Creating action flows to automate processes across Zendesk and external systems

<body>
<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">Anaction flowis a user-defined automated workflow. Each action flow consists of an action flow trigger, which initiates the flow, and one or more actions. Action flows can run in response to their configured trigger or be initiated by agents using agent copilot auto assist.</p>
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<p id="docs-ai-summary-toggle">Summary: <span id="up-triangle">◀</span><span id="down-triangle">▼</span></p>
<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">You can create action flows to automate workflows triggered by ticket, user, Slack, or custom events. These flows include Zendesk and external system actions, branches, custom code, and outputs for copilot. Inputs can be static or dynamic, supporting various data types including dates. Action flows help streamline processes across systems, improve task management, and integrate external tools like Jira, Slack, and Salesforce.</p>
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<div class="note tip">
<span class="tiptitle">Tip:</span> Usage of action flows is measured through <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10149993578522" target="_blank">action credits</a>. Each account includes an allowance of action
credits based on their plan. </div>
<p class="p">An <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8855513857306" target="_blank">action flow</a> is a user-defined automated workflow. Each
action flow consists of an action flow trigger, which initiates the flow, and one or
more actions. Action flows can run in response to their configured trigger or be
initiated by agents using agent copilot auto assist. </p>
<p class="p">For example, you might define an action flow that is triggered when a ticket's form
changes from the standard Support form to the custom <em class="ph i">Incident</em> ticket form. When
this happens, the action flow changes the ticket's priority to urgent, creates a Jira
issue, adds a link to the Jira issue to the ticket, and sends the relevant team a Slack
message notifying them of the urgent Jira issue.</p>
<p class="p">This article describes how to create an action flow.</p>
<div class="p">This article contains the following topics:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ewp_lhg_t2c__ul_gbl_z3g_t2c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_ybr_z3g_t2c">Anatomy of an action flow</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_fpt_1jg_t2c">Creating an action flow</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_evq_mrw_bfc">Adding actions and steps to action flows</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_cbc_q2g_y2c">Providing inputs for actions and steps</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="p">Related articles:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ewp_lhg_t2c__ul_p4x_bjg_t2c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052269929626" target="_blank">Understanding external actions for action
flows</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052312956570" target="_blank">Editing and managing action flows</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_ybr_z3g_t2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Anatomy of an action flow</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">At its core, an action flow is a series of <em class="ph i">actions</em>. The following types of
actions are available:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ybr_z3g_t2c__ul_sxs_v43_t2c">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Action flow trigger</strong>: The condition under which the action flow is
initiated. Admins can apply conditions to the ticket and user event triggers
to further constrain when they fire.<div class="p">The following types of action flow
triggers are available:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ybr_z3g_t2c__ul_jkg_ljr_hgc">
<li class="li">Ticket events</li>
<li class="li">User events</li>
<li class="li">Custom object events</li>
<li class="li">Slack events (EAP)</li>
<li class="li">Run on demand (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5524125586330" target="_blank">Copilot add-on</a> and
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10783053154202" target="_blank">AI agents</a> only)</li>
<li class="li">Custom action flow triggers</li>
<li class="li">Schedule </li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">See <a class="xref" href="#topic_zg5_sx3_t2c">Adding an action flow trigger</a>.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Zendesk actions</strong>: Steps related to Zendesk objects, including tickets,
users, organizations, and assets.<div class="p">Depending on the features turned on in
your account, the following actions are available:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ybr_z3g_t2c__ul_kcd_bvf_b3c">
<li class="li">List tickets</li>
<li class="li">Show tickets</li>
<li class="li">List ticket comments</li>
<li class="li">Add ticket comment</li>
<li class="li">Create ticket</li>
<li class="li">Edit ticket</li>
<li class="li">Get ticket fields</li>
<li class="li">Set ticket assignment</li>
<li class="li">Set ticket form</li>
<li class="li">Bulk edit tickets</li>
<li class="li">Download ticket attachment</li>
<li class="li">Filter tickets</li>
<li class="li">Add tags to ticket</li>
<li class="li">Remove tags from ticket</li>
<li class="li">Look up user</li>
<li class="li">Look up organization</li>
<li class="li">Send approval request</li>
<li class="li">Add task list</li>
<li class="li">Create user</li>
<li class="li">Update user</li>
<li class="li">Create or update user</li>
<li class="li">Hand off to custom agent (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10724212443802" target="_blank">Agent builder EAP</a>
only)</li>
<li class="li">Batch import asset (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9817293579674" target="_blank">ITAM</a> only)</li>
<li class="li">Create asset (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9817293579674" target="_blank">ITAM</a> only)</li>
<li class="li">Update asset (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9817293579674" target="_blank">ITAM</a> only)</li>
<li class="li">Create or update asset (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9817293579674" target="_blank">ITAM</a> only)</li>
<li class="li">Create custom object record</li>
<li class="li">Look up custom object record</li>
<li class="li">Update custom object record</li>
<li class="li">Create or update custom object record</li>
<li class="li">Delete custom object record</li>
</ul>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">External actions</strong>: Steps related to external systems you've connected
