Automation Getting Started
Put your routine work on autopilot! Taskade's automation feature helps you save time by automatically handling repetitive tasks.
What is Automation?
Think of automation like setting up dominoes – when the first one falls (something happens), it makes all the others fall in sequence (actions get triggered automatically).
Simple examples:
✅ When someone completes a task → notify the team in Slack
✅ When a form is submitted → create a new project and assign it to someone
✅ When a deadline approaches → send reminder emails
✅ When inventory is low → order more supplies automatically
How It Works: "If This, Then That"
Every automation follows this simple pattern:
🔥 Trigger (If this happens...)
Someone submits a form
A task gets completed
It's 9 AM every Monday
A new customer signs up
⚡ Action (Then do that...)
Send a Slack message
Create a new project
Send an email
Update a spreadsheet
Your First Automation in 5 Steps
Step 1: Go to Automations
Open your Taskade workspace
Click the Automations tab at the top
Click ➕ Add automation
Step 2: Choose What Triggers Your Automation
Pick from these popular triggers:
📝 Form Submitted - Great for lead capture, feedback collection ✅ Task Completed - Perfect for progress notifications 📅 Schedule - Use for daily/weekly reports, reminders 🔗 Webhook - Connect with other apps and services
Example: Let's choose "Task Completed"
Step 3: Set Your Trigger Conditions
Tell Taskade exactly when to trigger:
Which project should we watch?
Which specific tasks matter?
Should this apply to all tasks or just certain ones?
Example: "When any task in the 'Client Projects' folder is completed"
Step 4: Choose Your Actions
Pick what happens automatically:
📨 Send Notifications
Slack messages to your team
Email alerts to stakeholders
SMS updates via Twilio
📋 Create & Update
New tasks and projects
Spreadsheet entries
Calendar events
🤖 AI Actions
Ask your AI agent questions
Generate reports or summaries
Analyze and categorize data
Example: "Send a message to #general channel: 'Great work! [Task Name] has been completed by [Person Name]'"
Step 5: Test and Enable
Click Save changes
Toggle the automation ON
Test it by completing a task
Check if your Slack message appears!
Popular Automation Templates
📋 Daily Standup Reminder
Trigger: Every day at 9 AM Action: Post in Slack "Good morning team! Please share your daily updates in this thread 👇"
🎯 Lead Follow-Up
Trigger: New form submission Action: Create a task assigned to sales team + send welcome email
📊 Weekly Report
Trigger: Every Friday at 5 PM Action: Generate AI summary of completed tasks + email to manager
🚨 Urgent Task Alert
Trigger: Task marked as "High Priority" Action: Send Slack alert + create calendar reminder
Working with AI in Automations
Make your automations smarter with AI actions:
Ask Agent
What it does: Gets answers from your custom AI agents Example use: "Analyze this customer feedback and suggest next steps"
Generate with AI
What it does: Creates content automatically Example use: "Write a follow-up email for this lead"
Categorize with AI
What it does: Automatically sorts and tags information Example use: "Classify this support ticket as urgent, normal, or low priority"
Variables: Making Automations Personal
Use variables to include specific information in your actions:
@trigger.taskName → The name of the completed task @trigger.userName → Who completed the task @trigger.projectName → Which project it belongs to @trigger.dueDate → When it was due
Example message: "🎉 Great job @trigger.userName! You completed '@trigger.taskName' in the @trigger.projectName project."
Common Use Cases
Customer Support
Trigger: Support form submitted
Actions: Create task → Assign to support team → Send confirmation email
Event Management
Trigger: Event registration form
Actions: Add to attendee list → Send calendar invite → Update headcount
Project Management
Trigger: Project milestone reached
Actions: Notify stakeholders → Schedule review meeting → Generate progress report
Sales Pipeline
Trigger: New lead captured
Actions: Create CRM entry → Assign to sales rep → Send follow-up sequence
Troubleshooting Tips
Automation Not Triggering?
✅ Check if the automation is turned ON ✅ Verify your trigger conditions are correct ✅ Make sure you have the right permissions ✅ Test with a simple action first (like posting to Slack)
Actions Not Working?
✅ Confirm you're connected to external services (Slack, Gmail, etc.) ✅ Check if variables are spelled correctly ✅ Verify the receiving service is working (test manually) ✅ Look at the automation history for error details
Getting Too Many Notifications?
✅ Add more specific trigger conditions ✅ Use filters to limit when automations run ✅ Consider batching similar actions together
Next Steps
Ready to automate your workflow?
Start simple - Pick one repetitive task you do daily
Use a template - Browse our automation templates for inspiration
Test thoroughly - Make sure your automation works before relying on it
Build gradually - Add more automations as you get comfortable
Need more help?
Complete Integration Reference - All available triggers and actions
AI Automation Collection - Advanced tutorials
Community Forum - Get help from other users
💡 Remember: Good automation saves you time without creating complexity. Start with simple, reliable automations and build from there!
Last updated