How to automate workflows in Airtable

Quick Answer: Airtable Automations are accessible from any base via the "Automations" button. Create a trigger (record matches conditions, form submitted, record enters view), add actions (send email, create record, update record, run script), and activate. Available on Team plan ($20/seat/month) and above with varying limits.

How to Automate Workflows in Airtable

Airtable Automations allow trigger-based actions within and between bases. As of April 2026, automations are available on all paid plans: Team ($20/seat/month, 25,000 runs/month), Business ($45/seat/month, 100,000 runs/month), and Enterprise Scale (500,000 runs/month).

Step 1: Open the Automation Panel

Open any base and click "Automations" in the top toolbar. Click "Create automation" and give it a descriptive name.

Step 2: Choose a Trigger

Available triggers:

When record matches conditions — A record meets specific field criteria
When record is created — New record added to a table
When record is updated — A field value changes
When record enters view — Record appears in a filtered view
When form is submitted — Airtable form submission
At a scheduled time — Daily, weekly, or custom schedule
When webhook received — External HTTP POST triggers the automation

Step 3: Add Actions

Create record — Add a record to any table in the base
Update record — Modify fields on the triggering record or related records
Send email — Send a formatted email to addresses from record fields
Send Slack message — Post to a Slack channel
Run script — Execute JavaScript for custom logic
Find records — Query records from another table for use in subsequent actions

Step 4: Use the Script Action for Advanced Logic

The "Run script" action executes JavaScript with access to the Airtable Scripting API. Use it for:

Complex conditional logic (if/else/switch)
Data transformation (parsing, formatting, calculations)
External API calls (fetch data from other services)
Batch operations across multiple records

Practical Example: Project Intake Pipeline

Trigger: When form is submitted (client request form)
Action 1: Create record in "Projects" table with form data
Action 2: Find records — Look up the Account Manager for this client
Action 3: Update record — Assign the Account Manager and set Status to "New"
Action 4: Send Slack message to #projects with project details
Action 5: Send email to the client confirming receipt with an estimated response time

Connecting to External Tools

For workflows that span multiple apps, connect Airtable to Zapier or Make:

Sync Airtable records to Google Sheets, Notion, or a CRM
Trigger Airtable automations from external events
Build multi-app workflows with Airtable as the central database

Usage Limits (April 2026)

Team: 25,000 automation runs/month
Business: 100,000 automation runs/month
Enterprise: 500,000 automation runs/month

Each action in a multi-step automation counts as one run.

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How to automate workflows in Airtable