to. The actions available vary by system. See <a class="xref" href="#topic_zcj_z5r_1hc">Adding external actions</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Flow control and utility steps</strong>: Steps structure of your action flow
and extend it with custom logic. The following flow control and utility
steps are available:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ybr_z3g_t2c__ul_gzt_3wr_tfc">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_iyl_fnk_t2c">Branch</a>: Splits
your action flow into two paths based on a user-defined condition. </li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_bbl_cmf_b3c">Repeat while
conditions are met</a>: (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9817293579674" target="_blank">ITAM</a> only) A step that
repeats actions within the repeat block while specified conditions
are met.</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_e3h_2mf_b3c">Repeat for
each</a>: (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9817293579674" target="_blank">ITAM</a> only) A looping step
that repeats actions within the repeat block for each item in a
list.</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_vnb_gt1_chc">Custom code</a>:
User-defined modern JavaScript code that can be incorporated into an
action flow to implement custom logic and data transformations. See
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9853782610970" target="_blank">Using custom code steps in action
flows</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_kc3_jss_tfc">Send outputs to
copilot</a>: (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5524125586330" target="_blank">Copilot add-on</a> only) For
action flows initiated by the <em class="ph i">Run on demand</em> trigger, you can
use this step to send outputs from the action flow back in response.
If used in a branched action flow, the outputs sent reflect that
branch only.<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> No other steps can follow a Send outputs to
copilot step within a branch of an action flow.</div>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_nbv_tdg_djc">Update custom
variables</a>: (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9817293579674" target="_blank">ITAM</a> only) Specify a new
value for a previously created custom variable, such as pagination
or incrementing counters within loops.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8013439366810" target="_blank">Custom actions</a></strong>:
User-defined steps that update or query data using any API. Custom actions
are used by <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7051314237466" target="_blank">agent copilot auto assist</a>, AI
agents, and action flows.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">With the exception of the custom code steps and some action flow triggers, steps
always require a data <em class="ph i">input</em>. Commonly, the input of one step is the data
returned from a previous action, known as that step's <em class="ph i">output</em>. However, in
some cases, you can specify static inputs. Additionally, not all steps provide an
output. For more information, see <a class="xref" href="#topic_cbc_q2g_y2c">Providing inputs for actions and steps</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_fpt_1jg_t2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Creating an action flow</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">Admins can create up to 25 action flows. Each flow can consist of one action flow
trigger and up to 50 steps total.<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> To create an action flow to sync IT asset
data, you must use the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10207262050330#topic_zw4_gkl_13c" target="_blank">Jamf Pro</a> or <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10207241177882#topic_z5p_dzy_13c" target="_blank">Microsoft Intune</a> templates.</div>
</div>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To create an action flow</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_fpt_1jg_t2c__ol_dnz_tx3_t2c">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ac_apps_integrations_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Apps and integrations</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Actions &gt; Action
flows</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Create flow</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Enter a unique <strong class="ph b">Name</strong> and a <strong class="ph b">Description</strong> to help other admins
understand the action flow.<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Agent copilot auto assist uses the action
flow's name and description to determine when an action flow should be
suggested to an agent. For help writing good names and descriptions, see
the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8013439366810#topic_gyz_55n_xcc" target="_blank">best practices</a>.</div>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Next</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">+ Add trigger</strong>, and then use the step sidebar to configure the
condition under which the action flow is initiated and any required
inputs.<p class="p">See <a class="xref" href="#topic_zg5_sx3_t2c">Adding an action flow trigger</a>.</p>
</li>
<li class="li" id="topic_fpt_1jg_t2c__add_step">Below the trigger event step, click the <strong class="ph b">Add step</strong> icon
(<img class="image" id="topic_fpt_1jg_t2c__image_v1j_2bg_w2c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_action_flows_add.png" width="16">). Then use the step sidebar to
configure it. <p class="p">See <a class="xref" href="#topic_evq_mrw_bfc">Adding actions and steps to action flows</a>.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">Repeat step 6 beneath other steps as needed to complete your action flow. </li>
<li class="li">(Optional) Rename the label for any steps in the action flow as needed for
clarity.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.<p class="p">New action flows are inactive by default. Before an
action flow can be used, you must activate the flow.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">(Optional) <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052312956570#topic_uyj_qsw_3fc" target="_blank">Test the action flow</a>.</li>
<li class="li">When you're ready to use the action flow, click <strong class="ph b">Activate</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested2" id="topic_zg5_sx3_t2c">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title4">Adding an action flow trigger</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Every action flow begins with a trigger event. This is what initiates the flow.
