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WhatsApp Business Platform - WhatsApp sends fail due to '131009 ' Error

Publish Date: Jun 17, 2026
Description

You may see WhatsApp sends fail due to error code, 131009, with the Reason, Parameter value is not valid. Sending a flow in a draft state requires setting the mode to 'draft'.

Below are the possible reasons for these failures:

  • Flow is in Draft state
    • Meta requires that a Flow be fully Published in Meta Business Manager before it can be used in a production send. If the Flow is still in Draft, Meta rejects delivery with this error unless the payload explicitly includes "mode": "draft" (intended for development/testing only - Marketing Cloud Engagement does not set this automatically).
  • flow_token field is empty
    • The required flow_token parameter is missing from the Template or Session Message configured in Content Builder (Please note, this configuration may fall under the 'Custom Content - 1' field of your content).

Please note, WhatsApp Flows are currently only supported for Unified Messaging.

Resolution

To resolve these errors, first you will want to review the state of your WhatsApp Flow within Meta Business Manager by using the following steps:

  1. Log in to Meta Business Manager and navigate to WhatsApp → Flows.
  2. Locate the Flow referenced in your message.
  3. Publish the Flow. Once published, Meta will accept the message delivery without requiring any additional mode parameter.
  4. Re-run your test send after publishing to confirm delivery.

Next, navigate to your WhatsApp Template or Session Message within Content Builder, ensure the desired Flow is selected or populated (Please note, this configuration may fall under the 'Custom Content - 1' field of your content).

This field can be populated with one of the following:

  • Static value (simplest): Enter a fixed string such as unused or FLOW_TOKEN if you do not need to track individual Flow sessions per recipient. This satisfies the required field without any dynamic logic.
  • Unique per subscriber (recommended): Use an AMPscript expression to pass a unique value, e.g. %%=v(@SubscriberKey)=%% or a Data Extension field such as %%FlowToken%%. This allows you to identify which subscriber triggered which Flow session if the Flow uses Data Exchange mode.
  • Random unique ID: Use an AMPscript expression to generate a unique value per send if your Flow uses Data Exchange mode.

Leaving this field empty will cause send failures.

Additional Resources
  • Opt-in status is not required to send a WhatsApp Flows session message within the 24-hour customer-initiated window. Delivery failures related to error 131009 are caused by Flow configuration, not opt-in status.
  • The flow_token concept is documented in Meta's WhatsApp Flows developer documentation.
Knowledge Article Number

005387190

 
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Salesforce Help | Article