Automations guide
Build workflows that connect apps, data and AI, then test, publish and switch them on.
Automations is the second product in Channelcraft, next to Bots. Switch to it with Bots / Automations at the top of the dashboard sidebar (on a phone, under More).
Build
- Choose New automation. Start blank or from a starter.
- Add a trigger: Run manually is the easiest for testing; schedules, webhooks and forms run on their own once active.
- Add steps with the + next to a node's output, the + on a connection, or press
N. Search by service or by what you want to do; app nodes list their actions. - Double-click a node to open it. Its input is on the left, settings in the middle, output on the right.
Items and expressions
Each step receives a list of items and passes items on. Any setting can switch from Fixed to Expression. Inside {{ }} you can read the current item with {{ $json.email }}, an earlier step with {{ $('Webhook').item.json.body }}, and workspace variables with {{ $vars.region }}. Drag a field from the input panel onto a setting to insert it. The result under the field updates as you type.
Test
Test workflow (or Ctrl+Enter) runs your draft and lights up each node with the number of items it produced. Execute step runs one node using the data before it. Pin output keeps a node's data so later test runs reuse it instead of calling the service again. Webhook and form triggers have Listen for test event, which shows a test URL and waits for one request.
Publish and activate
Your draft saves automatically. Publish creates a numbered version; the Active switch runs the published version on its own. Restore any earlier version into your draft from Versions.
Credentials, variables and executions
- Credentials hold API keys and connected accounts. They are encrypted, and secrets are never shown again: when you edit one, leave a secret blank to keep it.
- Variables are workspace-wide values you read with
$vars. - Executions lists every run. Open one to see the data each node received and produced, retry it, or delete it.
Shortcuts
Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+Shift+Z redo, Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V copy and paste nodes as JSON, Ctrl+D duplicate, Ctrl+A select all, F2 rename, D disable, Delete remove.