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What Auto-Deploy is for

Auto-Deploy automatically activates AI agents for customers who complete payment and click Deploy on Step 9 (Summary & Deploy) of the SaaS onboarding process. It removes the manual setup work and gives self-service customers instant activation.
The onboarding flow is 9 steps. Step 9 — Summary & Deploy — is where payment is confirmed and the customer clicks Deploy.
Use auto-deploy when:
  • Running a SaaS portal with self-service onboarding
  • You want customers to get instant access after signup (and payment, if applicable)
  • You have sufficient credits to cover deployments

How auto-deploy works

The deployment flow

  1. Customer completes Step 9 (Summary & Deploy) – Their payment goes through (or is skipped for free / pay-as-you-go portals)
  2. Deploy button unlocks – Once payment is confirmed as active; otherwise the customer stays on Step 9 with an error
  3. Customer clicks Deploy – This kicks off the setup
  4. Prerequisites are checked – Credits and configuration are validated
  5. Deployment is queued – The job joins the setup queue
  6. Agent is deployed – The AI Receptionist is activated automatically
  7. Everyone’s notified – The customer gets a setup email, and you get a deployment notification

Deployment statuses

A customer’s deployment can be in one of these states:
  • Not started – Onboarding isn’t complete yet
  • Queued – The deployment is in the queue
  • Pending credits – Waiting for enough credits
  • Agent ready – The agent is deployed but still needs a phone number
  • Completed – Fully deployed and working
  • Failed – Something went wrong during deployment
Deployment Status Overview

Prerequisites for auto-deploy

1. SaaS Portal Mode enabled

Auto-deploy requires SaaS mode:
  1. Go to Settings → Whitelabel.
  2. Select SaaS Portal mode.
  3. Enable SaaS Onboarding.

2. Sufficient credit balance

Your partner account needs minimum credits: Free Forever partners:
  • 1000 cents ($10) Telephony Credits
  • 200 Knotie Credits
Paid tier partners:
  • 500 cents ($5) Telephony Credits
  • 200 Knotie Credits
If credits are insufficient, the deployment status becomes Pending credits.

3. Auto-deploy enabled

Toggle auto-deploy in whitelabel settings:
  1. Go to Settings → Whitelabel.
  2. In SaaS Portal Configuration, find Auto-Deploy Enabled.
  3. Toggle to ON.
  4. Save settings.
Auto-Deploy Toggle

Enable auto-deploy

Step 1: Configure SaaS settings

  1. Navigate to Settings → Whitelabel.
  2. Select SaaS Portal mode.
  3. Configure:
    • SaaS Onboarding Enabled – Toggle ON
    • Free AI Credits – Set initial credits (e.g., 50)
    • SaaS Agent Tier – Choose agent capability level

Step 2: Enable auto-deploy

  1. In the SaaS Portal Configuration section.
  2. Find Auto-Deploy Enabled toggle.
  3. Set to ON.
  4. Click Save Settings.

Step 3: Ensure credit availability

  1. Check your credit balance in Credits page.
  2. Top up if below minimum thresholds.
  3. Set up low-credit alerts to avoid deployment failures.

What happens during auto-deploy

Phase 1: Customer completes onboarding

When a customer reaches Step 9 (Summary & Deploy) and clicks Deploy:
  1. The system first confirms their payment is active; if not, they stay on Step 9 with an error message.
  2. Their onboarding details (business info, knowledge base, greeting, voice, integrations, billing model) are checked and saved.
  3. AI credits are turned on for the customer (only if Free AI Credits is set to more than 0).
  4. The deployment status is set.
The billing model used for the deployment matches the pricing model on your account — subscription, fixed price, pay-as-you-go, or a free trial if none is set.

Phase 2: Credit validation

The system checks your credit balance: If you have enough credits:
  • Status → Queued
  • The setup job starts
If you don’t have enough:
  • Status → Pending credits
  • You get an email letting you know
  • The customer can still sign in, but their agent stays inactive

Phase 3: Deployment

The setup runs automatically:
  1. Agent creation – A Knova AI Receptionist is created, personalized with the customer’s business profile, knowledge base, and onboarding details
  2. Knowledge base setup – The customer’s uploaded documents are processed and added
  3. Phone number setup – A phone number is purchased and connected so the agent can take calls
  4. Integrations – Tools (email, SMS, calendar) and analytics are turned on
  5. Final check – The system confirms everything is in place

Phase 4: Completion

On success:
  • Status → Completed
  • The customer can make and receive calls
  • A confirmation email is sent
On failure:
  • Status → Failed
  • The error is logged for review
  • Support is notified
Auto-Deploy Process Flow

Monitor deployment status

In Customer List

View deployment status for each customer:
  1. Go to Customers → Active Customers in the Partner Portal sidebar.
  2. Each customer shows a status badge:
    • Queued – Deployment in progress (spinning icon)
    • Pending Credits – Waiting for credits (amber)
    • Agent Ready – Deployed successfully (green)
    • Completed – Fully operational (green)
    • Failed – Deployment error (red)

Continue deployment manually

If a customer is stuck on Pending credits, you can resume deployment:
  1. Top up your credits.
  2. Find the customer in Customers → Active Customers.
  3. Click Continue Deployment button.
  4. System re-queues the deployment job.

