In short: Paste an image link into any FAQ or Text answer in your Data Sources. When Manifest uses that answer, your shoppers see the picture inside the chat reply. Nothing to switch on: it works as soon as an answer has an image link.
Why use images in answers?
Some questions are hard to answer in words. A picture explains them in seconds, so shoppers get their answer without waiting for your team. Good places to use images:
Setup and troubleshooting: "How do I reset my machine?" with a step-by-step image
Account steps: "How do I pause my subscription?" with a screenshot of the steps
Policies: shipping zones or return steps
Product guidance: size charts, part diagrams, which accessory fits
Store location: a map or a photo of your store
How to enable it
There is no setting to turn on. The feature is available on every Manifest account. To start, add an image link to an answer.
Add an image to an FAQ
In your Manifest dashboard, go to Skills → Manage all data sources.
Open the FAQ tab. Click Add data source → FAQ, or click the pencil icon on an existing FAQ.
Enter the Question, for example "Where is your store located?"
In Answer, write your text reply first, for example "We are in HSR Layout, Bengaluru."
Paste the image link on its own line in the same Answer box.
Check that the link turns into the picture inside the box. If it stays as text, see Troubleshooting below.
Optional: add an Intent to help Manifest match the FAQ.
Click Save. You'll see "Training your assistant on the FAQ added".
Add an image to a Text source
Go to Manage all data sources → Texts tab → Add data source → Text.
Fill in the Title and Text.
Paste the image link where the picture should appear.
Click Save changes (or Save & Exit when editing) and wait for "Updating content" to finish.
Test it
Click Open testing playground at the top right of Data sources, or open the chat on your website.
Ask the question the way a shopper would.
You should see the text reply, followed by the image in the same chat bubble.
What your shoppers see
Manifest replies with the text answer, then shows the image inside the same chat bubble.
If an answer has several images, they appear in the order you added them.
Manifest only shows images you added to your answers. It never creates or searches for images on its own.
If an image link stops working, the image is hidden and the text answer still shows in full.
Image link rules
Rule | What it means |
Direct image link | The link should open the image itself, not a page that contains it |
Public | Anyone can open it without logging in, and it doesn't expire |
Counts toward the character limit | The link is part of the answer text (FAQ answers allow 1,500 characters) |
Hosted outside Manifest | Upload the image to Shopify Files, your website or your image host, then copy its link |
Getting a link from Shopify: In Shopify admin, go to Content → Files, upload the image and click Copy link.
Links that usually don't work: Google Drive or Dropbox share links, and links copied from image search results.
Troubleshooting
Problem | What to do |
The link stays as text in the Answer box | Open the link in a private browser window. If you don't see only the image, upload it somewhere public (such as Shopify Files) and use that link |
The image shows in the editor but not in chat | Wait for training to finish, then test the exact question in the testing playground. Adding an Intent can help Manifest pick the right FAQ |
Text shows but the image doesn't | The image link may have expired. Replace it with a permanent link |
Images appear in the wrong order | Keep a visual answer in one FAQ, with the images in the order you want |
What it can't do yet
No image upload in Manifest. Host your images elsewhere and paste the link.
FAQ and Text answers only. Images come from answers you write, not from your product catalogue or website.
FAQ
Do I need to switch anything on?
No. Add an image link to an answer and save.
Can Manifest pick images from my store by itself?
No. It only shows images you add to your FAQ or Text answers.
How many images can one answer have?
You can add more than one, as long as the answer stays within its character limit. Two or three images keep replies easy to read.
Do I need to retrain after adding an image to an existing FAQ?
No. Saving the FAQ updates your assistant.
Still stuck? Ask in Ask Manifest or contact Manifest support.