Configure the Media Node

The Media Node is used when a workflow needs to send an image, video, audio file, or PDF as its own step on the canvas. Instead of uploading the same file repeatedly for different workflows, BotLance connects the node to the shared Media Library, allowing media to be uploaded once and reused throughout the workspace.

When you add a Media Node to the workflow and open its settings, you can choose an existing asset from the Media Library or use a public external media URL. An optional caption can also be added before the workflow continues to the next connected step.

The recommended way to configure a Media Node is through Media Library. Click Choose from Media Library or Change media to open the workspace media picker.

The picker gives you one place to browse and search reusable media. Assets are organized by type, including Images, Videos, PDFs, and Audio, so you can quickly find the file you need. If the file has not been uploaded yet, you can upload it directly from this window without leaving the Workflow Builder.

This is the same shared Media Library used across BotLance rather than a separate collection created only for workflows. A file can therefore be uploaded once and reused wherever that media capability is available.

BotLance also stores the asset's name and description. Those details are especially useful outside fixed workflows because the AI media system uses them to understand when an asset is relevant. The AI does not simply receive the entire library or inspect every raw file during each conversation. It searches the workspace media using the asset information and can select a relevant item when the customer's request calls for it.

For example, an asset named Dental Implant Aftercare Guide with a clear description can later be found naturally by the AI when a customer asks for aftercare information. The same asset can also be selected manually in a Workflow Media Node.

The Media Library has its own per-file upload limits. These limits control what can be stored in the shared library and should not be confused with the smaller limits that individual messaging channels may impose when the file is actually sent.

The current Media Library limits are 50 MB for images, 50 MB for videos, 50 MB for audio, and 100 MB for PDFs. Your workspace may also have a total Media Library storage allowance based on its BotLance plan, so the amount of media stored across the workspace can have a separate plan-level limit.

Audio uploaded for reusable cross-channel use must currently be M4A (.m4a). This gives BotLance one consistent audio format that can be reused across supported channels instead of storing incompatible audio formats for different destinations.

A file being stored successfully does not automatically mean that every messaging channel can send it. WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, and Messenger each have their own delivery limits, and BotLance checks those limits when media is selected or sent.

The current Workflow delivery limits are:

This means, for example, that a 40 MB video can exist in the Media Library, because the library allows videos up to 50 MB, but that same video cannot be selected for a WhatsApp Workflow because WhatsApp video delivery is limited to 16 MB.

BotLance handles this directly in the Workflow Builder. When the Media Library is opened from a workflow, the selected workflow channel is passed into the picker. If an asset is too large for that channel, BotLance prevents it from being used and shows the relevant size limit instead of allowing the workflow to fail later during delivery.

The Media Node also displays the applicable maximum for the selected media type and channel, so you can see the restriction while configuring the node.

This is why it is useful to think of the Media Library as the shared storage layer, while the selected channel determines the delivery layer.

You can also upload media directly while selecting an asset from the Media Node. When you upload from a channel-specific workflow picker, BotLance checks both the Media Library upload limit and the limit of the selected workflow channel.

For example, if you are building a WhatsApp workflow and try to upload a video larger than WhatsApp can send, BotLance can stop the file at configuration time rather than letting you build a workflow around media that cannot be delivered.

If you upload media from the main Media Library instead, a larger file may still be accepted when it is valid for library storage. You can then reuse that asset on channels whose delivery limits support it.

The Media Node also provides an External URL option. This is useful when the media is already hosted elsewhere and you do not want to upload another copy into BotLance.

Switch from Media Library to External URL, paste the media address, and choose the file type if BotLance cannot determine it automatically. External media can be configured as an image, video, audio file, or PDF.

The URL must point directly to a publicly accessible media file over HTTPS. It should not be a normal webpage, a private sharing page, a local network address, or a link that requires someone to log in before the file can be downloaded.

BotLance also performs a media preflight before URL-based files are sent. The external host needs to provide enough information for BotLance to verify the file and its size. If the file size cannot be safely verified, BotLance can reject the URL and recommend uploading the file to the Media Library instead.

This is intentional. Sending an unknown external file without knowing its size could result in a channel rejecting the message after the workflow has already reached that step.

External files remain hosted by the original provider. BotLance does not copy them into Media Library storage simply because their URL is used in a workflow, so continued delivery depends on that external file remaining publicly available.

After selecting media, the Media Node gives you a preview whenever the file type allows it. Images can be viewed directly, videos can be played, audio can be previewed through the player, and PDFs can be opened for inspection.

This helps confirm that the correct asset has been selected before the workflow is published. If the media type itself is unsupported by the selected channel or the file exceeds the channel limit, the editor displays the problem instead of presenting the asset as ready to send.

The Caption field is optional. Use it when the media needs a short explanation, title, or supporting message.

For example, a workflow sending an aftercare PDF could use a caption such as:

“Here is your Dental Implant Aftercare Guide.”

The media and caption are then delivered as part of the Media step before the workflow continues to its next connected node.

If a longer conversation is needed around the media, it is usually cleaner to use a Message Node for the surrounding text and keep the Media Node focused on the asset itself.

Media can also be added as a content block inside a Message Node, so both options are available depending on how you want to organize the workflow.

Use a Media block inside a Message Node when the file naturally belongs to a larger message sequence. For example, you might send some text, then an image, then another message as one conversational unit.

Use the dedicated Media Node when sending the asset should appear as its own clear step on the workflow canvas. This makes the workflow easier to read when media delivery has its own place in the customer journey or when several branches eventually connect to the same media step.

Both approaches use the same underlying media system, so you do not need separate copies of the asset.

The Media Library is designed as a reusable workspace resource rather than simply an upload box for workflows. The same media infrastructure can be used by fixed workflows as well as supported AI experiences.

In a workflow, you explicitly choose which asset should be sent at that particular step. With an AI Agent, the behavior is different: BotLance can search the Media Library semantically using the asset's name and description, identify relevant media, and attach the selected asset naturally to the response.

This is why giving uploaded media a clear name and useful description matters. A filename such as IMG_2847.png tells the AI very little, while a name such as Dental Implant Aftercare Guide with a description explaining what the asset contains gives the AI enough context to understand when it should be used.

The AI still respects the capabilities of the channel through which the conversation is happening. A media type that cannot be delivered to that destination should not be selected simply because it exists in the library.

Before publishing a workflow containing a Media Node, make sure the selected asset is correct, its size is within the limit of the workflow channel, and any external URL is a stable public direct file URL. If the same media may later be reused across workflows or by your AI Agent, storing it in the Media Library and giving it a meaningful name and description is generally the better approach.

Once configured, connect the Media Node to the next workflow step just like any other node. When the workflow reaches it, BotLance sends the selected media and then continues through the connected Next Step.