What are automations, and when should I use one?
Understand what an automation does, how it differs from an onboarding flow, and how to create one from the Automations page.
An automation is a reusable, week-by-week timeline of scheduled actions. You build the sequence once — assign programs, meal plans, and forms, share vault content, send messages and push notifications — then assign it to any number of clients, and Fitsly runs it for each of them from their own start date, in their own timezone.
Automations live under Tools → Automations on the web dashboard, which the coach mobile app also serves.
What clients see when an automation runs
Nothing labelled "automation". A program appears on their plan, a chat message arrives, a push notification pops up — indistinguishable from you doing it by hand. Clients can't see, create, or edit automations.
When to use an automation
Use one whenever the same sequence should run for every client, on a schedule relative to when they start:
- A 12-week program delivery with the next phase, a check-in form, and a nudge landing on the right week.
- A welcome series in the days after someone joins.
- A recurring habit or education drip using vault resources.
For a one-off item on one client's calendar, add it to the day directly instead — you don't need an automation for that.
Automations versus onboarding flows
| Automation | Onboarding flow | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | A timeline of events across weeks | A bundle applied all at once |
| When it runs | From a start date you choose, day by day | The moment a new client joins |
| How it starts | You assign it to clients | Attached to a new client, or to a payment package |
| Can it set features? | No | Yes — ten feature toggles |
An onboarding flow can itself include an automation, which then starts with the join day as week 1, day 1.
Create an automation
- Go to Tools → Automations and click New automation.
- Enter a name — up to 100 characters — and click Create Automation.
- The editor opens with an empty four-week timeline, viewable by week or by month.
Find, rename, duplicate, and delete automations
The Automations page lists your automations ten per page with a text search that matches names. Each row shows the automation's week count, event count, and when it was last updated. There's no sort or filter beyond the search.
- Rename — open the automation and edit its name in the editor breadcrumb.
- Duplicate — row menu → Duplicate. The copy keeps every week and event and is named "{name} - Copy".
- Delete — row menu → Delete, then confirm.
Quick answers
If I edit an automation, do clients already on it get the changes?
No. Assigning copies the events onto each client at that moment. Edits only affect clients you assign it to later. To change what's already scheduled, edit the pending events on that client's Calendar tab.