Choose automation nodes

A node performs one task in a flow. Open the Step catalog to inspect available nodes, their fields, output paths, and examples.

This guide covers the Automations dashboard preview, which is not yet generally available.

The tables use catalog names. The canvas can show a task label such as Choose a path for Branch, Find contacts for List contacts, or Wait for a delivery result for Wait for event. A template can give a step its own descriptive name.

Triggers

Node	Use it to
Application event	Start from an event supplied by your application, or a manual run from the dashboard.
Bird event	Start from a supported incoming SMS, email, or WhatsApp event.
Schedule	Start at recurring times in a chosen timezone.

See Choose a trigger and Schedule runs.

Logic and data

Node	Use it to
Set values	Name values for later steps, including values calculated from earlier data.
Branch	Choose the first matching condition, or the Otherwise path.
Delay	Pause until a duration passes or a timestamp is reached.
Wait for event	Wait for a supported receipt from a specific earlier messaging action.
Wait for application event	Wait for a declared event associated with the run's business key.
Exit	End with an explicit status, optional outcome reason, and result.

See Flows and connections, data mapping, and event waits.

Messaging

Node	Use it to
Send SMS	Send text or an SMS template to a recipient.
Send email	Send email content or a template with recipient and sender settings.
Send WhatsApp	Send a template or supported text and media content.
Read received email body	Retrieve the text and HTML body of a received email for later steps.

See Send messages. A successful send means the channel accepted the message for processing.

Contacts and audiences

Nodes	Use them to
Get contact, List contacts	Read a contact by ID or search a page of contacts.
Create contact, Update contact, Delete contact	Change an individual contact record.
Create or update contacts	Submit a prepared batch and inspect each entry's result.
Get audience, Create audience, Update audience	Read or manage a static audience.
List audience contacts	Read one page of audience members.
Add contacts to audience	Add specified contacts to an audience.
Remove contact from audience, Remove contacts from audience	Remove specified memberships while retaining the contacts.

See Work with contacts and audiences. Listing an audience does not send a message to its members.

Preferences and lookups

Node	Use it to
List preferences	Inspect recorded messaging preferences.
Record preference	Submit a preference statement and inspect whether it applied.
Look up phone number	Assess a phone number using the selected lookup properties.
Look up email address	Assess an email address and inspect optional suggestions.

See Use preferences and lookups.