The following types of events are available as action flow triggers:</p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_zg5_sx3_t2c__ul_kvf_g3r_hgc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Ticket events</strong>: Including ticket lifecycle, such as creation, and
ticket updates to: ticket properties, standard or custom ticket fields,
routing, comments, SLAs, schedules, and CSAT<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Action flows initiated
by ticket updates often run when a ticket is created, too, because
ticket values are perceived as changing from null or empty to an
actual value.</div>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">User events</strong>: Including user creation; updates to a user's name,
role, organization, group, brand, and so on; updates to custom field
values on a user's profile; adding or changing a profile picture;
changes to a user's identity; and changes to a user's status, such as
suspended or deleted<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_zg5_sx3_t2c__ul_lvf_g3r_hgc">
<li class="li">The <em class="ph i">User last login changed</em> action flow trigger only
fires if the previous login occurred more than 20 minutes
ago.</li>
<li class="li">The <em class="ph i">User commenting permission changed</em> action flow
trigger only fires if the user's profile is updated to
change their Comment permissions. This doesn't apply to the
custom role permissions on Enterprise plans and above.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Custom object events</strong>: Including custom object lifecycle, such as
custom object record created, updated, or deleted.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Slack events</strong>: (EAP) Including new message posted in channel, new
direct message sent to a user, and new reaction added to message
<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> There isn't a built-in way to link a Slack message to a
Zendesk ticket after the ticket is created, for ongoing
conversational support. If you use a Slack event as an action flow
trigger that then creates a Zendesk ticket, only the contents of the
message that initiated the action flow as it existed at that moment
in time, is available for inclusion in the ticket.</div>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Run on demand</strong><div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> The <em class="ph i">Run on demand</em> action flow trigger
functions only for AI agents and auto assist.</div>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Schedule</strong>: A time-based trigger allowing action flows to run at a
specific time on a recurring basis.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Custom action flow trigger</strong>: User-defined triggers designed to
listen for an HTTP request from a specific external system. Select an
existing custom trigger or <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9712284817818" target="_blank">create a new custom
trigger</a>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To add an action flow trigger to an action flow</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_zg5_sx3_t2c__ol_l5z_5gk_t2c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052312956570#topic_ant_ttk_t2c" target="_blank">Open an action flow.</a></li>
<li class="li">In the visual workflow builder, click <strong class="ph b">+ Add trigger</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, select whether you want the action flow to be
initiated by a <strong class="ph b">Ticket</strong> event, <strong class="ph b">User</strong> event, <strong class="ph b">Slack</strong>
event, when a <strong class="ph b">Suggested action flow is approved by agent</strong>, or by a
<strong class="ph b"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9712284817818" target="_blank">custom trigger</a></strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Click through the available options and select a single action flow
trigger.</li>
<li class="li">If you selected <strong class="ph b">Agent copilot &gt; Auto assist &gt; Suggested action
flow approved by agent</strong>, you can configure an input to be
provided by auto assist: <ol class="ol" id="topic_zg5_sx3_t2c__ol_elt_3dm_t2c" type="a">
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, click <strong class="ph b">+ Add input</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Enter a <strong class="ph b">Name</strong> and <strong class="ph b">Description</strong>.<p class="p">Providing clear
and detailed names and descriptions for inputs helps auto
assist determine the correct information to provide when the
action flow runs.</p>
<p class="p">It is possible to have auto assist
provide a ticket ID as input for this action flow trigger.
