# Automation rules: when X happens, do Y

Automation rules let you react to things that happen in your community without lifting a finger. Each rule watches for one event, checks a few conditions, and runs one or more actions when they match. You build and manage them at **`/admin/automation`**.

This is a different system from the [AI Community Manager](/know/admin-automation-engine). The Community Manager *drafts* messages for you to approve; automation rules run a fixed action you defined, automatically. Use rules for deterministic "always do this" behavior, and the Community Manager for AI-drafted content that needs review.

## How a rule works

A rule has three parts:

1. **Trigger** — the one event that starts the rule.
2. **Conditions** — optional checks against that event. All conditions must pass (they are combined with AND). No conditions means the rule fires on every matching event.
3. **Actions** — what runs when the trigger fires and the conditions pass. A rule can run more than one action.

## Triggers

Pick one event to start the rule:

| Trigger | Fires when |
|---|---|
| New member joins | Someone registers |
| New thread is created | A member starts a thread |
| New reply is posted | A member replies to a thread |
| A post is edited | A member edits a post |
| A post is deleted | A post is removed |
| Marketplace listing is created | A member lists an item |
| A listing sells out | A listing's stock reaches zero |
| A listing is withdrawn | A member takes their listing down |
| A question is posted on a listing | A member asks about a listing |
| A file is uploaded | A member uploads a file |
| A member follows another member | One member follows another |
| A member reacts to a post | A member adds a reaction |
| A calendar event is created | A member adds an event |
| Someone RSVPs to an event | A member responds to an event |
| New report is filed | A member reports content |
| Moderation action is taken | A moderator warns, hides, suspends, or similar |
| A help desk ticket breaches its SLA | A ticket misses its first-response or resolution target |
| Learner completes a course | A member finishes a course in mobieusLearn |

## Conditions

Each condition checks one field from the event against a value. Available comparisons: equals, does not equal, greater than, less than, greater-or-equal, less-or-equal, is one of, is not one of, contains, starts with, ends with, matches a pattern, is set, and is empty.

You can also check:

- **A time window.** Fire only between two times of day, for example between 09:00 and 17:00.
- **A rate.** Fire only when the same event has happened a set number of times within a set number of minutes. Useful for catching spikes, like 10 reports in 5 minutes.
- **The clock.** Conditions can read the current hour, day of the week, and date, so a rule can run only on weekdays or only during business hours. Add several conditions to narrow a rule — they must all pass for the actions to run. To match on any one of a set instead, group conditions into an "any of" block. You can nest blocks to build "this and (that or the other)" logic.

## Actions

| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Send a direct message | Sends a message from the system account to a member |
| Send a notification | Sends an in-app notification to a member |
| Grant a badge | Awards an achievement badge to a member |
| Award credits | Adds credits to a member's balance |
| Move a thread | Moves a thread into a forum you choose |
| Lock a thread | Closes a thread to new replies |
| Queue a Community Manager draft | Hands off to the AI Community Manager to draft a message for your approval |

### Filling in details from the event

Action fields can pull live values from the event using `{{ }}` placeholders. For example, a welcome message of `Welcome, {{username}}!` sends "Welcome, Dana!" when Dana joins. If a placeholder has no value, it resolves to nothing rather than printing the raw `{{ }}`.

## Turning rules on and off

Every rule has an on/off switch. A rule does nothing while it is off, so you can build and review it before it goes live. Each rule shows how many times it has run and when it last ran, so you can confirm it is behaving as expected.

## Scheduled rules

Most rules react to an event. A rule can also run on a schedule instead. Choose "On a schedule" as the trigger, then pick how often it runs:

- **Every so many minutes**, for example every 60 minutes.
- **Once a day** at a time you set.

Scheduled rules use the same conditions and actions as event rules. They have no event to read from, but they can still check the clock, so you can build rules like "every weekday at 9am, do this." Times use your community's time zone.

## Good first rules

- Welcome new members with a direct message.
- Award a few credits when a member starts their first discussion.
- Send the reporter a "thanks, we're on it" message when they file a report.

## Where to go

- **Build and manage rules:** `/admin/automation`
- **AI-drafted messages (a separate system):** [AI Community Manager](/know/admin-automation-engine)