Automations let you replace manual steps — the ones your team does after every submission, every new client, or every signed document — with rules that fire automatically.
The Automations page is accessible from the main sidebar. It has two tabs: Rules and Playbooks.
Plan note: Automations are available on Pro and above. Actions that connect to third-party systems (Clio, QuickBooks, Slack) require the corresponding integration to be connected and may require a Firm plan.
Rules
A Rule is a single trigger-to-action automation. When event X happens, do Y.
Available triggers
| Trigger | When it fires |
|---|---|
| Form sent | When you send a checklist invitation to a client |
| Form submitted | When a client submits a completed checklist |
| Form approved | When a team member approves a submission |
| Changes requested | When a team member sends a change request to a client |
| Form not submitted | When a checklist has been sent but not completed within a set time |
| Document signed | When a client completes a signature step |
| Payment received | When a Stripe payment step is completed |
| Payment failed | When a Stripe payment attempt fails |
| Project created | When a new project is created |
| Project status changed | When a project's status changes |
| Client added | When a new client record is created |
Available actions
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Send email | Sends a customizable email to the client, assignee, or a specified address |
| Send Slack notification | Posts a message to a connected Slack channel |
| Change form status | Updates the checklist instance to a specific status |
| Change project status | Updates an associated project status |
| Start playbook | Triggers a Playbook to begin running |
| Assign team member | Assigns or reassigns the instance to a team member |
| Create task | Creates an internal task linked to the instance |
| Add client tag | Adds a tag to the client record |
| Push to Clio | Creates or updates a Clio contact/matter (requires Clio integration) |
| Export to QuickBooks | Creates a record in QuickBooks (requires QuickBooks integration) |
Creating a Rule
- Go to Automations in the main sidebar
- Click New Rule
- Select the trigger event
- Optionally add conditions to narrow when the rule fires (e.g., only for a specific checklist, only for clients with a specific tag)
- Select the action and configure its settings
- Name the rule, save, and toggle it on
Rules can be paused without deleting them. Paused rules do not fire but remain in your list with their configuration intact.
Editing and managing Rules
From the Rules tab, each rule shows:
- Its current on/off status
- The trigger and action at a glance
- A health indicator based on recent runs (green = running cleanly, yellow = intermittent issues, red = consistently failing)
- An expand option to view the last several run records
Use the ⋯ menu on any rule to edit, duplicate, pause, or delete it.
Playbooks
A Playbook is a multi-step automation sequence. After a trigger fires, a series of actions execute over time with configurable delays between each step.
Common use cases:
- Client welcome sequence: Send a welcome email immediately when a form is sent, send a reminder after 48 hours if the form is not submitted, send a final nudge after 5 days
- Post-approval sequence: Notify the client when approved, assign the intake to the responsible team member, push the record to your practice management system 5 minutes later
- Payment follow-up: Send a payment receipt confirmation immediately, create a project in your project management tool 10 minutes later
Creating a Playbook
- Go to Automations in the main sidebar
- Click Playbooks tab, then New Playbook
- Select the trigger that starts the playbook
- Add steps in order. For each step, configure:
- The action to take
- The delay from the previous step (immediately, X minutes, X hours, X days)
- Name the playbook, save, and toggle it on
A playbook can be started manually on a specific instance, or automatically when its trigger event fires. To trigger a playbook manually, open the checklist instance, click ⋯ More, and select Start playbook.
Industry templates
The Automations page includes pre-built automation templates organized by industry (legal, accounting, consulting) and category (onboarding, follow-up, notifications). Browse these to get started quickly instead of building from scratch.
Tips for effective automation
Automate the most repetitive steps first. If your team does the same thing after every submission — like assigning it to a specific person or posting in a Slack channel — that is the first automation to build.
Keep rules specific, not broad. A rule that fires on every form submission across all your checklists can create noise. Use conditions to limit rules to the specific checklist or client type they apply to.
Test before enabling. Before enabling a rule that sends emails to clients, test it on a test client to confirm the email content and timing are correct.
Review run history after the first week. Automations that look correct in theory sometimes fire in unexpected cases in practice. Check the run history after real usage.
Continue with
- Connect your stack — connect Slack, Clio, and QuickBooks to use in automation actions
- Add your team — configure team members to be used as automation assignees
- Review and handoff — the manual review workflow that automations can complement