To do so, you must name the input <strong class="ph b">zendesk_ticket_id</strong>
and set the type to <strong class="ph b">number</strong>. If the input name and
type aren't exact matches to this, auto assist won't be able
to add the ticket ID.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">For <strong class="ph b">Type</strong>, select one of the following options:
<strong class="ph b">True/False</strong> (Boolean), <strong class="ph b">Text</strong>, <strong class="ph b">Number</strong>
(Integer), <strong class="ph b">Decimal</strong>, <strong class="ph b">Date</strong>, <strong class="ph b">Date and time</strong>, or
an array of the supported types.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li class="li">(Optional) For ticket event, user event, and custom action flow
triggers, you can configure conditions that must be met for the action
flow trigger to fire:<ol class="ol" id="topic_zg5_sx3_t2c__ul_tdc_mbc_5fc" type="a">
<li class="li">Select the <strong class="ph b">Variable</strong>. This is data output from the action
flow trigger.</li>
<li class="li">Select the <strong class="ph b">Operator</strong> that describes the relationship
between the condition's variable and value. The available
operators change based on the variable selected.</li>
<li class="li">Enter the <strong class="ph b">Value</strong> used when evaluating the condition.<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_zg5_sx3_t2c__ul_udc_mbc_5fc">
<li class="li">These values are case-sensitive. It's important to
note that Zendesk tickets use lower-case for the
type, status, and priority fields. For example, when
referring to a ticket's type, entering a value of
<em class="ph i">Incident</em> would fail to match because it's
expecting <em class="ph i">incident</em>.</li>
<li class="li">The value field isn't required when using the <em class="ph i">Is
present</em> or <em class="ph i">Is not present</em> operators.
Use the <em class="ph i">is present</em> operator when a variable
is present only sometimes or is consistently
included but can have a null value. </li>
</ul>
</div>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested2" id="topic_evq_mrw_bfc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title5">Adding actions and steps to action flows</h3>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">In addition to the action flow trigger, you must add at least one step. There are
six types of steps you can add to an action flow:<ul class="ul" id="topic_evq_mrw_bfc__ul_emg_trw_bfc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_fpp_cnk_t2c">Zendesk
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_zcj_z5r_1hc">External
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_iyl_fnk_t2c">Branch steps</a></li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_bbl_cmf_b3c">Repeat while condition is
met steps</a> (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9817293579674" target="_blank">ITAM</a> only)</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_e3h_2mf_b3c">Repeat for each
step</a> (<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9817293579674" target="_blank">ITAM</a> only)</li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_vnb_gt1_chc">Custom code
steps</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_kc3_jss_tfc">Send outputs to copilot
steps</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_nbv_tdg_djc">Update custom variable
steps</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_qyx_dnk_t2c">Custom action
steps</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested3" id="topic_fpp_cnk_t2c">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title6">Adding Zendesk actions</h4>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Zendesk action steps perform Zendesk-specific tasks, such as modifying a
ticket's priority. Action flows can consist of Zendesk actions and external
actions for multiple connected systems.</p>
<p class="p">The available Zendesk actions depend on the features that are turned on in
your account. </p>
<p class="p">Zendesk actions that are performed by the flow are attributed to the system
user.</p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To add Zendesk actions to an action flow</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_fpp_cnk_t2c__ol_rgd_mqk_t2c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052312956570#topic_ant_ttk_t2c" target="_blank">Open an action flow.</a></li>
<li class="li">In the action builder, beneath an existing step, click the <strong class="ph b">Add
step</strong> icon (<img class="image" id="topic_fpp_cnk_t2c__image_ggh_fbg_w2c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_action_flows_add.png" width="16">).</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, under <strong class="ph b">Zendesk actions</strong>, click the
menu options to select the action.</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, enter the required inputs for the selected
action. See <a class="xref" href="#topic_cbc_q2g_y2c">Providing inputs for actions and steps</a>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" class="topic nested3" id="topic_zcj_z5r_1hc">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title7">Adding external actions</h4>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">External action steps perform tasks specific to a connected system, such as
sending a Slack message or creating a Jira issue. An action flow can consist
of Zendesk actions and external actions for multiple connected systems.</p>
<p class="p">Regardless of how an action flow is triggered, external actions are
attributed to the admin who connected the external system.</p>
<div class="p">Action flows support connections to the following external systems. For more
information about specific actions and examples of how you might use them,
see:<ul class="ul" id="topic_zcj_z5r_1hc__ul_gfc_hbv_3fc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10623225702298" target="_blank">Using Asana actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10630133525018" target="_blank">Using Claude actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9836432286490" target="_blank">Using Confluence
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10306407796122" target="_blank">Using Google Gemini
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10327942889242" target="_blank">Using Gmail actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10559257423770" target="_blank">Using Google Calendar
