ClickUp is a robust task and project management tool, and you can make it even more powerful with workflow automations. With this feature, you don't need to endure boring and repetitive tasks—ClickUp will do the heavy lifting for you.

All you need to do is set up automated instructions to carry out what you need to do. This will eliminate errors, speed up your workflow, and save time to focus on the things that actually matter. And you know what's the best part? No coding experience is required!

So, let's dive deeper into ClickUp Automations and see how it can elevate your productivity game.

What Is ClickUp Automations?

The ClickUp Automations tool is a powerful set of features that let you automate repetitive tasks and streamline your workflow. Every automation created in ClickUp comprises three components: a trigger, a condition, and an action.

1. Trigger

The event that activates the automation. A trigger can be anything from creating a new task to arriving on a due date.

2. Condition (Optional)

Extra controls can be added to the trigger—and must be met—to activate the automation. For example, you may want to automate a task only if assigned to a particular team member or has a specific due date.

3. Action

This is what will happen when the trigger and conditions are met. This could be anything from sending an email notification to updating a task's status. You are allowed to set up as many actions as you would like.

How to Activate ClickUp Automations

Before you can set up any automation in your ClickUp workspace, you must enable Automations in ClickApps. You can access ClickApps from the main sidebar navigation or your workspace's top navigation.

Access ClickApps From the Sidebar

1. Click on your profile icon on the side navigation panel.

ClickUp's profile icon in main sidebar navigation

2. Select ClickApps from the pop-up menu.

Access ClickApps from side bar navigation

Access ClickApps From Your Work Area

1. Click on the drop-down arrow of the Customize button in the top right corner of your workspace.

ClickUp customize button

2. Select ClickApps from the drop-down list.

Access ClickApps from customize button

When the ClickApps page opens up, ensure Automation is enabled. Then click the BACK button to go back to the previous page.

Enable ClickUp's Automation ClickApp

How to Set Up a Basic ClickUp Automation

Before you set up a ClickUp automation, ensure you're inside the specific space, folder, or list where you want the automation to apply.

If you're new to ClickUp and want to understand the difference between workspaces, spaces, folders, and lists, this beginner's guide to ClickUp terminology will help you clear any doubts and confusion.

Select a space, folder, or list in ClickUp workspace

Now that you've enabled Automation, the Customize button in your work area changes to Automate, which you can click to open the automations page.

ClickUp Automate button

From the drop-down options, click Add Automation.

Click Add Automation from Automate button

Use Automation Templates to Create an Automation

Just like how you can add ClickUp's project templates to your workspace to quickly kickstart your project plans, you can also choose from a library of automation templates to set up your first automation. These templates have been grouped under Categories and Integrations in the left pane of the Automations page.

ClickUp's Automation templates

While the automations listed under Categories are basic and only affect changes internally, the ones under Integrations allow you to make direct changes related to external apps. Currently, ClickUp only supports direct automations with the following apps:

  • Bugsnag
  • Calendly
  • Email
  • GitHub
  • Hubspot
  • Twilio

So you can select any of the automation groups from the left panel, then choose a specific automation related to the group on the right, customize it to suit your needs, and save it.

Create Automations From Scratch

You can also choose to create custom automations from scratch. To get started, click the + Custom Animation button in the top right corner of the automation page.

Create new custom automation in ClickUp

Under the When section, you need to set up a trigger event (marked as "1" in the image below). Some of the trigger options available include:

  • Task created,
  • Assignee changes,
  • Status changes,
  • Priority changes,
  • Due Date changes,
  • Start Date changes, etc.
Setting up a custom automation in ClickUp

You can choose to specify any conditions (marked as "2" in the image above) that must be met—in this case, none—to kick off the action(s).

And under the Then section, add the actions (marked as "3") that should occur once the trigger event and conditions are met. Some of the actions you can choose from include:

  • Create a task,
  • Create a subtask,
  • Change priority,
  • Change assignees,
  • Add a comment,
  • Delete task, etc.

When done, click the Create button to save and activate the automation.

Click Create button to create a custom automation in ClickUp

You should note that ClickUp's Free and Unlimited plans do not allow you to add conditions and more than one action to your automation setup. You'll need to purchase the Business, Business Plus, or Enterprise plan to remove this restriction.

How to Manage Your ClickUp Automations

While setting up new automations take place under the Browse tab, managing your automations is done under the Manage tab.

When you're here, you can add a description to your automation (marked as "1") to explain its function or provide context to anyone else who might be viewing your workspace. You can also disable the automation (marked as "2") to pause it without deletion.

ClickUp Automation - Manage tab

When you hover over the automation, you can duplicate, edit, or delete it.

Duplicate edit or Delete automation

If you are working with long lists of automations, ClickUp makes it easy to locate any of them by providing multiple filter options.

First, you can filter by Active and Inactive automations. When you disable any active automation, it goes under the inactive section.

Active and Inactive Automations tabs

You can also filter the automations by the spaces, folders, or lists within which they were created.

Filter ClickUp automations by Spaces Folders and Lists

Finally, you can filter by the trigger, condition, or action of the automations and also by the person who last updated or made any changes to it.

Filter ClickUp automation by trigger condition action and last updated

How to Track Your Automation Usage

While you can create unlimited automations in ClickUp, the number of times they'll run is limited. So anytime an automated action is carried out in the background, it counts toward your usage, which can be tracked under the Usage tab.

ClickUp Automation - Usage tab

The Free plan is limited to running 100 automated actions every month. You can't purchase additional automations while on the free plan, so you must purchase a paid plan first. Here are the maximum number of automated actions allowed on each paid plan.

  • Unlimited: 1,000/month
  • Business: 10,000/month
  • Business Plus: 25, 000/month
  • Enterprise: 250,000/month

To help you stay on top of your usage, ClickUp sends usage alerts to workspace owners and admins via email when the workspace usage reaches 90% and 100%. If you hit your usage limit and wish to purchase additional automations, it costs $19.99 for an extra 1000 actions per month, $99.99 for an extra 10,000, and $299.99 for an extra 100,000 actions.

Work Smarter, Not Harder, With ClickUp Automations

ClickUp Automations is a simple yet powerful feature that will help eliminate repetitive tasks and boost overall productivity. By following the steps outlined in this beginner's guide, you'll be well on your way to mastering ClickUp Automations and transforming your work. And if you want to take this to the next level, ClickUp templates are a great way to do so.