Reply formatting: adapt to the channel, or deliver raw markdown

Conversa Labs

Conversa Labs

Last updated on Aug 12, 2026

Overview

The model always writes in markdown — that is the format it was trained to structure text in. The catch is that every channel understands markdown differently: WhatsApp uses *asterisks* for bold, the web widget renders full markdown, and some channels format nothing at all.

Reply formatting decides what happens between what the model wrote and what the contact reads:

  • Adapt to the channel — translates formatting into the destination channel's dialect. Bold becomes *like this* on WhatsApp, and plain text where there is no support.
  • Do not format — delivers the raw markdown exactly as the model wrote it.

Prerequisites

  • A Robô already created and configured.
  • Account administrator access to edit the Robô.

Step by step

  1. Open Settings → Robôs and edit the Robô.
  2. Go to the Delivery section.
  3. Under Reply formatting, pick Adapt to the channel or Do not format.
  4. Save.

The change applies to the next replies; messages already sent are not rewritten.

Settings & options

Option What it does
Adapt to the channel Converts formatting into what the destination channel understands
Do not format Sends the model's markdown untouched

The choice belongs to the Robô, not to the channel: one Robô serving both WhatsApp and the widget adapts for both from a single setting.

Use cases

  • WhatsApp support: use Adapt to the channel. Without it, a markdown **bold** reaches the contact as four literal asterisks in the middle of the sentence.
  • An integration consuming the reply over the API: use Do not format. The system on the other side usually prefers the original markdown so it can render it its own way.
  • A channel that already renders markdown: either works; adapting is the safe default.

Tips, limits & best practices

  • When in doubt, Adapt to the channel. It is what the contact expects to see.
  • Do not format does not mean "plain text": it means markdown intact. If the channel does not render markdown, the contact sees the symbols.
  • This controls formatting only. It does not change the content, the language or the reply length.

Troubleshooting

The contact is seeing ** or ## inside the text. The Robô is on Do not format in a channel that does not render markdown. Switch it to Adapt to the channel.

The reply arrives with no emphasis at all. The destination channel supports no formatting — the adapt mode falls back to plain text on purpose, because that beats stray symbols.

I changed it and nothing happened. The setting applies from the next reply onwards. Also confirm you saved the right Robô if the account has more than one.

See also