Automations — coalface tasks docs

Set up templates and rules that move, assign, label and notify — so routine work happens without you.

Automations handle the repetitive parts of your process for you: when something happens to a task, Coalface can move it, assign it, label it or send a notification — no rule-builder degree required.

It comes in two parts: templates (reusable task blueprints) and rules (when-this-then-that automations).

Turn it on

Automations is off by default. Switch it on in Settings → General → Extensions, then manage it under Settings → Automations.

Templates

A template is a blueprint for a task you create often — a title, description, priority, subtasks, and default labels and assignee.

Save a task as a template from its panel to capture its current shape (including its subtasks, labels and assignee).
Create from a template when adding a task, and it’s filled in for you.

When a template is applied to a board, anything that fits is applied and anything that doesn’t (a label that doesn’t exist on that board, say) is quietly skipped — so templates are safe to reuse anywhere.

Rules

A rule is when this happens, do that. Each rule has a trigger and one or more actions.

Triggers

A task is moved to a particular column
A task is marked complete
A task is created on a board
A task is assigned to someone
A task becomes overdue
A task is untouched for a number of days
A WordPress site is connected

Actions

Create a task from a template
Set priority
Add a label
Assign a member
Move to a column — a specific column, or one matching a name (handy for org-wide “on complete → Done” rules across boards)
Move to a different board
Send a notification — in-app, email or Slack

An example

When a task is marked complete, move it to “Done” and notify the assignee. Set the trigger to marked complete, add a move to column action pointing at Done, and a send notification action. Save, and it runs on every board that has a Done column.

Good to know

Rules can chain — one rule’s action can trigger another — up to three steps deep, so you can’t create an accidental loop.
Time-based triggers (overdue, untouched) are checked once a day, in each member’s own timezone.
Turn Automations off and everything stops immediately — no rules run, nothing is hidden away half-on.

The short version: switch Automations on in Settings, save common tasks as templates, and write rules that move, assign, label and notify automatically when tasks change.