Understanding the action builder and action flows




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Verified AI summary ◀▼
Action flows automate tasks by connecting different systems based on trigger events, enhancing workflow efficiency. You can create up to 25 flows with 50 steps each, using the action builder. Consider rate limits and action credits when planning. Custom actions and integrations with external systems are supported, allowing for versatile process automation. Explore related resources for detailed guidance on creating and managing action flows.




Action flows are user-defined automated sequences of steps
that perform actions in Zendesk and external systems based on a defined event that
initiates or triggers the workflow. Action flows can run in response to their
configured action flow trigger events or be initiated by agents using agent copilot auto
assist. The steps within an action flow can include Zendesk actions as well as actions
that occur in external systems.
The Action flows page in Admin Center includes a visual workflow builder, referred to as
the action builder, that is used to create and edit action flows. The action
builder is designed to make it easier to make multi-system workflows that integrate
Zendesk with external systems.
This article contains the following topics:
Considerations for using action flows
Accessing the Action flows page
Related resources




Considerations for using action flows

Consider the following before you start using action flows:
You can create a maximum of 25 action flows.
Each action flow can contain a maximum of 50 steps. The action flow trigger
is excluded from this count.
The number of action flows and custom actions you can execute per second is
rate limited. See Rate limits and bursts.
Zendesk actions don't count towards your Zendesk API rate limits, but
custom actions in action flows do.
When creating branches within an action flow, you can configure only one
condition per branch.
The branch step supports the evaluation of conditions only on text, number,
decimal, true/false, date, and date time variables as well as checking
arrays of tags.
You can connect to only one instance of each external system.
Most standard ticket, user, and organization fields are supported. All
custom ticket fields are also supported. However, the following limitations
apply:
Custom lookup relationship fields only support variables or manual
inputs, and you must use the ID of the related object record to
specify values.
If entering values manually for custom multi-select fields, you must
use the tag value rather than the name.
Numeric and decimal custom ticket fields are treated as text
outputs. This means only conditional operators for text can be used
to evaluate these fields.


The following limitations apply to custom actions for agent copilot auto
assist:
Auto assist action flow triggers and custom action steps can be
added to action flows, but will function only if you have purchased
the Zendesk Copilot
add-on.
Only custom actions that were created or updated after March 13,
2025 are available as steps for action flows.
Custom action steps don't support the use of files or
attachments.
Updates made to custom actions that are already used in action flows
aren't reflected in the action flow's step. To use the updated
version of a custom action in an existing action flow, you must
delete the custom action step and re-add it.


Each account includes an allowance of action credits based on their plan.
See Monitoring the usage of action credits
and action flow activity.




Rate limits and bursts

The following rate limits apply to action flows and custom actions:
Custom action flow triggers support up to 100 incoming API requests per
minute.
Action flows support bursts of up to 300 action flow executions, for
example 30 workflows per second for 10 seconds.
Action flows support 10 executions per second outside of bursts.
Custom actions support bursts of up to 280 action executions. This
applies to custom action executions by action flows and auto assist
cumulatively.
Custom actions support 6 executions per second outside of bursts.


The burst allowance for action flows and custom actions recharge whenever your
usage for any given second is below the per-second limits described above. The
spare execution count is added back to the burst allowance. For example, if you
run 2 action flows in a second, then 8 action flow executions are added back to
your burst allowance.
Additionally, you don't have to wait for the burst allowance to fully recharge
before using it again. As soon as any portion of the burst allowance is
replenished, that amount is immediately available for use.




Accessing the Action flows page

The Action flows page in Admin Center is used to create, edit, and delete your action
flows.

To access the Action flows page
In Admin Center, click
Apps and integrations in the sidebar, then select Actions > Action
flows.





Related resources

The following articles provide more information about creating, using, and managing
action flows:
Creating action flows to automate
processes across Zendesk and external systems
Editing and managing action
flows
Creating custom action flow
triggers
Using Confluence actions in action
flows
Using Google Sheet actions in action
flows
Using Jira actions in action
flows
Using Microsoft Calendar actions in
action flows
Using Microsoft Excel actions in action
flows
Using Microsoft Outlook actions in action
flows
Using Microsoft Teams actions in action
flows
Using OpenAI actions in action
flows
Using Salesforce actions in action
flows
Using Shopify actions in action
flows
Using Slack actions in action
flows
Using custom code steps in action
flows





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