Work with automations

Create an automation

To create a new automation from scratch in the visual builder:

  1. Navigate to the AI & Automations tab and select Automations.

  2. Click Create Automation.

  3. Enter a Name for your automation.

  4. Start with a Trigger node (for example, Entry published or Workflow step completed).
    (Optional) Add Constraints or Conditions to limit when the automation should run.

  5. Drag any node in the canvas to reorder it within the tree at any time.

  6. In the right-hand sidebar, you can edit the nodes: triggers, actions, loops and conditions. Changes to each node are saved automatically as you configure it.

  7. Dropdowns for selecting a step, workflow, or field use a two-stage flow: choose a category first, then drill into the specific value. Where a content type is already known (e.g. from a trigger constraint or a Get Single Entry node), the field picker only shows that content type's fields, with an extra drill-down step for locales on localized fields.

    Each node has a button to copy its step ID to the clipboard, for use in advanced configurations or integrations.

  8. Once you have created the full automation, click Save to implement.

Update an automation

To update the configuration of an existing automation: 

  1. Navigate to the AI & Automations tab and select Automations.

  2. Find the automation you want to change and click its name.

  3. In the visual builder, select the node you want to update (trigger, condition, or action).

  4. Fields available in the field picker are automatically filtered to the relevant content type where one is known, and misconfigured nodes are flagged with a red indicator until resolved.

  5. Your changes are saved automatically as you edit each node.

  6. After reordering, review any field configurations that reference other steps. Since the step order has changed, some references may no longer make sense and might need to be updated.

  7. Click Save automation to apply your changes.

Rename an automation 

To rename an automation:

  1. Navigate to the AI & Automations tab and select Automations.

  2. Open the automation from the table you want to rename, click the name to open. 

  3. Open the overflow menu (...) at the top right of the automation.

  4. Enter the new name.

  5. Click Save automation at the top right to apply the change.

Execute automation in workflow

To execute an automation in a workflow: 

  1. Log in to Contentful. 

  2. Open a Workflow, select Add AI Action (e.g., Translate field content).

  3. Assign the workflow to the relevant content type (e.g., Business info topic). 

  4. Open the Automated translation step and click Add automation / AI action.

    Optionally, under Advanced Settings, specify a target entry field so the AI output is validated against that field's rules before it's passed to the next step. This is a manual, opt-in setting.

  5. Save the AI Action to the Workflow, click Update next to AI Action to open the visual builder. 

Delete an automation

To remove an automation: 

  1. Navigate to the AI & Automations tab and select Automations.

  2. Locate the automation you want to remove in the list.

  3. Open the overflow menu (...) at the top right of the automation.

  4. Click Delete.