# Automations

Folder automations let you automatically trigger actions when recordings or bug reports are added to specific folders. Streamline your workflow by automatically notifying teams, creating tickets, and integrating with your existing tools—all without manual intervention.

***

### What Are Folder Automations?

Folder automations are rules that execute automatically when content is added to a folder. Think of them as "if-this-then-that" rules for your Screendesk workspace:

**The trigger:** A recording or capture lands in a specific folder **The action:** Screendesk automatically notifies your team, creates a ticket, or sends data to another system

This happens instantly, every time, without anyone lifting a finger.

<figure><img src="https://3820804400-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FfW6XSzJSKsNyZnOkSJPt%2Fuploads%2FPRsz0FwfR6DBXk9UATCd%2FCleanShot%202026-02-09%20at%2015.19.29%402x.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c45795d2-c1bb-487f-b1be-12a01024dd16" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

### How Automations Work

The automation flow is simple:

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Content arrives in folder

A recording or capture is added to a folder—either manually by a team member or automatically through triage rules.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Automations check and execute

Screendesk checks if any automations are configured for that folder. If found, they execute immediately in the background.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Actions complete

The automation sends notifications, creates tickets, or triggers webhooks. All activity is logged for review.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

***

### Available Automations

Screendesk supports seven types of automations, from simple email notifications to full issue tracker integrations:

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th>Automation</th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Email</strong><br>Send email notifications to team members when new content arrives</td><td><a href="automations/email">email</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Webhook</strong><br>Send data to any URL for custom integrations with your tools</td><td><a href="automations/webhook">webhook</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Slack</strong><br>Post rich messages to Slack channels with video previews</td><td><a href="automations/slack">slack</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Linear</strong><br>Automatically create issues in Linear with full recording context</td><td><a href="automations/linear">linear</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Jira</strong><br>Create Jira tickets from recordings with attachments and metadata</td><td><a href="automations/jira">jira</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>GitHub</strong><br>Create GitHub issues in your repositories with video evidence</td><td><a href="automations/github">github</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Trello</strong><br>Add cards to Trello boards with recording links and details</td><td><a href="automations/trello">trello</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Apply Label</strong><br>Automatically apply a label to every new recording in this folder</td><td><a href="automations/apply-label">apply-label</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

***

### Common Use Cases

Automations solve real workflow problems. Here are the most common scenarios:

#### Bug Triage Workflow

**Scenario:** Engineering team needs immediate visibility into customer-reported bugs

**Solution:**

```
Folder: "Bug Reports"
├── Apply Label automation → tag as "bug-report"
├── Slack automation → #engineering-bugs channel
├── Linear automation → Create issue with P2 priority
└── Email automation → engineering-leads@company.com
```

When a bug report lands in the folder, it's automatically labeled as `bug-report`, engineers get a Slack notification, a Linear issue is created automatically, and leadership receives an email summary.

***

#### VIP Customer Support

**Scenario:** Enterprise customers need white-glove support with immediate response

**Solution:**

```
Folder: "Enterprise Customers"
├── Slack automation → #enterprise-support channel (with @channel mention)
├── Email automation → account-managers@company.com, support-leads@company.com
└── Jira automation → Create ticket with "Enterprise" label and P0 priority
```

VIP customers get instant attention across multiple channels.

***

#### Feature Request Pipeline

**Scenario:** Product team wants to track customer feature requests without manual data entry

**Solution:**

```
Folder: "Feature Requests"
├── Apply Label automation → tag as "feature-request"
└── Linear automation → Product team project with "customer-request" label
```

Every feature request is automatically labeled as `feature-request` and becomes a trackable issue in your product backlog.

***

#### Critical Incident Response

**Scenario:** On-call team needs immediate alerts for system-impacting issues

**Solution:**

```
Folder: "Critical Incidents"
├── Webhook automation → PagerDuty alert
├── Slack automation → #incidents channel
└── Email automation → oncall@company.com
```

Critical issues trigger immediate alerts across all your incident response channels.

***

### Key Features

{% hint style="info" %}
**Multiple Automations Per Folder**

A single folder can have multiple automations. All enabled automations execute when content is added to the folder.
{% endhint %}

#### Template Variables

Customize messages and payloads using dynamic variables that pull data from recordings:

* `{{recording.title}}` — Recording title
* `{{recording.customer_email}}` — Customer email address
* `{{recording.url}}` — Direct link to the recording
* `{{folder.name}}` — Folder name
* And many more...

[View complete variable reference →](https://docs.screendesk.io/organization-and-workflows/automations/template-variables-reference)

#### Execution Logs

Every automation execution is logged with full details:

* Timestamp and status (success/failure)
* Request payload sent
* Response received
* Error messages if failed
* Retry attempts

Review logs to troubleshoot issues or verify delivery.

#### Test Before You Deploy

All automations include a test function:

* Send a test email before activating
* Trigger a test webhook to verify your endpoint
* Post a test message to Slack
* Create a test issue in your tracker

Test automations before they go live to ensure everything works correctly.

***

### Plan Requirements

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Pro and Enterprise Plans Only**

Folder automations are available on Pro and Enterprise plans. Starter plan users can view automation settings but cannot create or enable automations.

[View plan comparison →](https://www.screendesk.io/pricing)
{% endhint %}

***

### Getting Started

Ready to set up your first automation?

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Quick Start" %}
The fastest way to get started:

1. Open any folder in your workspace
2. Click the **Settings** (gear) icon
3. Navigate to the **Automations** tab
4. Click **Add Automation**
5. Choose **Email** for your first automation
6. Enter your email address
7. Click **Save** and **Send Test**

You'll receive a test email within seconds. Once verified, the automation is live.

[Detailed setup guide →](https://docs.screendesk.io/organization-and-workflows/automations/getting-started)
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Planning Your Setup" %}
Before creating automations, plan your folder structure:

1. **Identify key workflows** — Where do you need notifications?
2. **Map folders to teams** — Which folders need which alerts?
3. **Choose integration types** — Email, Slack, tickets, or webhooks?
4. **Define message templates** — What information needs to be included?
5. **Test thoroughly** — Verify each automation before activating

[Read the getting started guide →](https://docs.screendesk.io/organization-and-workflows/automations/getting-started)
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

***

### Next Steps

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th>Resource</th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Getting Started Guide</strong><br>Step-by-step setup instructions</td><td><a href="automations/getting-started">getting-started</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Template Variables</strong><br>Complete reference of available variables</td><td><a href="automations/template-variables-reference">template-variables-reference</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Slack automation</strong><br>Post notifications to Slack channels</td><td><a href="automations/slack">slack</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Webhook automation</strong><br>Send payloads to your own endpoint</td><td><a href="automations/webhook">webhook</a></td></tr></tbody></table>