How to Build Automations in Airtable

Airtable provides a built-in automation engine that runs server-side workflows triggered by database events. As of April 2026, automations are available on Team ($20/seat/month) with 25,000 runs per month, Business ($45/seat/month) with 100,000 runs, and Enterprise Scale plans.

Step 1: Open the Automations Panel

Open any base and click the "Automations" button in the top toolbar (or navigate via the Extensions sidebar). Click "Create automation" and give it a descriptive name.

Step 2: Choose a Trigger

Select the event that initiates the automation:

When a record is created — Fires when a new record appears in a specified table
When a record is updated — Fires when specific fields change on an existing record
When a record enters a view — Fires when a record matches the filter criteria of a view (useful for status-based triggers)
When a record matches conditions — Fires when field values meet defined criteria
At a scheduled time — Runs on a daily, weekly, or custom cron schedule
When a button is clicked — Manual trigger from a button field in the table

Step 3: Configure Trigger Conditions

Narrow the trigger scope. For "When a record is updated," select which specific fields should trigger the automation. This prevents the automation from firing on irrelevant field changes. For view-based triggers, the view's filter criteria define the condition.

Step 4: Add Actions

Click "Add action" and select from available action types:

Update record — Change field values on the triggering record or a linked record
Create record — Insert a new record in any table within the base
Send email — Send a formatted email to specified recipients
Send Slack message — Post to a Slack channel (requires Slack integration)
Run a script — Execute custom JavaScript for complex logic
Find records — Query records matching criteria, then use results in subsequent steps

Actions can be chained. Data from the trigger and preceding actions can be referenced using dynamic field tokens.

Step 5: Test and Activate

Click "Test action" for each step to verify it works with sample data. When all steps pass, toggle the automation to "On." Monitor execution in the run history log, which shows success/failure status and field values for each run.

Practical Example: Inventory Alert System

Table: Product Inventory with fields for Product Name, Quantity, Reorder Threshold
Trigger: When a record matches conditions (Quantity is less than or equal to Reorder Threshold)
Action 1: Send email to [email protected] with product name and current quantity
Action 2: Update record — set "Reorder Status" field to "Pending"
Action 3: Create record in "Purchase Orders" table with product details

Run Limits (April 2026)

Free: 100 runs/month
Team ($20/seat/month): 25,000 runs/month
Business ($45/seat/month): 100,000 runs/month
Enterprise Scale: 500,000 runs/month

How to build automations in Airtable