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

# Building an Automation

> Create an automation on the visual builder, publish it, and turn it on.

## Overview

Automations are built on a visual canvas: a **Trigger** card at the top, connected to a vertical chain of step cards. You add steps with the **+** buttons on the canvas and configure whichever card is selected in the panel on the right. Edits autosave to a draft; nothing goes live until you click **Publish**.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/apten/dt2EoaEINXY39JcG/images/automations-builder.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=dt2EoaEINXY39JcG&q=85&s=dc6fcab05f71fb11d8510322eb5b1cc6" alt="Automation builder" width="1403" height="957" data-path="images/automations-builder.png" />

## Step 1: Create the Automation

1. Go to **Automations** in the sidebar
2. Click **Create Automation**
3. Give it a name — the title field at the top of the page. A name is required to publish.

New automations start as a **Draft**: they exist only for you and never run until published and turned on.

## Step 2: Configure the Trigger

Select the **Trigger** card and choose your **Trigger source** (CRM), **Object**, and **Trigger type** in the right-hand panel. See [Triggers](/automations/triggers) for the full breakdown of trigger types and conditions.

## Step 3: Add Steps

Click the **+** button below the last card (or on a connector between cards, to insert a step in the middle). The **Add step** dialog offers three groups:

* **Apten Actions** — act on leads in Apten: Find Lead, Create Lead, Turn Off Lead, Send Message, Switch Profile, Add Context, Register DNC. See [Actions](/automations/actions).
* **CRM Actions** — look up a record in a connected CRM (for example **Find Salesforce Record**) and expose its fields to later steps.
* **Control** — **Filter** (stop the run unless conditions match) and **Branch** (split into multiple paths). See [Control Steps](/automations/control-steps).

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/apten/dt2EoaEINXY39JcG/images/automations-add-step.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=dt2EoaEINXY39JcG&q=85&s=ddf40b5cc4e5e438ce5d453cbdb9f889" alt="Add step dialog" width="532" height="856" data-path="images/automations-add-step.png" />

Steps run in order, top to bottom, and each step starts only after the previous one succeeds. To remove a step, hover over its card and click the trash icon.

<Note>
  An automation can have up to **10 top-level steps**, up to **10 steps inside each branch**, and up to **30 steps in total**.
</Note>

## Step 4: Reference Data From the Trigger and Earlier Steps

Most step fields accept dynamic references. Type **/** in a field to open a picker of available values:

* **Trigger fields** — data from the CRM record that fired the automation, inserted as `{{trigger.FieldName}}`
* **Step outputs** — results from earlier steps, inserted as `{{steps.<stepId>.output.FieldName}}`

For example, a **Find Lead** step outputs the lead's Apten ID; a **Send Message** step placed after it can use that output as its **Apten lead ID**. This *find, then act* pattern is the backbone of most automations — see [Actions](/automations/actions).

Every step has a **Step ID** shown in its configuration panel — click it to copy, then paste it into a reference by hand if you prefer.

## Step 5: Publish

Click **Publish**. Apten validates the whole automation first — if anything is missing or invalid, a banner lists each issue and the offending cards are outlined in red. Fix the issues and publish again.

While editing a published automation:

* Your changes autosave to a draft; the live version keeps running unchanged, and an **Unpublished changes** pill appears next to the status badge.
* **Publish** replaces the live version with your draft.
* **Discard draft** throws away your edits and keeps the live version as-is.

<Note>
  Runs that are already in progress always finish on the version of the automation they started with. Publishing, turning off, or deleting an automation never affects in-flight runs.
</Note>

## Step 6: Turn It On

Published automations have an **On/Off** toggle at the top of the page. Turn the toggle **On** to start watching your CRM.

Some triggers show an **Activating…** status for a short time while Apten prepares — see [Triggers](/automations/triggers#turning-an-automation-on) for what happens during activation.

## Deleting and Restoring

Deleting an automation stops it immediately and moves it to the **Recently deleted** tab, where it can be restored for **30 days**. Restoring recreates the automation as a draft for you to review and publish — it never comes back turned on automatically.

Run history for a deleted automation is preserved for **90 days** on the [Runs](/automations/runs) page.