Use Test Mode to check an automation’s conditions and actions before setting it Live. Start with a clear expected result, a dedicated test card, and test message destinations you control.
Before You Test
- Use a card with sample data, not a resident’s or customer’s working card.
- Review every action, including recipients, CC addresses, attachments, SMS fallback, webhooks, and updates to linked or mirror fields.
- Test actions can create tasks or change data on the test card. Do not assume Test Mode blocks every external effect or change to linked records.
- Keep the automation in Draft while preparing it. Test Mode and Live are separate Status choices.
Test emails use Test Mode Email, and test SMS messages use Test Phone Number. Check these settings before running a test and confirm where the message actually arrives.
Step 1: Set Up Test Destinations and Cards
- Open the board that owns the automation.
- Click the Automations sparkle/wand icon in the board’s upper-right toolbar.
- Return to the top-level Automations window and click Test Mode Settings.
- Review the following settings:
- Test Mode Email: an email address you control for test messages.
- Test Phone Number: a number you control for SMS tests.
- Test Cards: dedicated cards on this board with sample information.
- Click Save only when you intend to update the board’s testing setup.
Test destinations do not replace the need to review the action’s normal recipients. Check both, especially when the rule has CC recipients, additional delivery rules, or SMS fallback.
Step 2: Set the Automation to Test Mode
The editor example shows Status: Draft. Change this field to Test Mode when the automation is ready to test.
- Find the automation in the board’s Automations window.
- Open its three-dot menu → Edit.
- Review the trigger, conditions, every action, When, and Only fire if office is open.
- Set Status to Test Mode and click Save.
- Use the Test tab to find automations saved in Test Mode.
The editor’s statuses are Draft, Test Mode, and Live. The list tabs are All, Live, Drafts, and Test.
Step 3: Run and Review the Test
Open one of the cards selected under Test Cards and use its Test Automations button. Before running a test, confirm the selected card and the automation you intend to evaluate.
Click the rule’s Test button to run the test. Then review the results and check the actual output using the checklist below.
Check the result rather than relying on a successful status alone:
- Conditions: did the intended card qualify? Also check a sample that should not qualify before going live.
- Create Task: confirm the expected task appears on the test card.
- Send Email: check the message received at Test Mode Email, including merge fields and attachments.
- Send Text/SMS: check the message received at Test Phone Number.
- Other actions: inspect the intended fields, stages, documents, or linked records.
For the Create Task: Review new lead example in Creating an Automation, confirm that the test creates the intended Review new lead task. Check for earlier test output before repeating a test so you do not mistake duplicates for the desired result.
If the result is unexpected, return to Edit, correct the setup, save with Status: Test Mode, and review the next test result. A manual test is one check; also review how the trigger and timing will behave in the live workflow.
Step 4: Record a Successful Check
After reviewing the results, click Verified to record that you checked them and they look correct. This is a human acknowledgment—not automatic validation or activation.
Recheck the automation after changing its trigger, conditions, actions, recipients, or timing. An earlier successful test does not validate later edits.
Step 5: Go Live
- Open the automation’s three-dot menu → Edit.
- Recheck the normal recipients and the trigger, conditions, actions, and timing.
- Set Status: Live and click Save.
- Check the first live result and open three-dot menu → Logs for the automation’s available history.
Where a row shows Publish, treat it as an activation control, not a routine save button. Live actions still follow their trigger, conditions, timing, and queue; “Live” does not mean an instant result.
Return an Automation to Draft
If you need to stop using the rule while you investigate or revise it, open three-dot menu → Edit, set Status: Draft, and click Save. Confirm the saved status before continuing.
Changing the status does not undo tasks, messages, or other changes already produced. Review existing results before testing or activating the rule again.
Final Checklist
- The intended card qualifies, and unrelated cards are excluded.
- Each action produces the expected result.
- Test messages arrive at the configured test destinations.
- Normal recipients, templates, attachments, and timing are correct for going live.
- Related automations will not produce unwanted duplicates or loops.
For more on finding rules and reviewing logs, see Managing Automations.