Todoist Automations is where you can connect your favorite apps and build workflows that handle repetitive tasks for you. Build an automation through a step-by-step chat session either from scratch in plain language, or through a ready-made idea you can customize right away. Whichever the approach, you have the tools to set up powerful automations, no coding knowledge required.
Connect your apps
Automations need to connect to the apps used to accomplish a specific task. This might be a Todoist-only automation, Todoist with a third-party app, or a combination of different apps.
Each app offers one or both of these connection types:
- Connection for actions: lets the automation perform tasks in that app, like creating a task or sending a message.
- Connection for updates: lets the automation monitor changes, like a new email or calendar event.
Some apps support only one connection type, while others support both. Click the specific app page to see which connection type is available to use for your automation.
To get started, link your app accounts using the Automation chat, or connect them in advance through the Connections page in the sidebar. To set up an app connection right away:
- Select Connections in the sidebar.
- Find and click the app you want to set up as a connection.
- Click Connect beside the connection type you need for the automation.
Create an automation from the guided creation experience
If you're stuck, and you don't know what automation to create first, let Automations help you decide through the guided creation experience:
- Click New automation in the sidebar. You'll see two creation options in the menu.
- Select Help me create one. A four-item questionnaire will appear.
- Select the role closest to your work, or describe it in the text field.
- Click Continue.
- Select the apps you use for work. Todoist is pre-selected from the list, or click See more to view or use other connections.
- Click Continue.
- Select a task idea displayed on the page, or enter a phrase in the text field that describes the task you want to spend less time on.
- Click Continue.
- Choose how or when the automation will run. You can customize this further in the Automation chat.
- Click Review automation. You'll see a description of the automation in the next page.
- Click the Finish automation in chat button to open the Automation chat to continue building it. It won't create an automation until you decide to build it.
Once you've finished, your automation will appear in the All Automations page.
Create an automation from scratch
If you already have the apps and a specific workflow in mind, create your automation directly in the Automation chat:
- Click New automation in the sidebar. You'll see two creation options in the menu.
- Select Start from scratch. The Automation chat window will appear on the screen.
- Type your request or describe the workflow in plain language directly into the chat bar (for example: “Every morning, reschedule my overdue tasks to today").
- Manage any connection requests that appear as the automation is put together. For example, you’ll be asked to authorize an external service the automation needs to work with.
- Review the Automation preview. If something looks off, describe the adjustment in the chat bar.
Once everything’s built, the Automation chat will describe what it does and goes live automatically.
Create an automation from an idea
If you’d rather start from a ready-made workflow, ideas cover popular use cases that you can adjust to fit your needs:
- Select Ideas in the sidebar.
- Browse ideas by app, like Todoist, Gmail, or GitHub. You can also use the search bar to find a specific idea.
- Click an idea to see a preview of what it does, when it runs, and which apps it works with.
Depending on the idea, you’ll see one of two buttons:
- Install now: Creates the automation and turns it on immediately. Click All Automations in the sidebar afterwards, and open the automation to customize it.
- Set up in chat: opens the Automation chat window with the idea loaded as a draft. It checks what’s already connected, prompts you to connect anything missing, and finishes building the automation with you.
Install now appears on ideas that are set up to install in one click. Every other idea opens in the Automation chat instead, so you can connect any missing apps and adjust the automation before it goes live.
Manage your automations
Once your automations are live, you’ll find them any time in the All Automations page in the sidebar. Use the All, Enabled, and Disabled filters to narrow the list down.
From there, you can turn an automation on or off, run it on demand, change what it does, duplicate it, fix a broken connection, review its run history, or delete it. See Manage an existing automation for the full rundown.
Get in touch
Ready to put your time back where it belongs? Use this guide to build your first automation with confidence, whether it’s a small repeating task or a multi-step workflow connecting half your stack. Open Todoist Automations to give it a try.
If you have any trouble setting up your first automation, get in touch with us.