> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.trypost.it/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Automations

> Build flows that fetch, generate, and publish content on autopilot

<Note>
  Automations are in **beta**. The building blocks below are stable, but expect new node types and refinements over time.
</Note>

Automations let you wire together a **flow** that runs on its own: a trigger starts it, action nodes fetch data and generate content, and output nodes publish posts or call webhooks. Think of it as a visual pipeline for content that would otherwise be manual.

A few things you can build:

* Turn a blog or news **RSS feed** into a daily AI-written post.
* React whenever you **publish a post** and notify an external service.
* Pull data from any **HTTP API** and generate a post from it on a schedule.

## How a flow works

Every automation is a graph of **nodes** connected by lines:

<Steps>
  <Step title="A trigger starts the flow">
    A schedule, or a post being published or scheduled. There is exactly one trigger per automation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Action nodes do the work">
    Fetch an RSS feed or HTTP endpoint, generate content with AI, branch on a condition, or wait.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Output nodes deliver the result">
    Publish the generated post, or send a webhook to another system.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Data flows **downstream**: each node can use the data produced by the nodes connected before it. See [Variables and expressions](/knowledge-base/automations/variables) for the full picture.

## The editor

Open an automation to land in the **Workflow** editor — a canvas where you drag nodes from the sidebar and connect them. Click any node to open its settings in that same panel.

The detail screen has four tabs:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Workflow" icon="diagram-project">
    The visual editor where you build and save the flow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Invocations" icon="list">
    A log of every real run, with per-node detail. See [Monitoring](/knowledge-base/automations/monitoring).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Metrics" icon="chart-line">
    Run health and output charts over a date range.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings" icon="gear">
    Rename, activate or pause, and delete the automation.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Build your first automation

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the automation">
    Go to **Automations** and click **New automation**. It opens in the Workflow editor with a schedule trigger already in place.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure the trigger">
    Click the trigger node and pick when it fires — a schedule, or a post event. See [Triggers and nodes](/knowledge-base/automations/triggers-and-nodes).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add action nodes">
    Drag nodes from the sidebar onto the canvas and connect them by dragging from one node's handle to the next.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reference data between nodes">
    In any text field, type `{{` to autocomplete the data available at that point in the flow.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test it">
    Click **Run test** to execute the flow end-to-end with synthesized data before going live.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and activate">
    Click **Save**, then open the **Settings** tab and flip the status switch to activate. The automation now runs on its own.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Statuses

An automation is always in one of three states:

| Status     | Meaning                                                       |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Draft**  | Being built. It never runs.                                   |
| **Active** | Live. The trigger fires and the flow runs.                    |
| **Paused** | Stopped. The trigger no longer fires until you reactivate it. |

<Tip>
  Activating and pausing live in the **Settings** tab. You can pause anytime without losing your flow.
</Tip>