Overview

Intake is the entry point for every flow. It collects initial information that kicks off the process. Intake is the foundation of your workflow—it determines how users submit requests and what information becomes available to downstream steps.

Every flow must have exactly one Intake step, and it cannot be deleted. The trigger source you choose determines where the flow can be started and how data is captured.

Use When

• You need to collect initial information to start a workflow

• You want to enable users to submit requests through multiple channels (Slack, Teams, email, forms, or Salesforce)

• You need free-text input for ad-hoc requests

• You require structured, form-based submission for consistent data collection

Configuration Options

Trigger Source Selection

Choose one of the following trigger sources based on your needs:

• Manual: Users submit a form directly in the Chamelio interface with predefined fields

• Slack – Free Text: Users mention @chamelio in Slack with a free-text message

• Slack – Form: Users fill out predefined fields using Slack's form interface

• Teams – Free Text: Users mention @chamelio in Teams with a free-text message

• Teams – Form: Users fill out predefined fields using Teams forms

• Email: Triggered when an email arrives at a configured address

• Salesforce: Triggered by Salesforce record events (new records, updates, or conditions)

For Form-Based Submissions

Define the fields you want to collect. Field values become available as @Intake.FieldName throughout your flow.

For Free-Text Submissions

Select which Slack or Teams channel Chamelio listens to. The entire message becomes available as @Intake.Message.

For Email Triggers

Configure the email address to monitor. Subject, body, and attachments become available for extraction and use in downstream steps.

For Salesforce Triggers

Configure the record type and conditions that trigger the flow. Record data becomes available as variables for use throughout the workflow.

Trigger Sources and Submission Methods

Manual

Users submit a form directly in the Chamelio interface. This is a classic form-based submission where users fill out defined fields and submit.

Intake forms now support conditional logic for fields. You can configure fields to show or hide based on the values of other fields, creating dynamic and streamlined intake experiences. Conditional fields are visually indicated with an icon in the intake builder.

Slack / Teams – Free Text Mention

Users mention @chamelio in a Slack / Teams channel with a free-text message. No predefined fields are required.

Examples:

• @chamelio review this contract for risks

• @chamelio what are the payment terms in our agreement with Acme corp?

• @chamelio is this NDA acceptable?

The entire message becomes available as @Intake.Message.

Slack / Teams – Form (Structured)

Users fill out predefined fields using Slack / Teams's form interface. Individual field values become available as @Intake.FieldName.

Email

Triggered when an email arrives at a configured address. Subject, body, and attachments become available. You can extract key information from email content.

Salesforce

Triggered by Salesforce record events. Record data becomes available and can act on new records, updates, or conditions.

Use Cases by Submission Type

Free-Text Mentions (Slack / Teams)

Ideal for instant AI analysis:

• Review documents for risks

• Extract renewal dates or key terms

• Q&A existing contract base

Form-Based Submissions (Manual / Slack / Teams)

Best for structured requests with defined fields:

• Contract generation workflows

• Vendor review processes

• Approval initiation

Email Trigger

Suited for automated email processing:

• Extract contracts from inbound emails

• Process vendor submissions automatically

• Trigger workflows based on email content / attachment

Salesforce Trigger

Perfect for CRM-integrated flows:

• Trigger flows from CRM records such as contract generation / review

• Synchronize CRM and flow data

Example

Free-Text Flow

A user mentions @chamelio in Slack with: "review this contract for risks"

The message becomes available as @Intake.Message and can be passed to an Agent step for analysis.

Form-Based Flow

A user submits a form with:

• Customer Name

• Contract Term

• Document Type

These fields become available as @Intake.CustomerName, @Intake.ContractTerm, and @Intake.DocumentType.

Notes

• Intake cannot be deleted

• The trigger source determines where the flow can be started

• Only a single flow can listen to a single channel

• Slack / Teams forms are not tied to a specific channel

• For form-based submissions, define your fields during configuration

• For free-text submissions, the entire message is available as @Intake.Message

• For email and Salesforce triggers, configure the source and relevant conditions