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10327936440218" target="_blank">Using Google Drive
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10558742987162" target="_blank">Using Google Forms
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9836727346970" target="_blank">Using Google Sheet
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10631271148186" target="_blank">Using Incident.io
actions</a></li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10207262050330" target="_blank">Using Jamf Pro actions</a>
(<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9886132130202" target="_blank">ITAM EAP</a> only)</li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9836794562842" target="_blank">Using Jira actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10630901754522" target="_blank">Using Linear actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9849724302234" target="_blank">Using Microsoft Calendar
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10445230176154" target="_blank">Using Microsoft Entra ID
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9840801141274" target="_blank">Using Microsoft Excel
actions</a></li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10207241177882" target="_blank">Using Microsoft Intune</a>
(<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9886132130202" target="_blank">ITAM EAP</a> only)</li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10523031664410" target="_blank">Using Microsoft OneDrive
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9840940606106" target="_blank">Using Microsoft Outlook
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10629821476762" target="_blank">Using Microsoft SharePoint
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9841034139674" target="_blank">Using Microsoft Teams
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10449211243546" target="_blank">Using Okta actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9841067063834" target="_blank">Using OpenAI actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9841156736282" target="_blank">Using Salesforce
actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9849578907930" target="_blank">Using Shopify actions</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9849650344730" target="_blank">Using Slack actions</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> If you don't see an external system listed that you want to use,
you can <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8013439366810" target="_blank">create custom actions</a> to
define other external system tasks you want to include in your action
flows. These are exposed in action builder as custom actions rather than
external actions.</div>
</div>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To add external actions to an action flow</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_zcj_z5r_1hc__ol_ks5_1xr_1hc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052312956570#topic_ant_ttk_t2c" target="_blank">Open an action flow.</a></li>
<li class="li">In the action builder, beneath an existing step, click the <strong class="ph b">Add
step</strong> icon (<img class="image" id="topic_zcj_z5r_1hc__image_ls5_1xr_1hc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_action_flows_add.png" width="16">).</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, under <strong class="ph b">External actions</strong>, click the
menu options to select the action.</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, enter the required inputs for the selected
action. See <a class="xref" href="#topic_cbc_q2g_y2c">Providing inputs for actions and steps</a>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title8" class="topic nested3" id="topic_iyl_fnk_t2c">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title8">Adding branch steps</h4>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Although some action flows progress linearly, it's common for them to include
one or more branches. When you add a branch, you must define a single
condition for the <em class="ph i">If condition is met</em> branch. The <em class="ph i">Else</em> branch
encompasses everything that doesn't meet the <em class="ph i">If</em> condition, so no
configuration is required for the second branch.</p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To add branch steps to an action flow</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_iyl_fnk_t2c__ol_sjp_4fm_t2c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052312956570#topic_ant_ttk_t2c" target="_blank">Open an action flow.</a></li>
<li class="li">In the visual workflow builder, beneath an existing step, click the
<strong class="ph b">Add step</strong> icon (<img class="image" id="topic_iyl_fnk_t2c__image_dj2_gbg_w2c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_action_flows_add.png" width="16">).</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, under <strong class="ph b">Flow control and utility</strong>, select
<strong class="ph b">Branch</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Configure the <em class="ph i">If condition is met</em> branch condition:<ul class="ul" id="topic_iyl_fnk_t2c__ul_bgk_cgm_t2c">
<li class="li">Select the <strong class="ph b">Variable</strong>. This is data output from a
previous step in the action flow.</li>
<li class="li">Select the <strong class="ph b">Operator</strong> that describes the relationship
between the condition's variable and value. The available
operators change based on the variable selected.</li>
<li class="li">Enter the <strong class="ph b">Value</strong> used when evaluating the condition. <div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_iyl_fnk_t2c__ul_atp_cpg_y2c">
<li class="li">These values are case-sensitive. It's important
to note that Zendesk tickets use lower-case for
the type, status, and priority fields. For
example, when referring to a ticket's type,
entering a value of <em class="ph i">Incident</em> would fail to
match because it's expecting <em class="ph i">incident</em>.</li>
<li class="li">Dates have additional configuration options,
which enable more complex time-related conditions,
such as a date value plus or minus a certain
number of days. See <a class="xref" href="#topic_gwb_fxr_hgc">Using date and date time values in actions and steps</a>.</li>
<li class="li">The value field isn't required when using the
<em class="ph i">Is present</em> or <em class="ph i">Is not present</em>
