# Fixing INVALID_ROUTING_MODEL: Following screens are not connected with the rest of the screens via navigate screen action in WhatsApp Flow JSON
Author: Prashant Jangid
Author URL: https://www.heltar.com/blogs/author/prashant-jangid
Published: 2025-04-08
Category: Troubleshoot
Category URL: https://www.heltar.com/blogs/category/troubleshoot
Tags: WhatsApp Flows Error
Tag URLs: WhatsApp Flows Error (https://www.heltar.com/blogs/tag/whatsapp-flows-error)
URL: https://www.heltar.com/blogs/fixing-invalidroutingmodel-following-screens-are-not-connected-with-the-rest-of-the-screens-via-navigate-screen-action-in-whatsapp-flow-json-cm98kgn22001q9eyzkgiim6w6

When designing data-channel-less WhatsApp Flows (where navigation between screens is handled directly via on-click-action in the UI), you may encounter this error:

**INVALID\_ROUTING\_MODEL**

**Following screens are not connected with the rest of the screens via navigate screen action: (screenIDs). All screens should be connected.**

This error points to a broken navigation graph, meaning one or more screens are logically unreachable from the main flow through navigate actions.

## Root Cause

In a data-less flow (no routing\_model block), WhatsApp internally builds a screen routing graph by analyzing:

```
"on-click-action": {
  "name": "navigate",
  "next": {
    "name": "SCREEN_ID",
    "type": "screen"
  }
}
```

If a screen exists in the screens array, but there’s no valid navigate path leading to it, it’s considered disconnected — and WhatsApp throws this error.

## Problem Example

```
{
  "screens": [
    {
      "id": "FIRST_SCREEN",
      "layout": {
        "children": [
          {
            "type": "Footer",
            "on-click-action": {
              "name": "navigate",
              "next": {
                "name": "SECOND_SCREEN",
                "type": "screen"
              }
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "SECOND_SCREEN",
      ...
    },
    {
      "id": "THIRD_SCREEN",
      ...
    }
  ]
}
```

### Issue:

- FIRST\_SCREEN navigates to SECOND\_SCREEN.

- THIRD\_SCREEN exists, but no screen navigates to it.

- No navigate action leads to THIRD\_SCREEN.


So WhatsApp throws:

INVALID\_ROUTING\_MODEL

Following screens are not connected with the rest of the screens via navigate screen action: THIRD\_SCREEN

## Fixed Example

Add a navigation path to the missing screen:

```
{
  "screens": [
    {
      "id": "FIRST_SCREEN",
      "layout": {
        "children": [
          {
            "type": "Footer",
            "on-click-action": {
              "name": "navigate",
              "next": {
                "name": "SECOND_SCREEN",
                "type": "screen"
              }
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "SECOND_SCREEN",
      "layout": {
        "children": [
          {
            "type": "Button",
            "on-click-action": {
              "name": "navigate",
              "next": {
                "name": "THIRD_SCREEN",
                "type": "screen"
              }
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "THIRD_SCREEN",
      ...
    }
  ]
}
```

Now:

- FIRST\_SCREEN → SECOND\_SCREEN → THIRD\_SCREEN forms a fully connected path.

- No disconnected screens.

- Flow deploys without error.


In flows without a routing\_model, WhatsApp builds the screen graph by parsing all on-click-action: navigate blocks. Every screen must be reachable via this graph — otherwise it is marked as disconnected.

For more troubleshooting insights related to WhatsApp Business API, check out [heltar.com/blogs](http://heltar.com/blogs).


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