Create and manage automations

Automation lets you make things happen whenever a certain condition is met. This article focuses on building custom automation.

Explore our automation overview for an introduction to Trello automation, with suggested automation based on your activity.

Open the automation builder

You can create and manage all of your automations from the automation builder.

To open the automation builder:

1. Open a board, then open the board menu (…)

2. Select Automation

Or, select the Automation (lightning) button at the top of any board.

Manage automations

You’ll find a few settings and options for each automation:

• Add automation tags (label): Apply tags to automations. Automation tags are used when creating automation libraries to organize and share your automations.

• Edit (pencil): Add actions and change the trigger for an automation, or update a button’s icon, title, and button options.

• Copy (papersheet): Make a copy of the automation to reuse or edit. Copied automations are automatically active, even if the original automation wasn’t.

• Remove (trash): Delete an automation

• View log (lightbulb): View an automation's log to see when it triggered, or if it had any errors.

• Add to another board: Enable the rule on another board. Does not apply to buttons, use Button options and setting to share a button to another board or with another Workspace member instead.

• Enable or disable the automation: Make the automation active or inactive on this board.

Create custom automation

You can find all the automations you have access to in the automation builder, grouped by type: Rule, Scheduled, Due Date, Card button, Board button.

Automations have two parts:

• Trigger: Something that happens on your board.

• Actions: Things that happen in response to the trigger.

Rules, scheduled, and due date automation are all triggered when a specific event happens. They will be triggered by other people’s actions in addition to yours.

Buttons are triggered when they are pressed. They’re not shared with other people by default.

Each automation can trigger up to 20 actions. If you need more than 20 actions, you can create a second automation with the same trigger, but different actions.

To create an automation:

1. From the automation builder, select the automation type you want, then Create automation or Create button.

2. Add a trigger by choosing a category then choosing a trigger. Your automation will run each time the trigger happens.

3. Add an action by selecting a category then choosing an action. Add more actions by selecting Add another action after adding the first.

4. Select Save to save and activate the automation

Rule automation

Rules let you make things happen whenever specific conditions are met. For example, when a card is moved into list "Done", archive the card.

Watch video about rule automation

Scheduled automations

Scheduled automations make things happen automatically on a set schedule. For example, every monday, move each card in list "Next week" to the top of list "To Do"

Use the Run now button when testing a scheduled automation, or if you want to trigger a scheduled automation outside its normal schedule.

Watch a video about scheduled automation

Due date automations

Due date automation makes things happen automatically based on a card’s due date. For example, 1 days before a card is due, move the card to the top of list "Due soon" and add the red "Urgent" label to the card

Watch a video about due date automation

Due Date Automations will trigger at midnight based on the timezone of your device unless they have a specific time set.

Set your account’s automation timezone

Card Buttons

Card button automations add a button to cards that perform a series of actions. For example, move a card to the "Next week" list, and add the "Deferred" label to the card

Watch a video about card buttons

Board Buttons

Board button automations add a button in the board header that automatically performs a series of actions when you press it. For example, move all the cards in list "In progress" to list "Needs approval"

Unlike card buttons, board buttons are designed to perform actions on multiple cards at once.

Watch a video about board buttons

Change a button’s icon

You can change the icon on a button when you create it, or later by editing the button and selecting the Icon.

Button options and settings

Button sharing examples

You want a button on one board that only you can use:

• Enabled by default: On

• Show on all Workspace visible boards: Off

• Anyone in Workspace can enable this button: Off

You want a button that you can turn on in any Workspace board:

• Enabled by default: Off

• Show on all Workspace visible boards: On

• Anyone in Workspace can enable this button: Off

You want a button that Workspace members can use and is visible on every Workspace board:

• Enabled by default: On

• Show on all Workspace visible boards: On

• Anyone in Workspace can enable this button: On

You want a button on a single board that Workspace members and Workspace guests can use:

• Enabled by default: On

• Show on all Workspace visible boards: Off

• Anyone in Workspace can enable this button: On

Advanced triggers

Advanced triggers let you add more conditions to your rules and due date triggers. You can add multiple conditions, and each must be true for the automation to trigger.

Turn on the Advanced switch when selecting a trigger to enable advanced rule triggers.

With the Advanced switch turned on, add more conditions by selecting the fitler icon (filter). When you’re done adding conditions, select the plus button (+) to save it as the automation’s trigger.

Here’s an example of a rule with two conditions: when a card in list "In progress" with custom field "Reviewed" checked is moved into list "Done", archive the card

This rule will only trigger if both conditions are met when the card is moved into the “Done” list.

Cascade actions

Most actions affect the card that triggered the automation. Cascade actions can be used to affect or reference other cards or checklist items instead.

Find details about cascade actions here