivery and retries](https://docs.jelou.ai/en/api/custom-channel/response-format.md#delivery-and-retries).

## Channel limitations

In the builder, some nodes and tools are not available on the **custom** channel because they depend on WhatsApp or other integrations.

### Unavailable nodes and blocks

* HSM template
* WhatsApp Flows
* CTA URL
* Sticker
* Carousel
* Numbered list
* Webview
* Payments
* Connect (advisor)
* Biometrics
* Human handoff (HubSpot, Genesys, or others)

WhatsApp-only nodes such as **Input** and location request also do not appear on this channel.

### Unavailable AI Agent tools

* Call to action (`send_call_to_action`)
* Transfer to agent (`transfer_to_agent`)
* Jelou Shop

## Next step for developers

To send interactions, verify HMAC signatures, and check session status, see the API reference:

> **[Custom channel API](https://docs.jelou.ai/en/api/custom-channel/introduction.md)**
>
> Introduction, endpoints, response formats, and HMAC signature.


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