How to have the Facebook Messenger Chatbot Ignore Inbox Conversations with a FB User?

Question

Our chatbot listens to all events that happen on our Facebook Page.

When a Page admin communicates with a Facebook User via the Inbox, our Chatbot also replies.

We've reviewed the message_echo " https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/reference/webhook-events/message-echoes/?locale=ar_AR " event through the messenger api webhook and be able to determine if the "app" sent the text or it was sent by the Page Admin

{
        "sender":{
          "id":"<PSID>"
        },
        "recipient":{
          "id":"<USER_ID>"
        },
        "timestamp":1457764197627,
        "message":{
          "is_echo":true,
          "app_id":1517776481860111, // if that key doesn't exist so human sent it
          "metadata": "<DEVELOPER_DEFINED_METADATA_STRING>",
          "mid":"mid.1457764197618:41d102a3e1ae206a38",
          ....
}   

We are wanting the Messenger Chatbot to ignore the conversation between the Facebook Admin and facebook User.

How can we accomplish this?

Answer 1

The Handover Protocol exists to pass control of a conversation between multiple bot apps - or to the page inbox.

https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/handover-protocol/pass-thread-control#page_inbox

Page admins can also request thread control, https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/handover-protocol/request-thread-control#page_inbox