Triggers & rules

A trigger is what an automation watches (Gmail, Drive, Time, or Case Data), and a rule binds that trigger to a destination, optional extraction, and file storage; create one in the Automations drawer.

Updated 3 min read

Gmail/Drive filters are AND-logic (every condition must match), and only one automation processes each item: when several automations' filters match the same message or file, one wins and the rest never run, and you can't choose which. Keep filters mutually exclusive (one label, folder, or sender pattern per automation) rather than relying on ordering. The trigger pairs with a destination and an optional extraction template to form the full rule. New to the building blocks? See core concepts.

The four trigger kinds

Gmail pulls messages from the connected user's Gmail. Filters: Subject contains (case-insensitive substring, e.g. invitation to bid), Sender contains (substring on the From address, e.g. @vendor.com), Gmail label (name as it appears in Gmail, e.g. Paperwork/Invoices), Read status (All / Unread only / Read only), and File types, an allowlist of MIME types. New automations default to application/pdf, image/png, image/jpeg; leave it empty to accept every attachment. Add arbitrary types (e.g. text/csv) via Custom… (they store without extraction). Gemini AI-extracts PDFs and images (PNG, JPEG, webp, heic, heif, gif); other types are stored only. Capture From Email pills (Sender, Subject, Body, Files) control what enters the pipeline: Sender, Subject, Files on by default; turn Body on only when an extraction template reads the email body. Use Gmail for inbound document email: vendor invoices, signed PDFs returning from clients, RFP responses, scanned images.

Drive watches a Drive folder for new files. Folder ID (paste from the folder URL, required), Folder name (display only, doesn't affect matching), File name contains (substring, e.g. INV-2026), and the same File types allowlist as Gmail. Use it for shared-folder drop workflows, or for routing files out of other Drive-based systems.

Time moves a case that has sat idle in a mailbox, no email or file needed. From mailbox is the source the idle clock watches; After N days idle is days with no activity (no new file, edit, note, or move) before it moves, and any activity resets the clock. The case moves to the destination mailbox; a Time automation has no category, extraction, or file storage, so the Extract Data node doesn't apply. Use it to auto-archive stale work (Inbox → Stale Bids after 30 days), advance terminal stages (Confirmations → Done after 14 days), or feed Trash (Inbox → Trash after 60 days, then the 30-day trash purge deletes it). Time triggers run on a daily schedule, not a push.

Case Data watches case-data keys like bid_due_date or application_sent_date. When a writer creates, changes, or removes a watched key, the automation queues its action. The first supported action is a Google Calendar reminder for the connected user (it shows in their own Google Calendar, not an in-app push). These triggers don't poll every case: setup maintains a small workspace watch index of listened-to keys, and writers check it before queueing, so unrelated field changes create no execution request.

Building the rule

1Click Automations at the bottom of the workspace sidebar (below the mailbox list) to open the drawer, then New Automation
2Fastest path: type plain English in the Describe this automation box (e.g. 'When I get a Gmail with subject Invoice, file it in Accounts Payable and extract the totals') and click Build with AI; the assistant finishes setup in chat asking only for what it needs, and you can fine-tune or rebuild manually afterward, or use 'or build manually'
3Name it, then in the Trigger node pick Gmail/Drive/Time and set filters
4Destination node: pick the Mailbox (matched existing cases move here, not only new ones); pick a Category only if not extracting; File storage (Firebase / Google Drive / Both) appears for Drive triggers or Gmail triggers with the Files pill on
5Optional Extract Data node: check Extract data with a template and pick one, and the template's linked workspace document source supplies the file category automatically
6Save: enabled by default, runs on the next match

Any workspace member can create an automation; edits, toggles, and deletes are restricted to the creator (owners can also delete automations whose powering user was removed). Gmail/Drive need a connected integration; Time needs none. Files already imported from the same source are skipped automatically, with no duplicate-handling setting to configure.

A new automation
NameVendor invoices via Gmail
TriggerGmail label Paperwork/Invoices
DestinationAP mailbox
ExtractAP Cover Sheet template
Case Data altbid_due_date changed, create Calendar reminder

Troubleshooting

  • How fast does it fire? Usually under a minute. Gmail and Drive push via Pub/Sub and the Drive Changes API webhook (no polling loop), just a short delay while the message or file is fetched. (Time runs on a daily schedule.)
  • Do filters combine AND or OR? AND: a Gmail trigger with both subject and sender filters fires only when both match.
  • Does a Time trigger ingest files? No. It only moves an idle case; any case activity resets the clock.
  • Do Case Data reminders send app push notifications? No: they create or update Google Calendar events, and Google owns the phone, desktop, or email reminder behavior.
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