Before you build
Automations are plan-gated. Viewing requires Automation access; editing, publishing, reverting, and enrollment changes require the applicable management permission. External actions also depend on their own channel, provider, Contact, and resource permissions.
Build the draft
- Open Automations.
- Create an Automation and give it a clear operational name and folder.
- Add zero or one trigger. A draft can temporarily have no trigger, but an executable workflow needs exactly one registered trigger before publication.
- Add ordered actions. If/Else and Wait terminate the current path and expose named branches; put later work inside those branches rather than after the branching node.
- Configure every referenced Form, Facebook form, Pipeline/Status, tag, User/Team, template, phone number, webhook, or Automation.
- Review variables in the context supplied by the trigger and prior branch. Seeing a variable in the editor does not guarantee the runtime path provides it.
- Save and confirm the server-acknowledged draft revision.
Use the Automation node reference catalog for exact node behavior. Each task guide links directly to stable automation-node-* references instead of repeating parameter schemas.
Publish and activate
Publish validates and freezes the complete draft graph as an immutable publication. A validation failure leaves the previous publication authoritative.
Publication and activation are separate:
- saving a draft does not change the currently published runtime;
- publishing replaces the version used by future admissions;
- active plus a valid publication is required for new runtime work; and
- later draft edits do not deactivate or mutate the published version.
After publishing, verify the displayed publication/state before enabling future runs.
Monitor runtime
Use the Automation's separate views:
- History: publication and edit snapshots plus author/time/state;
- Enrollments: subjects admitted to a specific publication;
- Executions/Runtime: node-level progress and wait state; and
- Logs: user-visible results and failure evidence.
An external action can fail because of DND, endpoint suppression, a missing provider/channel, unresolved variables, network/provider response, or a missing Contact/Job/resource. Start with the earliest failed execution/log entry.
Change, revert, duplicate, disable
- Revert rebuilds a prior snapshot as a new draft change. It does not silently republish it.
- Duplicate copies the draft graph but starts the copy inactive and unpublished without runtime history.
- Disable is the operational kill switch for future admission. It also permanently cancels unresolved snapshot-bound waits and their waiting executions.
- Enable allows future runs against the current publication; it does not revive cancelled wait work or replay old triggers.
- Import creates safe inactive, unpublished drafts. Review and publish them explicitly. See Automation JSON import format.
Human-review boundary
Publishing or enabling a workflow can cause messages, calls, webhooks, record changes, or other external side effects after real triggers. A responsible operator should review recipients, consent, provider configuration, timing, branches, and rollback expectations before activation. This guide was verified without publishing/running a tenant Automation or sending a provider request.