Automations overview
Automations run a chain of actions for each contact, triggered by chat, lists, tags, or manual starts.
Last updated: May 2026
What is an automation
An automation is a visual workflow that runs a chain of actions for each contact. You pick a trigger (chat message, list join, tag, or manual start), then drop actions (send email, tag, webhook, notify inbox) and conditions that branch the flow. Grivo runs the graph for every contact who matches, tracks each run, and retries on failure.
Most teams start with a welcome series the day they launch a chatbot or import their first list. From there you can layer in branching, frequency caps, and webhooks without leaving the canvas.
Core concepts
Graph: nodes and edges
Every automation is a directed graph. Nodes are the boxes on the canvas (triggers, conditions, actions, flow steps). Edges are the arrows that connect them. Each edge can carry a label (for condition branches: yes or no). Cycles are not allowed: the canvas refuses to publish a graph that loops back on itself.
Run
A run is one execution of the graph for one contact. Runs have states: queued, running, waiting (paused inside a Wait node),completed, failed, or cancelled. You can inspect every run in the Runs tab and jump to the node that failed. See Runs and testing.
Enrollment
A contact is enrolled the moment a trigger fires for them. Grivo holds a per-contact lock so the same contact cannot start a second run inside the same workflow while one is already active. That keeps a noisy chatbot or duplicate list-join event from sending two welcome emails in a row.
Re-entry policy
After a run finishes, can the contact go through again? You decide per workflow: Once (never re-enroll the same contact) or Multiple with a cooldown in hours. See Re-entry and frequency.
When to use an automation
- Welcome series: chat captured a lead or someone joined your newsletter. Send 3 emails over a week.
- Hot-lead handoff: a visitor asked about pricing in chat. Tag them, ping your sales inbox.
- Win-back: contact has the
trial-expiredattribute. Send one offer, then exit. - CRM fan-out: every new signup fires a webhook to your internal tools (Slack, HubSpot, etc.).
- Segmented onboarding: branch on country or plan, send different first emails.
Pick a one-off campaign instead when the message is a single broadcast that does not depend on individual contact state. Automations shine when each contact needs their own timing or branching.
Plan limits
| Feature | Free | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active automations | 1 | 10 | Unlimited |
| Webhook action | No | Yes | Yes |
| Runs per month | 500 | 50,000 | Unlimited |
| Min wait duration | 1 minute | 1 minute | 1 minute |
FAQ
Are automations the same as drip campaigns?
A drip campaign is one shape an automation can take. Automations can also branch, tag, hit webhooks, or notify your team.
What can start an automation?
A matching chat message, a contact joining a list, a tag being added, or a manual start via the dashboard or API.
Do I need to write any code?
No. Everything is on a visual canvas. The only optional code-adjacent node is the webhook action.