operators.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title9" class="topic nested3" id="topic_bbl_cmf_b3c">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title9">Adding Repeat while conditions are met steps</h4>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">
<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> This step is available for accounts with <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9817293579674" target="_blank">ITAM</a> turned on only.</div>
If
you need to repeat an action under specific circumstances, you can use the
<em class="ph i">Repeat while conditions are met</em> step. This is ideal for fetching
data.</div>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To add Repeat while conditions are met steps to an action flow</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_bbl_cmf_b3c__ol_fxw_4mf_b3c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052312956570#topic_ant_ttk_t2c" target="_blank">Open an action flow.</a></li>
<li class="li">In the visual workflow builder, beneath the last step in your action
flow (or branch of an action flow), click the <strong class="ph b">Add step</strong> icon
(<img class="image" id="topic_bbl_cmf_b3c__image_y3q_pmf_b3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_action_flows_add.png" width="16">).</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, under <strong class="ph b">Flow control and utility</strong>, select <strong class="ph b">Repeat
while condition is met</strong> and place it where you want it in the
flow.</li>
<li class="li">Add at least one action to the repeat box in the action
builder.<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Repeat for each steps can be added within a repeat
while conditions are met step, but not vice versa.</div>
</li>
<li class="li">Click the <strong class="ph b">Repeat while condition is met</strong> step to specify the
step's condition.<p class="p">Conditions are the qualifications needed for the
step to repeat. Only one condition can be defined for a repeat
while step.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">Select a <strong class="ph b">Variable</strong>, <strong class="ph b">Operator</strong>, and <strong class="ph b">Value</strong> for the
condition.<p class="p">The variable must be an output from an action in
the repeat box. The operator determines the relationship between
the variable and the value. The available operators vary based
on the selected variable's type.</p>
<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> During the EAP, only
Boolean variables are available.</div>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title10" class="topic nested3" id="topic_e3h_2mf_b3c">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title10">Adding Repeat for each steps</h4>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">
<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> This step is available for accounts with <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9817293579674" target="_blank">ITAM</a> turned on only.</div>
If
you need to repeat an action for a list of items, use the <em class="ph i">Repeat for
each</em> step. This is designed for bulk data operations.</div>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To add Repeat for each steps to an action flow</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_e3h_2mf_b3c__ol_syk_psf_b3c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052312956570#topic_ant_ttk_t2c" target="_blank">Open an action flow.</a></li>
<li class="li">In the visual workflow builder, beneath the last step in your action
flow (or branch of an action flow), click the <strong class="ph b">Add step</strong> icon
(<img class="image" id="topic_e3h_2mf_b3c__image_tyk_psf_b3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_action_flows_add.png" width="16">).</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, under <strong class="ph b">Flow control and utility</strong>, select <strong class="ph b">Repeat for
each</strong> and place it where you want it in the flow.</li>
<li class="li">Under <strong class="ph b">List</strong>, select an output from a previous step in the
action flow that is an array.</li>
<li class="li">(Optional) If you need to check more than one list, click <strong class="ph b">Check
for more items</strong> in the repeat box in the action builder and
select another array.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title11" class="topic nested3" id="topic_kc3_jss_tfc">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title11">Adding Send outputs to copilot steps</h4>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">
<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> This step is available for accounts with the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5524125586330" target="_blank">Copilot add-on</a>
only.</div>
When an action flow is initiated by the <em class="ph i">Run on demand</em>
trigger, the Send outputs to copilot step becomes available. As the name
suggests, the step sends outputs from the action flow back to copilot so
auto assist can make suggestions based on that information. This step must
be the last step of an action flow. If your action flow contains branches,
this step can be used as the last step for some or all of the branches; in
this scenario, only the outputs from the specific branch of the action flow
are sent to copilot.</div>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To add Send outputs to copilot step to an action flow</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_kc3_jss_tfc__ol_lc3_jss_tfc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052312956570#topic_ant_ttk_t2c" target="_blank">Open an action flow.</a></li>
<li class="li">In the visual workflow builder, beneath the last step in your action
flow (or branch of an action flow), click the <strong class="ph b">Add step</strong> icon
(<img class="image" id="topic_kc3_jss_tfc__image_mc3_jss_tfc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_action_flows_add.png" width="16">).</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, under <strong class="ph b">Flow control and utility</strong>, select
<strong class="ph b">Send outputs to copilot</strong> and place it where you want it in
the flow.</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, click <strong class="ph b">Add output</strong> to add at least one
output:<ul class="ul" id="topic_kc3_jss_tfc__ul_nc3_jss_tfc">
