> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.digifist.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Automations

> Event-driven WhatsApp flows that run automatically when a defined trigger occurs — no manual intervention required.

Automations are the core of Galantis's revenue engine. They listen for events in Shopify or the Galantis platform and respond automatically with targeted WhatsApp messages — recovering abandoned checkouts, welcoming new customers, confirming orders, and re-engaging lapsed buyers without any manual work.

Every automation is built with a visual, node-based flow editor. Flows are structured around a single trigger, optional branching conditions, action nodes that send WhatsApp templates, and delay nodes that control timing. Once active, an automation runs continuously against every customer who matches its trigger.

## How automations work

A flow executes one customer at a time, moving through nodes sequentially:

1. **Trigger** fires when a qualifying Shopify or platform event occurs for a customer
2. **Delay** pauses execution for a defined duration before the next step
3. **Condition** evaluates customer or order data and branches the flow YES or NO
4. **Action** sends an approved WhatsApp template to the customer

Each node execution is recorded in the activity log with a status of `PENDING`, `SCHEDULED`, `COMPLETED`, `FAILED`, or `SKIPPED` — giving a full audit trail per customer per run.

## Guides in this section

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Flow Builder" icon="diagram-project" href="./flow-builder">
    The visual node-based editor — canvas layout, node types, and flow structure.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Triggers" icon="bolt" href="./triggers">
    All nine available triggers and the Shopify or platform events that fire them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Actions" icon="paper-plane" href="./actions">
    Action nodes, Delay nodes, and how WhatsApp templates are dispatched.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Conditions" icon="code-branch" href="./conditions">
    All condition types, YES/NO branching logic, and AND/OR grouping.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Frequency Caps" icon="gauge" href="./frequency-caps">
    Preventing over-messaging with per-automation send limits.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Exclusion Rules" icon="ban" href="./exclusion-rules">
    Excluding specific lists or segments from an automation entirely.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Activity Tracking" icon="list-check" href="./activity-tracking">
    Per-customer node execution history and the full audit trail.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Recipes" icon="book-open" href="./recipes/index">
    Pre-built flow examples for the most common automation use cases.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Before building your first automation

Two prerequisites apply to every automation:

* At least one template with `APPROVED` status — automations can only send pre-approved WhatsApp templates. See [Templates](/whatsapp/templates/index).
* A clear understanding of the trigger event and the customer behavior it represents — see [Triggers](./triggers) before configuring your first flow.

If you are setting up automations for the first time, the [First Automation](/whatsapp/getting-started/first-automation) guide walks through a complete end-to-end setup.

## Compliance

Automations validate customer consent status before dispatching any message. Customers with `UNSUBSCRIBED` or `REDACTED` marketing state are skipped automatically, and the skip is recorded in the activity log. Frequency caps apply on top of consent filtering — a customer who is opted in but has already received a message within the cap window will also be skipped.

See [Opt-in & Consent](/whatsapp/compliance/opt-in-consent) and [Frequency Caps](./frequency-caps) for full details.