# Add actions and steps

> Add and configure actions, connect nodes in execution order, and use control-flow and utility steps in the automation builder.

URL: https://www.agencytitan.com/help/automations/add-actions-and-steps/

Actions do the work after a trigger starts a run. Connect nodes to define the execution path; their visual position alone does not set order.

## Who this is for

Agency team members who edit automation drafts. Requires **View Automations** and **Edit Automations**.

## Before you begin

- Open the draft from **Settings**, then **Automations** ([/settings/automations](https://app.agencytitan.com/settings/automations)).
- Create a draft with at least one trigger. See [Create an automation](/help/automations/create-an-automation/).
- Confirm any required inbox, integration, user, department, task definition, form, or other target already exists.
- Decide what should happen first, what can branch, and whether a step needs to wait.

## Find an action

Expand a category under **ACTIONS**, or use **Search nodes...**.

| Category | Action examples shown in the builder |
| --- | --- |
| **AI & Content** | Generate Text, Generate Image, Process Image, Generate Video, Transcribe Audio, Use MCP Tool, and content research actions |
| **Clients** | Create, update, delete, or find clients; create, update, or find client notes |
| **Programs** | Add, activate, pause, resume, suspend, complete, cancel, or find a client program |
| **Communication** | Send Email, Send SMS, Send Notification, Send Training Reminder, Show Certification Warning |
| **Custom Objects** | Create, update, delete, or find custom object records |
| **Forms** | Update Create Entity Form, Approve Submission, Reject Submission, Set Submission Status |
| **Integrations** | HTTP Request plus actions from the integrations available to your agency |
| **Tasks** | Create, update, merge, delete, find, or change a task stage; create a public stage link |
| **Tickets** | Create, update, assign, move, merge, link, unlink, delete, or find tickets; add messages and internal notes |
| **Escalations** | Create or update an escalation, or add a comment |
| **Users** | Create, update, delete, or find users; apply an agency signature or assign training |
| **UI Actions** | Open Peek / Modal, Redirect User, Show UI Alert, Award Badge |
| **Control Flow** | Condition, Wait, For Each Loop, Break, Continue, run another automation, and Return |
| **Utilities** | Formatter and Run Code |

Some actions appear only when their required context or integration is available.

## Configure an action

1. Drag an action from the palette onto the canvas.
2. Complete the configuration panel.
3. Resolve every item under **Configuration Errors**.
4. Select **Save**.

Fields vary by action. **Send Notification**, for example, requires a subject, message, recipients, and at least one delivery channel. It also supports user, department, or dynamic recipients and a priority.

![Send Notification action configuration with a custom label, subject, message, selected team member, and in-app delivery enabled](/docs/screenshots/automations-v1/action-configuration.png)

Shortcode controls marked with **{}** can insert values from the trigger or earlier steps. Only use data that is available on the path leading into the action.

## Connect and order steps

1. Drag from a source handle on the trigger to a target handle on the first action.
2. Continue connecting each action in the order it should run.
3. Use **Condition** to create branches.
4. Use **Wait** when the next step should pause.
5. Use **For Each Loop** when an earlier step returns a collection that must be handled one item at a time.
6. Move nodes to make the graph readable, but use the arrows rather than canvas position to verify execution order.
7. Select **Save Draft**.

![Published active automation builder with Task changes stage connected by an arrow to Notify task reviewers](/docs/screenshots/automations-v1/connected-steps.png)

:::caution[Actions can have real side effects]
Email, SMS, record changes, deletions, external requests, and manual tests can affect real data. Use a dev workspace, sandbox destination, or test record when validating them.
:::

## Expected result

- Each configured node appears on the canvas with a descriptive label.
- Arrows form a complete path from the trigger through the intended actions.
- The issue counter shows no unresolved configuration or graph errors.
- Reloading the builder keeps the saved nodes and connections.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Action is unavailable | Required context or integration is missing | Confirm the automation context and connected integration, then search again |
| **Save** stays disabled | The action has configuration errors | Complete every required field listed in the panel |
| Node exists but never runs | It is not on a connected path from the trigger | Connect the incoming and outgoing handles |
| Steps run in an unexpected order | Canvas position differs from the arrow path | Follow the connections and reconnect the nodes in the intended order |
| Shortcode is empty during a run | Its value is not available from the trigger or earlier path | Choose a value exposed in **Data** or add a find step before the action |
| Draft changes disappeared | They were not saved before leaving | Configure the node again and select **Save Draft** before navigating away |

## Related articles

- [Automations overview](https://www.agencytitan.com/help/automations/overview/): Understand where automations live, how triggers and connected steps work, and how draft, published, active, and inactive states differ.
- [Create an automation](https://www.agencytitan.com/help/automations/create-an-automation/): Create an automation draft, choose from the triggers available in the builder, and add field or related-record conditions.
- [Publish and manage automations](https://www.agencytitan.com/help/automations/publish-and-manage/): Publish and activate an automation, edit a live version safely, restore an older version as a draft, duplicate, organize, or delete.
- [Common automation recipes](https://www.agencytitan.com/help/automations/common-recipes/): Build a task-stage notification and a weekday scheduled reminder with the triggers and actions available in AgencyTitan.
- [Troubleshoot automations](https://www.agencytitan.com/help/automations/troubleshoot-automations/): Diagnose validation issues, missing runs, inactive automations, and failed steps using the builder and Activity execution details.