<li class="li">Select the <strong class="ph b">Variable</strong>. This is data output from a
previous step in the action flow.</li>
<li class="li">Enter a unique <strong class="ph b">Name</strong> that describes the output.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title12" class="topic nested3" id="topic_vnb_gt1_chc">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title12">Adding custom code steps</h4>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Custom code steps allow you to incorporate modern JavaScript code into your
action flows. The JavaScript must export a function that takes an
<em class="ph i">inputs</em> object and returns an <em class="ph i">outputs</em> object. Each time you
add a custom code step to an action flow, it is prepopulated with this
framework, which you can modify, expand upon, or delete and start fresh.</p>
<p class="p">Although the custom code step is designed to be as user-friendly as possible,
admins might still require engineering support when implementing these
steps.</p>
<p class="p">For more information, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9853782610970" target="_blank">Using custom code steps in action
flows</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title13" class="topic nested3" id="topic_nbv_tdg_djc">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title13">Adding update custom variable steps</h4>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">An update custom variable step allows you to update a previously created or
referenced variable with a new value. This is particularly useful for
iterating through paginated data and incrementing counters.</p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To add an update custom variable step to an action flow</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_nbv_tdg_djc__ol_qck_c2g_djc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052312956570#topic_ant_ttk_t2c" target="_blank">Open an action flow.</a></li>
<li class="li">In the visual workflow builder, beneath an existing step, click the
<strong class="ph b">Add step</strong> icon (<img class="image" id="topic_nbv_tdg_djc__image_rck_c2g_djc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_action_flows_add.png" width="16">).</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, under <strong class="ph b">Flow control and utility</strong>, select
<strong class="ph b">Update custom variable</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Select one or more previously specified variables and enter a static
value or variable as input for the step.<p class="p">For more information, see
<a class="xref" href="#topic_cbc_q2g_y2c">Providing inputs for actions and steps</a>.</p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title14" class="topic nested3" id="topic_qyx_dnk_t2c">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title14">Adding custom actions</h4>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Custom actions are user-defined steps that update data using any API the user
specified. The custom actions defined for auto assist are also available for
action flows. </p>
<div class="p">In addition to making it possible to incorporate actions for external systems
that aren't predefined by Zendesk, custom actions in action flows can also
make data from these external systems available for use later in the action
flow. The following data types are supported as outputs from custom
actions:<ul class="ul" id="topic_qyx_dnk_t2c__ul_yww_v5y_1hc">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Text</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Number</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Decimal</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">True/false</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Date</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Date and time</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Arrays (the above data types only; arrays of other data
types might work but aren't guaranteed)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">For more information, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8013439366810" target="_blank">Creating and managing custom
actions</a>.</p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To add custom actions to an action flow</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_qyx_dnk_t2c__ol_cg3_m3m_t2c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9052312956570#topic_ant_ttk_t2c" target="_blank">Open an action flow.</a></li>
<li class="li">In the visual workflow builder, beneath an existing step, click the
<strong class="ph b">Add step</strong> icon (<img class="image" id="topic_qyx_dnk_t2c__image_bd3_dbg_w2c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_action_flows_add.png" width="16">).</li>
<li class="li">In the step sidebar, under <strong class="ph b">Custom actions</strong>, select one of the
actions you've <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8013439366810" target="_blank">created</a>.<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_qyx_dnk_t2c__ul_efs_pcs_1hc">
<li class="li">Custom actions created prior to March 13, 2025 must be
re-saved in order to be available as actions in action
flows.</li>
<li class="li">A custom action reflects the action as it was defined at
the moment it was added to the action flow. If a custom
action is updated after it was added to an action flow,
you must delete the custom action step in the flow and
re-add it to see the changes.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li">Provide static values or variables as inputs into the input fields
required by the custom action.<p class="p">For more information, see <a class="xref" href="#topic_cbc_q2g_y2c">Providing inputs for actions and steps</a>.</p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title15" class="topic nested1" id="topic_cbc_q2g_y2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title15">Providing inputs for actions and steps</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When specifying inputs for steps, you must provide values that correspond to the
input's data type, such as text, number, decimal, list, or true/false. </p>
<p class="p">For most inputs, you can provide <em class="ph i">static values</em>, which can be entered or
fetched from Zendesk or a connected external system when configuring the step, or
<em class="ph i">variables</em>, which are data output from previous steps in the action flow.
