Automation gotchas

Automations are simple once you know these six things. Each one is a design choice, not a bug, and each has a workaround.

Every picker is a dropdown, not free text

The To stage, Form, Template, Tag, Set and To fields only accept values from their dropdowns. You cannot type a stage or a template name.

Why: a typed value that does not match exactly never fires. There is no error at save time and nothing on the lead, so the only trace is an internal note that reads "template not found". Dropdowns can only name things that exist.

What to do: if the thing you want is not in the list, create it first (the template under Templates, the tag on a lead, the form under Settings > Embed forms), then reopen the editor.

Tags live only on leads

Add tag and Has tag? work on leads. A client has no tags, so once a lead converts, an Add tag step does nothing and a Has tag? block always goes down the False path.

What to do: use tags in pre-booking chains (Lead created, Form submitted, Proposal sent). After Booked, branch on status, stage, or booking conditions instead. See Conditions and stop on reply.

Create task lands in your notifications

The Create task block says it plainly: "Drop a reminder in your notifications." It does not create a to-do on the lead. The Tasks tab on a lead is a placeholder ("Pre-booking checklist" is coming), so the reminder goes to the bell and to the Notifications page.

What to do: write the task text so it reads well as a notification, for example "Call Avery & Tyler about the timeline".

The "template not found" line

When a Send email step names a template that no longer exists (deleted, or renamed after the automation was built), the step is skipped and recorded internally as "template not found". No email goes out. The automation's card still updates Last ran, because the chain did start. There is no screen that shows this internal record, so the visible symptom is an email that never arrives.

What to do: open the automation and re-pick the Template from the dropdown. If you rename a template, check every automation that used the old name.

Mood variants collapse to one name

A template that exists as baseline, warm and professional is one entry in the Template dropdown, listed by name. When it runs, the automation sends your own template with that name if you have one; otherwise it sends the starter baseline version. The same collapsing happens in the composer, where you then pick a mood with the pills.

What to do: if an automation should send the warm wording, duplicate the warm version and pick its name. If you keep several moods of your own under one name, give the automation's version a name of its own so there is no doubt which one goes out.

No double send

Two things stop a couple getting the same email twice:

• Adding a preset you already have opens the existing copy instead of creating a second one.
• Each automation runs once per lead or client per trigger. Flipping an automation from Live to Draft and back does not re-run it for people who already went through.

What to do: if you want a second, different sequence for the same trigger, build it as a new automation with its own name and its own templates.

Also worth knowing

• Nothing sends from a Draft. Every automation you add starts as a draft.
• Going Live is not retroactive. People who hit the trigger before the flip are not picked up.
• Manual merge tags are not filled in. A template with {{amount}} or {{link}} sent by an automation has nobody to type the value. Keep manual tags out of automated templates. See Merge fields.
• Waits resume every 15 minutes. A step due at 9:07 goes on the next sweep.
• A Live automation with Send email needs a mailbox. The Automations page shows a banner and a Connect in Settings → link when none is connected.