Automations

Automations run a trigger, apply scope and filters, then execute one or more actions. Use this page to look up the supported triggers, actions, statuses, permissions, and validation rules before you activate one.

What an automation includes

Every automation has:

one trigger
a journey or repository scope
optional trigger filters
1 to 3 actions

Custory automation builder in light mode

Supported capabilities

Area	Supported behavior	Notes
Trigger types	Time-based and event-based	Time-based triggers can run hourly, daily, or weekly.
Scope modes	Journey and repository	Journey mode targets one selected journey. Repository mode works across reusable building blocks.
Actions	8 action types	You can add between 1 and 3 actions to one automation.
AI assistance	Draft or edit automation content and structure	Save the automation first before using AI in the editor.
Manual test run	Run once	Available only for saved time-based automations.
Run tracking	Run history and per-action results	Run statuses are `queued`, `running`, `succeeded`, `failed`, or `skipped`.

Trigger types

Custory supports these trigger kinds.

Trigger kind	Type	Use it for	Required setup
`hourly`	Time	Repeated checks or summaries during the day	Hours interval and timezone
`daily`	Time	Daily review, updates, or reporting	Time and timezone
`weekly`	Time	Weekly pulses and recurring review loops	Weekday, time, and timezone
`item.created`	Event	Reacting to a new Custory item	Optional item filters
`item.updated`	Event	Reacting when an item changes	Optional item filters and changed-field filters
`item.status_changed`	Event	Follow-up when an item moves state	Optional item filters
`item.impact_threshold_crossed`	Event	Escalating high-impact work	Numeric threshold
`item.effort_threshold_crossed`	Event	Catching low- or high-effort items crossing a threshold	Numeric threshold
`item.priority_threshold_crossed`	Event	Routing newly important work	Priority threshold
`github.pr_opened`	Event	Reacting when work starts shipping	Active GitHub integration and at least one repository
`github.pr_merged`	Event	Refreshing journey context after shipping	Active GitHub integration and at least one repository

For weekly triggers, you must choose at least one weekday.

Scope and filters

Every automation runs in one of these scopes.

Scope	What it targets	Important behavior
Journey	One selected journey	A journey-scoped automation must have exactly one journey selected before activation.
Repository	Reusable building blocks across the workspace	Use this when the workflow should work across shared items instead of one map.

Common trigger filters include:

item group
status
impact greater than or equal to
effort less than or equal to
changed fields
journey
base branch

Action types

These are the supported actions.

Action	What it does	Requirements and limits
`update_journey`	Uses Custory AI instructions to update the scoped journey or repository content	Requires instructions. Only one `update_journey` action is allowed per automation. In journey scope, it requires exactly one scoped journey.
`create_github_issue`	Creates a GitHub issue	Requires an active GitHub integration and repository selection. In journey scope with `selected_step`, you must choose a step from the scoped journey. `trigger_step` only works on item-based automations.
`create_jira_issue`	Creates a Jira issue	Requires an active Jira integration, project, and issue type.
`create_linear_issue`	Creates a Linear issue	Requires an active Linear integration and team.
`send_slack_message`	Sends a Slack message	Requires an active Slack integration and channel.
`send_discord_message`	Sends a Discord message	Requires an active Discord integration and channel ID.
`get_analytics`	Pulls PostHog or Stripe analytics data for later actions	Window must be between 1 and 90 days. PostHog event-volume change requires at least one event name.
`get_github_prs`	Pulls GitHub PR context for later actions	Requires at least one repository. `last_n_days` lookback must be between 1 and 30 days. Limit can be 1 to 20 PRs.

For GitHub, Jira, Linear, Slack, and Discord actions, text can be static or AI-drafted. Static mode requires you to fill the matching title, description, summary, or message template fields.

AI assistance

Use AI when the output should reflect the actual journey context instead of a fixed template. AI can help with:

the trigger and action structure
issue and message wording
integration routing details
update_journey instructions

Save the automation first before using AI from the automation editor header. Custory needs a saved automation record before AI can edit it in place.

Status and control

Automations use these statuses.

Status	Meaning
`draft`	Saved, but not active yet
`active`	Ready to run from its trigger
`paused`	Temporarily off without being deleted
`invalid`	Required setup is missing or later became invalid

Custory validates automation setup before activation. Integrations used by the trigger or actions must exist, belong to the same workspace, and be active.

Run once and run history

Run once is available only for saved time-based automations. Event-based automations cannot be run manually. Each run is tracked with one of these statuses:

queued
running
succeeded
failed
skipped

skipped means the run was created but Custory did not execute the full workflow, for example because validation or billing checks failed at runtime.

Permissions and limits

Keep these constraints in mind before you activate an automation:

You need editor access to create, activate, pause, run once, or delete an automation.
Viewers can review automation run history.
Activating or manually running an automation requires writable workspace billing.
One automation can include 1 to 3 actions.
A journey-scoped automation must target exactly one journey before activation.

Read Automation templates when you want a faster starting point.
Read Integrations before configuring Slack, Discord, GitHub, Jira, Linear, PostHog, or Stripe actions.
Read GitHub integration for repository and PR trigger setup.

AI features

Journey automations

What an automation includes

Supported capabilities

Trigger types

Scope and filters

Action types

AI assistance

Status and control

Run once and run history

Permissions and limits

​What an automation includes

​Supported capabilities

​Trigger types

​Scope and filters

​Action types

​AI assistance

​Status and control

​Run once and run history

​Permissions and limits

​Related tasks

What an automation includes

Supported capabilities

Trigger types

Scope and filters

Action types

AI assistance

Status and control

Run once and run history

Permissions and limits

Related tasks