Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for instantiating a dialog process at a particular child node state. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a request specifying a particular child node state of a dialog process, instantiating the dialog process at the root node state, providing input responses to the dialog process that cause the dialog process to traverse from the root node state to the particular child node state, where each input response is provided in response to an input request, and providing data that causes a user device to present the dialog process at the particular child node state.