How to Set Up Automations in PostHog
PostHog's automation engine lets you reduce manual work with trigger-action rules. Here's how to set up your first automation.
Step-by-step
Open Automation settings
In PostHog, go to your project settings and find the Automations or Rules section. Most tools have a visual rule builder — no code required.
Choose a trigger
Select what starts the automation: "When a card is moved to Done", "When an issue is assigned", "When a due date is approaching", etc.
Define the action
Choose what happens: send a notification, update a field, create a sub-task, post to Slack, etc. Free plan limit: Unlimited (via actions and webhooks) — start with the highest-value automations.
Test with a real item
Create a test card and trigger the automation manually. Verify the action fires correctly before rolling out to the full team.
Document your automations
Keep a simple list of active automations and what they do. Undocumented automations cause confusion when new team members can't understand why things are changing.
Pro tips
- Start with 1–2 automations that solve real pain points. Don't automate everything at once.
- In PostHog, automations run in the order they're listed — be careful of conflicts when multiple rules could fire on the same trigger.
- Audit your automations quarterly — remove ones that are no longer relevant.