How to preview automations

Estimated 2 minute read

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Updated Oct 13, 2026, 12:00 AM EST

Table of contents

• You will learn
• Before you begin
• Preview an individual question
• Walk through the automation
• Additional resources

You will learn

Learn how to preview automation questions and walk through a conversation to test its messages, responses, and recommendations without turning it on.

Before you begin

The preview can differ slightly from the live experience. Previewing an automation does not turn it on or send messages to customers.

When reviewing your preview:

• Treat shortened links as placeholders, not the exact links customers will receive.
• Proofread your messages and answer choices for typos before turning on the automation.

Preview an individual question

Preview an individual question to review its text and answer choices. To test other messages and recommendations in context, walk through the automation as described in the next section.

1. Open your automation and click the question you want to preview.
2. Find the preview in the right sidebar, below the question and answer choices. If your sidebar has a Preview tab, select it.

1. Review the question and its answer choices.

Walk through the automation

Walk through the automation by entering replies as a customer would. This lets you check which questions, messages, and recommendations appear along a conversation path.

Repeat the preview with different replies to test each branch of your automation.

To preview an automation:

1. Open the automation you want to test.
2. In the upper right, click the play icon labeled Preview.

1. Enter a trigger keyword configured for the automation, then click the send icon labeled Send. If the automation starts from a response to a campaign or flow message, enter one of that trigger question’s configured answers instead.
2. Reply to each question and click Send to follow the conversation path. Review the messages and the final recommendation or message.

1. Once the conversation ends, select Reset Preview to start again. Enter the trigger keyword or trigger question’s answer again, then try different replies to test another path.

Additional resources

• How to create a SMS and RCS automation

Learn how to build an automation, a type of text message conversation that allows you to ask questions, followup to responses, and send personalized recommendations. You can build two types of automations - How to view analytics for an automation

See how to check the performance of an automation, including how many people entered or completed it. - How to edit, turn off, or delete automations

Learn how to update, turn off, or delete your automations in Klaviyo. In all cases, you must have an active automation.

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