# How to build an automation in Stacks — Stacks Features > Set up an automation in Stacks in minutes. Pick a trigger like a paid invoice or a new contact, add a condition, then choose an action — tag, task, assign an owner, or send an email. No code, free on every plan. Markdown version of https://stackscrm.com/features/build-an-automation — append `.md` to any page URL on this site (homepage: https://stackscrm.com/index.md). Index: https://stackscrm.com/llms.txt · Full site in one file: https://stackscrm.com/llms-full.txt --- #### Getting started - [Create your account](https://stackscrm.com/features/create-account-set-up-workspace) - [Invite your team](https://stackscrm.com/features/invite-team-set-roles) - [Your dashboard, explained](https://stackscrm.com/features/dashboard-tour) #### CRM - [Import your contacts](https://stackscrm.com/features/import-contacts) - [Add a contact](https://stackscrm.com/features/add-contact) - [Organize with tags](https://stackscrm.com/features/organize-contacts-with-tags) - [Manage your pipeline](https://stackscrm.com/features/manage-sales-pipeline) - [Add custom fields](https://stackscrm.com/features/add-custom-fields-to-contacts) - [Capture leads with a form](https://stackscrm.com/features/capture-leads-web-form) - [Export your contacts](https://stackscrm.com/features/export-contacts) #### Email marketing - [Send a campaign](https://stackscrm.com/features/send-email-campaign) - [Set up a drip sequence](https://stackscrm.com/features/email-drip-sequence) - [Grow your list](https://stackscrm.com/features/grow-email-list-opt-in-forms) #### Reviews - [Request a review](https://stackscrm.com/features/request-customer-reviews) - [Reply to reviews](https://stackscrm.com/features/reply-to-reviews-with-ai) - [Add the reviews widget](https://stackscrm.com/features/add-reviews-widget) #### Invoicing - [Create an invoice](https://stackscrm.com/features/create-and-send-invoice) - [Send an estimate](https://stackscrm.com/features/send-estimate-quote) - [Get paid online](https://stackscrm.com/features/payment-links) - [Recurring invoices](https://stackscrm.com/features/set-up-recurring-invoices) - [Expenses & profit](https://stackscrm.com/features/track-expenses-and-profit) - [Projects & billable time](https://stackscrm.com/features/bill-project-time) - [Ask AI about your numbers](https://stackscrm.com/features/ask-ai-financial-questions) #### Scheduling - [Set your availability](https://stackscrm.com/features/set-availability-take-bookings) - [Create an appointment type](https://stackscrm.com/features/create-appointment-type) - [Share your booking link](https://stackscrm.com/features/share-embed-booking-link) #### Support - [Manage support tickets](https://stackscrm.com/features/manage-support-tickets) #### Tasks & time - [Create & manage tasks](https://stackscrm.com/features/create-manage-tasks) - [Track & bill time](https://stackscrm.com/features/track-and-bill-time) #### AI & automation - [Turn on AI](https://stackscrm.com/features/turn-on-ai) - [Build an automation](https://stackscrm.com/features/build-an-automation) #### Connecting your tools - [Connect Stripe](https://stackscrm.com/features/connect-stripe-payments) - [Connect email provider](https://stackscrm.com/features/connect-email-provider) - [Connect Twilio (SMS)](https://stackscrm.com/features/connect-twilio-sms) - [Google Business Profile](https://stackscrm.com/features/connect-google-business-profile) - [Email deliverability](https://stackscrm.com/features/email-deliverability-spf-dkim-dmarc) #### Workspace and additional guides - [Review agent approvals](https://stackscrm.com/features/review-agent-approvals) - [Manage companies](https://stackscrm.com/features/manage-companies) - [Import from another CRM](https://stackscrm.com/features/import-crm-records) - [Manage email templates](https://stackscrm.com/features/manage-email-templates) - [Manage appointments](https://stackscrm.com/features/manage-appointments) - [Set up standing appointments](https://stackscrm.com/features/recurring-appointments) - [Review feedback reports](https://stackscrm.com/features/review-feedback-reports) - [Create review story images](https://stackscrm.com/features/manage-review-stories) - [Configure customer reviews](https://stackscrm.com/features/configure-reviews) - [Manage workspace settings](https://stackscrm.com/features/workspace-settings) - [Manage the product catalog](https://stackscrm.com/features/manage-products) - [Configure email alerts](https://stackscrm.com/features/configure-email-alerts) - [Use API keys and MCP](https://stackscrm.com/features/api-and-mcp-access) - [Read API activity](https://stackscrm.com/features/api-activity) - [Connect incoming lead webhooks](https://stackscrm.com/features/connect-lead-webhooks) - [Manage billing and AI credits](https://stackscrm.com/features/manage-billing-and-credits) - [Read workspace activity](https://stackscrm.com/features/workspace-activity) - [Request help from Stacks](https://stackscrm.com/features/request-platform-help) - [Triage platform requests](https://stackscrm.com/features/platform-request-triage) [Features](https://stackscrm.com/features) › [Automations](https://stackscrm.com/features#automations) › **Build an automation** # How to build an automation in Stacks Automations · about 4 min · updated Aug 2026 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. 💡 **Free on every plan.** Every trigger, action, and template is included — there's no automation cap and no AI Pro upgrade to unlock them. The only thing to set up first is your **email provider** (in Settings) if you want the Send email action to actually send. ## 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 Do automations run the instant the trigger happens? They run in the background, usually **within a minute** of the trigger — close to real-time, but not guaranteed to the same second. You can also add your own wait in minutes if you'd rather it pause first. Can one automation do several things at once? Each automation is a single action today. You can add **several automations on the same trigger** to do a few things, and use Email marketing's drip **sequences** for a multi-message series. Will an email automation start sending as soon as I install it? No. Templates that send email install **Paused** on purpose. Open it, check the subject and body, then set it to **Active** when you're happy. Who on my team can build automations? **Admins and managers.** Team members and view-only users can see your automations but can't create or edit them. Was this helpful? ## Related articles [Import your contacts →](https://stackscrm.com/features/import-contacts) [Route new leads automatically →](https://stackscrm.com/features/) [Send a payment reminder →](https://stackscrm.com/features/create-and-send-invoice) [Ask for a review after payment →](https://stackscrm.com/features/create-and-send-invoice) ### Let Stacks handle the busywork. Core business tools, unlimited users, free forever. [Start free →](https://stackscrm.com/register) [Explore more features →](https://stackscrm.com/features)