When building automations in Aptly, choosing the right trigger type is critical to ensuring your workflows behave as expected. The two most commonly used triggers—On Stage Change and Custom Condition—serve different purposes, and understanding how they function will help you avoid missed actions or broken workflows.
On Stage Change Automations
An On Stage Change automation triggers when a card enters a specific stage—but only once for the lifetime of that card in that stage.
How it works
When a card moves into a stage with an On Stage Change automation:
- The automation fires immediately upon entry
- It will not fire again, even if the card leaves and later re-enters that same stage
Example
Let’s say you have a “New” stage with an automation that:
- Creates a task
- Assigns the card to a team member
That automation will run the first time the card enters “New.”
If the card later moves to a “Nurturing” stage and then returns to “New,” the automation will not trigger again.
This is expected behavior—and a common source of confusion.
Custom Condition Automations
A Custom Condition automation triggers whenever defined conditions are met—even if it happens multiple times for the same card.
How it works
Instead of relying on a one-time stage entry, Custom Condition automations:
- Continuously evaluate the card against your defined criteria
- Trigger every time those conditions are satisfied
This makes them ideal for workflows that repeat or cycle.
When to Use Each Trigger
Use On Stage Change when:
- The action should only happen once per card
- You’re setting up initial steps (e.g., task creation, first assignment)
- The stage represents a one-time milestone
Use Custom Condition when:
- The process is cyclical or recurring
- You need the automation to run multiple times on the same card
- The logic depends on more than just stage movement
Real-World Example: Accounts Receivable Workflow
Accounts receivable is a great example of a cyclical process, where Custom Conditions are essential.
Typical flow:
- A card is created when a balance occurs
- The card enters a “New” or “Open Balance” stage
- Once paid, it moves to a “Balance Zero” stage
- The card is archived
- If a new balance occurs, the card is unarchived and returned to “New”
This allows you to maintain a full history of recurring balances on a single card.
Why Custom Condition Matters Here
If you used On Stage Change automations in this workflow, they would only fire once—breaking the cycle.
Instead, you should configure automations using Custom Conditions.
Example automation:
Trigger:
- Stage = “Balance Zero”
- Balance < 0.01
Action:
- Archive the card
✅ This will run every time the card reaches a zero balance—month after month.
Then, when a new balance is detected:
- The card is unarchived
- Moved back to “New”
- The process begins again
🔍 Troubleshooting Tip
If something isn’t working as expected—especially if an automation only fired once—check the trigger type.
👉 Ask yourself:
- Is this automation set to On Stage Change?
- Should this process happen more than once?
If the answer is yes, it likely needs to be a Custom Condition automation instead.
🔧 How to Convert an Automation
You don’t need to start from scratch.
To switch from On Stage Change to Custom Condition:
- Duplicate the existing automation
- Update the trigger to Custom Condition
- Define the appropriate conditions (e.g., stage + field criteria)
- Save the new automation
- Delete the original On Stage Change version
Key Takeaway
If your workflow needs to repeat, your automation trigger should too.
- On Stage Change = one-time execution per card per stage
- Custom Condition = repeatable, condition-based execution
Choosing the right trigger ensures your automations run reliably—no matter how many times your process cycles.