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Full Bot Version entry
How-to guide

Ship a change as a new Bot Version

Here is the standard, low-risk way to ship a change as a new Bot Version: clone the active version, edit and test the clone, then activate it during a planned window so live traffic moves over cleanly.

By Dipojjal Chakrabarti · Founder & Editor, Salesforce DictionaryLast updated Jun 16, 2026

Here is the standard, low-risk way to ship a change as a new Bot Version: clone the active version, edit and test the clone, then activate it during a planned window so live traffic moves over cleanly.

  1. Clone the active version

    On the Einstein Bot setup page, open the bot's dropdown in the My Bots list and choose Clone. Give it a unique display name and API name. The clone copies the configuration and dialog structure as your editable draft.

  2. Make and save your edits

    Adjust dialogs, conversation variables, and intent utterances in the cloned draft. Use Einstein Intent Sets to add utterances. The live version keeps answering customers while you work on the draft.

  3. Test in a sandbox

    Activate the draft in a sandbox and run it with internal users, or use the builder preview for quick checks. Validate real phrasing and routing before anything reaches production scale.

  4. Commit and activate

    Commit the version to freeze the snapshot, then click Activate. The previous active version steps down to inactive automatically, and new conversations start on the new version.

  5. Watch metrics, then prune

    Watch bot performance for the first traffic window after activation. Keep the prior version for a short rollback period, then retire stale inactive versions so the list stays readable.

Active versionremember

The single committed version currently handling live conversations. Activating a new version moves this status to the new one.

Inactive versionsremember

Committed versions no longer live but kept as history. Reactivate one to roll the bot's dialog configuration back.

Outbound vs inbound routingremember

After cloning an enhanced bot, outbound Omni-Channel routing transfers automatically, but inbound flows must be rebuilt in Flow Builder.

Required permissionremember

Cloning needs Customize Application, Modify Metadata, or Manage Bots. Confirm the builder has one of these before starting.

Gotchas
  • Editing the active version directly changes what live customers see. Clone first and edit the draft instead.
  • Rebuilding the intent model on an active bot makes the new build active and you cannot revert to the previous model within that bot. Clone before you rebuild if you want a fallback.
  • Inbound routing flows do not transfer when you clone an enhanced bot. New sessions will not reach the clone until you rebuild those flows in Flow Builder.
  • Keeping dozens of inactive versions makes the list hard to read and confuses rollback decisions. Retire old ones after the rollback window passes.

See the full Bot Version entry

Bot Version includes the definition, worked example, deep dive, related terms, and a quiz.