Automation

Automation runs "when this happens, do that" rules for you. A flow starts with a trigger — a task gets assigned, an approval request comes in, a new employee is added, or a set time arrives — then optionally checks conditions, and finally runs actions: send a chat notification or create a task. Nobody has to remember to do it.

Where to find it

Menu: Automation · Address: hub.siteconnect.ai/automationWho can use it: everyone can open the page and look at the flows. Creating, changing, pausing and deleting flows needs the Automation permission — admins have it by default. Unless you have full access, you can only change flows you created. Built-in system flows can only be changed by admins. See Roles and permissions.

The flows your workspace already has

Some of the notifications you get in Chat are themselves automation flows. A new workspace comes with built-in flows (marked System) that send a chat message when:

• an approval step is waiting for you, and when your request is approved or rejected;
• a task is assigned to you, or you're added as a follower of a task;
• someone comments on something you're involved in, or mentions you in a comment.

You can open these flows and adjust the wording or recipients. They can't be deleted. If you pause one, that notification stops for everyone — so think twice before pausing a system flow.

The flow list

The list shows ID, Flow name, Status, Trigger, Created by, Run (how many times it ran), OK (succeeded), Error (failed) and Last time. Use the search box to find a flow by name, and the views at the top to filter by status or trigger type.

Each row has two quick buttons: activate/pause, and delete. Click a row to open the flow.

Keep an eye on the Error column

A flow whose Error count keeps rising is failing quietly. Open it and check Run logs to see why.

Create a flow

1. Click Create new flow. The Automation library opens.
2. Choose how to start:
   • Blank page (under Quick start) — build the flow yourself from scratch.
   • A ready-made template — click one, and if it asks for a room and bot, pick them, then click Use this template. Templates shown with a lock aren't available in your workspace.
3. The flow builder opens. It has four numbered tabs: Information, Flow, Run logs and Settings.
4. On Information, enter a Flow name (required) and a Description. Click the icon to change its symbol and color, and add tags if you like. Name it so a colleague knows what it does without opening it — for example "Tell the site lead when a task is overdue".
5. On Flow, set the trigger and add your steps (see below).
6. Click Save.

Flows created from the library start paused, so nothing fires until you've checked them.

Build the flow

The Flow tab shows the steps top to bottom: the trigger, then your steps, then End.

• Click a step to open its settings on the right.
• Click + (Add step) between two steps to insert an Action or a Condition.
• Every step has a Display name (optional) field — a short label shown on the step card.

1. Choose the trigger

Click the trigger at the top, pick an app, then pick the exact event.

App	Fires when…
Tasks	a task is created · a task is assigned · someone is added as a task follower · a task's status changes · someone comments on a task · a task is almost due · a task is overdue · a comment is added to any item · someone is @mentioned in a comment
Approvals	a new approval request is sent · a step is waiting for an approver · a request is approved · a request is rejected · a request is transferred to someone else · a request is returned
HR	a new employee is created
Scheduled	a time you set comes around. Type a Cron expression or click one of the Frequently used templates: — Daily at 9 AM, Weekdays at 9 AM, Mondays at 8 AM, Every 5 minutes, Every 15 minutes, Every hour.
Webhook	another system sends a request to the flow. Save the flow, then refresh the page: the trigger now shows the Webhook URL (auto-generated) and the auth token. Give both to the other system. The token is a secret — anyone who has it can start the flow.
Manual	only when you click Test run. Handy while you're building.

Other apps in the list

The trigger picker may also show apps for parts of the product that Site Connect doesn't use. Their events never happen in your workspace, so a flow built on them never runs — stick to the apps in the table above.

2. Add conditions (optional)

Add a Condition step when a flow should only act in some cases.

1. Click + and choose Condition.
2. Click + Add condition branch. In each branch, compare a value from the trigger (for example its status or priority) using rules such as contains, starts with, is set or is empty. Combine rules with AND / OR.
3. For each branch, choose which step the flow goes to next (→ Go to:).
4. Set the Default branch — where the flow goes when no branch matches.

The first branch that matches wins.

3. Add actions

Click +, choose Action, then pick what it does.

Notification › Send notification via Chat — posts a message in chat. Recipients get it in the hub and as a push notification on the mobile app.

1. Send from bot — pick a built-in bot (for example Approval, Task or HR) or one of your own bots.
2. Destination — DM the recipient (a direct message to each person) or Post to room (one message in a group chat). For Post to room, pick one of the groups you're in. With a built-in bot, Site Connect adds the bot to that group for you (this can fail if you aren't an admin of the group — then add the bot yourself). Your own bots can only post to rooms, and only to groups they've already been added to.
3. Recipient (for direct messages) — choose how to find the people:
   • From the trigger — the people involved in the event, such as the task's assignees or the person who sent the request.
   • User — specific people you pick.
   • Role — everyone with a role.
   • Team — everyone in a team.
4. Either pick a Notification template (optional) from Notification templates, or write a Title and Content. To insert data from the trigger, use {{trigger_data.field}}.

If you pick one of your own bots and see ⚠ The bot has no automation token activated, click Activate (regenerate token). This replaces the bot's token, so update any outside software that uses it.

Tasks › Create task — creates a task automatically: one task for each person it finds, with that person as the assignee. The task isn't linked to a project.

• Task recipient — who gets a task (same choices as above).
• Task title and Description — you can use {{trigger_data.field}} here too.
• Priority and Deadline (days) — the due date is that many days after the flow runs.

Actions that don't run in Site Connect yet

The action list also shows Send email, Send to Mattermost, HTTP request and Wait N seconds. These aren't available in Site Connect yet: a flow that reaches one of them stops with an error, which you'll see in Run logs. Stick to Send notification via Chat and Create task.

Test it and turn it on

1. Click Save.
2. Click Test run to run the flow once right now. A message tells you the result. A test run has no real event behind it, so recipients chosen From the trigger get nothing — pick yourself under User while testing.
3. Open Run logs and click the run to see each step and any error.
4. When you're happy, click Activate and confirm. The status changes to Active and the flow starts reacting to its trigger.

To pause a flow, click Suspended in the builder header (or the pause button in the list) and confirm. It stops immediately and keeps its history. Activate turns it back on.

Roll out carefully

Start narrow — a condition for one team, or a single recipient — and watch Run logs for a day before widening it. For a Scheduled flow, check the time of its first run in Run logs to confirm it fires when you expect.

Find out why a flow didn't work

1. Open the flow and go to Run logs. Run history lists recent runs with their status and time.
2. No runs at all — the trigger never matched. Check that the flow is Active, that the trigger is the right event, and that your conditions aren't excluding everything.
3. A run with an error — click it. The timeline shows which step failed and why (for example an action that isn't available).
4. The run succeeded but nobody got anything — the action found no one to send to, so it was skipped. Check its Recipient (or Task recipient) setting.

Delete a flow

Open the flow, go to Settings, and under Danger zone click Delete flow. This deletes the flow and all its run history and can't be undone. System flows can't be deleted — pause them instead. The Settings tab also shows the flow's run counts, version and dates.

Good to know

• Saving a flow doesn't change its status. An active flow uses your changes from the moment you save.
• Messages sent by a flow come from the bot you chose, not from you.
• Flows created by someone else open as View only unless you have full Automation access.

Related

• Team chat
• Bots
• Notification templates
• Tasks
• Approvals
• Roles and permissions