Deployment notifications

Insufficient credits notification

When auto-deploy fails due to insufficient credits, you receive an email: Subject: ⚠️ Auto-Deployment Pending - Credits Required - [Customer Name] Contains:
  • Customer details
  • Current credit balance
  • Minimum required credits
  • Link to top up credits

Deployment failure notification

If deployment fails for other reasons, support receives notification with:
  • Customer information
  • Error details
  • Troubleshooting steps

Credit requirements explained

Why minimum credits are required

Auto-deploy requires upfront credits to ensure:
  • Agent can be activated without interruption
  • Customer has immediate access to services
  • No failed deployments due to insufficient funds

How credits are consumed

During auto-deploy:
  1. Telephony Credits – Phone number provisioning, call routing setup
  2. Knotie Credits – AI agent processing, knowledge base embedding, tool initialization
The exact amount consumed depends on:
  • Agent tier selected
  • Knowledge base size
  • Number of integrations
  • Tool complexity

Free AI Credits for customers

Customers receive Free AI Credits (configured in SaaS settings):
  • These are separate from your partner credits
  • Used for initial testing and onboarding calls
  • Configurable per partner (default: 50 credits)

Troubleshooting

Auto-deploy not triggering

Possible causes:
  • Auto-Deploy toggle is OFF
  • SaaS Onboarding not enabled
  • Customer didn’t reach Step 9 (Summary & Deploy) — still stuck on a previous step (most commonly the payment verification within Step 9)
  • Partner credits below minimum threshold
Solution:
  1. Verify auto-deploy is enabled in Settings → White-Label Portal.
  2. Check customer reached Step 9 (Summary & Deploy) in Prospects list — earlier step completion means payment didn’t clear.
  3. Confirm credit balance meets minimums.

Deployment stuck in “Queued”

Possible causes:
  • A backlog in the setup queue
  • Network issues
  • Configuration errors
Solution:
  1. Wait 5-10 minutes for queue processing.
  2. Check deployment status in Customers → Active Customers.
  3. Contact support if stuck for >30 minutes.

Deployment failed

Possible causes:
  • Invalid customer data
  • Missing required integrations
  • Agent configuration errors
  • Knowledge base processing failure
Solution:
  1. Review customer’s onboarding data for completeness.
  2. Check error message in deployment logs.
  3. Manually configure missing elements.
  4. Retry deployment from Customers → Active Customers.

Credits deducted but agent not deployed

Possible causes:
  • Deployment job failed mid-process
  • Credits consumed for partial setup
Solution:
  1. Check Customers → Active Customers for deployment status.
  2. Review credit history for transaction details.
  3. Manually complete deployment if needed.
  4. Contact support for credit refund if applicable.

Manual deployment fallback

If auto-deploy is disabled or fails, you can deploy manually:
  1. Go to Customers → Active Customers in the Partner Portal sidebar.
  2. Select the customer.
  3. Click Manage.
  4. Go to Deployment tab.
  5. Configure agent settings manually.
  6. Click Deploy Agent.
This gives you full control over the deployment process.

Best practices

Credit management

  • Maintain buffer – Keep 5-10x minimum credits for multiple deployments
  • Set up alerts – Configure low-credit notifications
  • Monitor consumption – Track credit usage per deployment
  • Automate top-ups – Use recurring payments for credit purchases

Deployment monitoring

  • Check daily – Review pending deployments each morning
  • Follow up quickly – Address Pending credits status within hours
  • Track success rate – Monitor deployment success vs failure ratio
  • Optimize onboarding – Reduce friction points causing deployment failures

Customer experience

  • Set expectations – Inform customers deployment may take 5-10 minutes
  • Provide generous free credits – Allow thorough testing before purchase
  • Send confirmation emails – Notify when deployment completes
  • Offer support – Be available for questions during initial setup

Auto-deploy vs manual deployment

FeatureAuto-DeployManual Deployment
SpeedInstant (5-10 min)Requires partner action
ScalabilityHandles unlimited customersLimited by partner availability
CustomizationUses templatesFull control
Credit requirementUpfront minimumsPer-deployment
Best forSaaS/self-serviceCustom/enterprise customers