# Use preferences and lookups

Preference nodes handle recorded messaging choices. Lookup nodes assess an address. Use their results to make an explicit decision before a later action.

> Automations is in Early access. Your workspace permissions determine which actions you can perform.

## Read a messaging preference

1. Add **List preferences** before the decision step.
2. Set the channel and address filters needed for the decision.
3. Add a **Branch** that checks the returned records.
4. Handle an empty result and any next-page cursor explicitly.

An empty page does not establish consent. A granted preference may coexist with a broader channel or sender restriction. The sending channel still checks whether the message is permitted.

## Record a preference

1. Add **Record preference** and configure the channel, address, scope, and statement data.
2. Use data that represents the person's actual choice and supporting evidence.
3. Check the output's `applied` value before reporting that the statement took effect.

An accepted action can return `applied: false` when an older statement is refused. The action's success path alone does not prove a new preference change. When `applied` is true, the choice may already have been reflected in the record.

Do not retry a grant to override a person's opt-out. Automation writes follow the preference rules and do not replace the channel's unsubscribe processing.

## Assess a phone number

1. Add **Look up phone number** and supply an international number.
2. Select the intelligence properties the workflow needs.
3. Branch on a property's status before reading its answer.

A requested property can be unanswered even when the lookup action succeeds. An unavailable reachability result does not mean unreachable. Keep an unknown-result path for unanswered or unfamiliar statuses.

## Assess an email address

1. Add **Look up email address** and map the address to inspect.
2. Read the assessment result in **Step preview** or a run's recorded output.
3. Configure a branch for the outcomes relevant to the workflow.

A valid assessment does not guarantee delivery. A suggested correction is a separate value; it does not update a contact or redirect a later send automatically. Confirm a correction with the person who supplied the address before using it.

Lookup output is the assessment recorded for that step. Reusing it does not run another query. A new lookup step or a new run can create another charge.

## Next steps

- [Send messages](/docs/guides/automations/messages).
- [Work with contacts and audiences](/docs/guides/automations/contacts-and-audiences).
- [Use data from earlier steps](/docs/guides/automations/data).
- [Browse the Automations guides](/docs/guides/automations).

## Related resources

- [Preview your first automation](/docs/get-started/automations) (docs)