How to build an automation in Stacks

Automations are the "when this happens, do that" rules that run your busywork for you. In Stacks you build one by picking a trigger (like an invoice getting paid or a new contact arriving), optionally adding a condition, and choosing an action — add a tag, create a task, assign an owner, or send an email. No code, and it's free on every plan.

Before you start

• You need permission to manage automations — admins and managers can build them. Team members and view-only users can see automations, but the New, Edit and Install buttons only show for admins and managers.
• Automations run automatically in the background. A triggered action usually happens within a minute of the trigger, not necessarily the same second — and you can add a deliberate wait if you want one.
• Connect a workspace email provider before activating an email action. Check Recent activity for failed, skipped or pending runs; an active automation is not proof that an email was delivered.

Step by step

1. Open Automations. Click Automations (the ⚡ icon) in the left menu. You'll land on your list of automations, with a row of one-click templates across the top.
2. Start a new automation. Click + New Automation to build from scratch. In a hurry? Click Install on any template instead — it drops a ready-made automation onto the edit screen so you can tweak and save it.
3. Name it and choose the trigger. Give the automation a clear name (up to 150 characters), then pick the When — the event that kicks it off. Your choices are Invoice paid, Invoice overdue, Deal stage changed, Contact created, Tag added to contact, and Private feedback received.
4. Narrow it with a condition (optional). Under Only if… you can add a single rule so the automation runs only when it matters — a field, an operator (equals, not equals, greater than, less than, contains, is empty, is not empty), and a value. For example, on Private feedback received set sentiment not equals happy to catch only unhappy notes; on Invoice paid you might use total greater than 500. Leave it blank to run every time.
5. Choose the action. Under Then, pick what happens and fill in its details:
   • Add tag to contact / Remove tag from contact — type the tag name.
   • Create a task — set a title, how many days until it's due, and who to assign it to.
   • Assign owner (round-robin) — hand the contact to your least-busy team member, or pick a specific person.
   • Send email (template) — write a subject and body. Use {{first_name}}, {{last_name}} and {{business_name}} placeholders; they're filled in per contact when it sends.
6. Set a wait and save. Optionally set Wait before running (minutes) to delay the action, then click Save Automation. Automations you build from scratch turn Active right away.

Current behavior

Automations and Agents are separate modules. Activated CRM and scheduled workflows can send automatically. API-triggered workflows retain the initiating key’s restrictions and approval requirements; administrators review those requests under Agents → Approvals.

Good to know

• Templates get you started fast. Ready-made recipes cover the common jobs — route new leads round-robin, tag new leads, send a payment reminder when an invoice goes overdue, ask for a review after payment, follow up after payment, and triage unhappy feedback.
• Email templates install paused. Any template that sends an email installs Paused so nothing goes out before you've read it. Review the subject and body, then flip the status to Active.
• One trigger, one action. Each automation today is a single trigger followed by a single action. Want a customer to get a series of emails over days? That's what Email marketing's drip sequences are for.
• Every run is logged. The Recent activity list on the Automations page shows each run — which record it fired on, whether it finished, was skipped, or failed, and a short result note.
• Overdue reminders only send once. The Invoice overdue trigger enrolls each invoice a single time, so a customer won't get the same reminder over and over.
• Pause or delete anytime. Click an automation's status badge to toggle it Active or Paused, or use Delete to remove it — pausing stops it from running without losing your setup.

Frequently asked