Certain inputs require you to select a predefined value from a list, such as a
ticket status or priority or data from a connected external system, such as a Slack
channel name or Jira project ID. For inputs that allow you to enter values rather
than selecting from a predefined list, it's possible to combine static and variable
values.</p>
<p class="p">When using ticket tags in action flows, you can provide static values or simple text,
list, decimal, or true/false variables. However, list and JSON object variables
aren't supported as tags. Additionally, you can't combine static and variable values
as a ticket tag input.</p>
<div class="p">
<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> If a mismatch occurs between the type and the value, the action builder
automatically attempts to correct the mismatch, which could result in
incompatible values that cause the action flow to fail.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title16" class="topic nested2" id="topic_gwb_fxr_hgc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title16">Using date and date time values in actions and steps</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Some actions and processes you need to use action flows for are time sensitive.
In this case, you can leverage dates and date time values. In custom actions and
branch steps, you can use a date or date time variable from a previous step or
the step's run time. The <em class="ph i">step run date</em> and <em class="ph i">step run date and time</em>
values are calculated the instant the step in the action flow runs and reflect
the account's timezone. </p>
<p class="p">These values can be further configured to reflect a time offset of plus or minus
a user-specified number of days from the date. For example, you might create an
action flow that sets a Salesforce opportunity close date equal to the Zendesk
ticket's Close date custom field value plus seven days.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_gwb_fxr_hgc__image_mvm_nhs_hgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/action_flows_date_values.png" width="300"></p>
<p class="p">When using dates as a variable, you must use the format
<code class="ph codeph">YYYY-MM-DD</code>. Date times must use the format
<code class="ph codeph">YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS[.SSS]Z+hh:mm</code>, where the <em class="ph i">Z+hh:mm</em>
value represents the UTC offset. The UTC offset can be <code class="ph codeph">Z</code> alone
to indicate no offset, <code class="ph codeph">+hh:mm</code> to indicate an offset of added
hours and minutes, or <code class="ph codeph">-hh:mm</code> to indicate an offset of
subtracted hours and minutes.</p>
<div class="p">The following are example datetimes:<ul class="ul" id="topic_gwb_fxr_hgc__ul_zq1_1r2_5gc">
<li class="li">The datetime for 5:11 pm on February 19, 2025 in UTC time is:
<code class="ph codeph">2025-02-19T17:11:00Z</code>
</li>
<li class="li">The datetime for 12:34 pm and 56 seconds on December 13, 2025 in
Australian Eastern Time is:
<code class="ph codeph">2025-12-13T12:34:56+10:00</code>
</li>
<li class="li">The datetime for 3:56 pm and 19.012 seconds on September 16, 2024 in US
Eastern time is: <code class="ph codeph">2024-09-16T03:56:19.012-05:00</code>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="p">When comparing two datetimes in a branch step, the timezones are taken into
consideration. For example:<ul class="ul" id="topic_gwb_fxr_hgc__ul_dmg_yr2_5gc">
<li class="li">The following conditional datetime comparison statement is <em class="ph i">true</em>:
<code class="ph codeph">2025-06-16T12:00:00Z</code> is equal to
<code class="ph codeph">2025-06-16T22:00+10:00</code>
</li>
<li class="li">The following conditional datetime comparison statement is <em class="ph i">false</em>:
<code class="ph codeph">2024-01-06T01:30:00Z</code> is after
<code class="ph codeph">2024-01-05T23:00:00-3:00</code>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title17" class="topic nested2" id="topic_gsd_llc_chc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title17">Naming inputs and outputs for actions and steps</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">All inputs and outputs of actions and steps must have unique names. In many
cases, these are automatically populated based on a selected value, but can be
modified as needed.</p>
<div class="p">The following must be true when naming inputs and outputs within a step:<ul class="ul" id="topic_gsd_llc_chc__ul_qkx_tkc_chc">
<li class="li">The name begins with a letter.</li>
<li class="li">The name is unique within the step.</li>
<li class="li">The name contains only letters (<code class="ph codeph">a-z</code>,
<code class="ph codeph">A-Z</code>), numbers (<code class="ph codeph">0-9</code>), and
underscore characters (<code class="ph codeph">_</code>).</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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