How to connect a VK community and run a funnel in it
On VK, the bot is your community. Connect it with a key in a couple of minutes, and funnels reply to people in its messages, just like a Telegram bot.
On VK, the bot is a community: a person writes to the group's messages, and the funnel replies on its behalf. You connect it with a community access key that VK itself issues. You don't need a VK app, a registered business or business verification.
How it works#
- You create an access key in the community and paste it into Craft.
- Craft turns on messages, bot buttons and the Start button in the community, and registers its address where VK sends new messages.
- Funnels are built the same way as for Telegram: messages with buttons, files and images, questions, tags, variables, conditions, delays, lead notifications, payments.
- Community subscribers show up in Contacts, conversations in Dialogs, stats on the funnel card, broadcasts in Broadcasts.
What you need#
- Admin rights in the VK community (group, public page or event).
- About two minutes.
Step 1. Create a community access key#
- On vk.com, open your community → “Manage” → “More” → “API usage”.
- Click “Create key”.
- Tick “Community management”, “Community messages”, “Photos”, “Docs” and “Wall”, and confirm.
- VK shows a long key (it starts with
vk1.a.). Copy all of it.
⚠️ Without “Photos” and “Docs” the community still connects, but images and files in messages won't be sent. Without “Wall” the funnel can't reply under post comments. Craft warns you about this when connecting.
Step 2. Paste the key into Craft#
- Open Accounts → Connect → VK.
- Paste the key and click “Connect community”.
- Craft checks the key, turns on messages and bot buttons, and waits for VK to confirm Craft's address. Usually it takes a few seconds.
After connecting, Craft shows a link like vk.me/your_community — it opens the community's messages.
Step 3. Build a funnel#
- In Automations, click Create → VK.
- Choose the community and a template or a blank canvas.
- In the entry block, copy the funnel link: it opens the community's messages and starts this funnel right away. You can also add keywords: “Message us the word PLAN”.
- Turn the funnel on and message the community from your own page — check the whole path.
Start on a comment under a post#
In the funnel's start triggers, turn on “Start on a comment under a post”. Now a keyword from the list in a comment under any community post also starts the funnel.
- The person has messaged the community or allowed messages — the funnel arrives in their messages right away, and your reply appears under the comment (by default “Sent it to your messages 💌”).
- They haven't — VK doesn't let a community message someone first. Craft replies under the comment with the second text and replaces
{link}with the funnel link: they tap it, write, and the funnel starts.
⚠️ Replies under comments need the “Wall” right on the community key. Without it the funnel still reaches people who allowed messages, but there's no reply under the post.
How VK differs from Telegram#
🔴 Links to other social networks. VK treats links to Telegram, YouTube, Instagram and other networks in community messages as advertising and may turn the community's messages off, and block the community for repeat cases. Send people to a website, a payment page or the community itself. If a block contains such a link, the builder shows a warning.
⚠️ The community can't message first. Only people who wrote to it, pressed Start or allowed messages. Broadcasts go only to them.
⚠️ No “Share phone number” button. People type their number. If a message is just a phone number (for example +7 999 123-45-67), Craft saves it to the phone variable and the contact's profile. Ask for it in the question: “Send us your phone number”.
- Start instead of /start. People see the Start button when they first open the community's messages. If the community has several funnels, turn off “Start on the “Start” button” in the entry block — each funnel will then open only from its own link.
- No bold text. Community messages have no formatting: bold and italics go as plain text, and a linked word becomes the word with the address in brackets.
- Buttons. Labels up to 40 characters, up to 6 buttons per message.
- Video is sent as a file: VK doesn't allow uploading video to messages with a community key. If the file isn't accepted, the person gets a link to it.
- Membership. The “Community membership” condition checks whether the person is a member. Leave it empty for the funnel's own community, or enter another community's address.
- Lead notifications arrive in Telegram: in the “Send notification” action, choose which Telegram bot sends them. To you — via the Craft bot.
- Unsubscribe in broadcasts. VK rules require a way to unsubscribe in every broadcast. Craft adds an “Unsubscribe” button to community broadcasts automatically: tap it — no more broadcasts until the person writes to the community again.
🔴 “Join to get it” is forbidden. VK bot rules don't allow giving materials only to people who joined the community, liked or reposted — VK disables bots for this. Use the “Community membership” condition to talk differently to members and others, and give what you promised to everyone.
Disconnect the community#
In Automations → Bots & communities, open the community's menu and click Disconnect. Craft removes its address from the community settings; other services (Senler, SaleBot, etc.) keep working. Contacts, history and funnels are kept — connect the same key again and everything comes back.
Not available yet#
- Starting on likes, reposts and joining the community, subscription pages and carousels.
- A command menu like a Telegram bot has: VK doesn't have one, so start funnels with links and keywords.
- “Articles” (messages with photos between paragraphs) and round video messages.
- One-click connection via VK login — for now, only with a key.