> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sendway.eu/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Automations

> Run a sequence of steps automatically when something happens to an order.

An automation is a trigger, optional conditions, and an ordered list of steps. Sendway runs it for you when the event happens. Available on **every plan**; the only step that costs money is **Send SMS**.

Open **Automations** in the navigation.

## Triggers

<Columns cols={3}>
  <Card title="Order confirmation">When the order is created.</Card>
  <Card title="Order cancelled">Your own cancellation in Shopify.</Card>
  <Card title="Order shipped">When the waybill is created.</Card>
  <Card title="Out for delivery">From the courier.</Card>
  <Card title="Failed delivery attempt">From the courier.</Card>
  <Card title="Delivered">From the courier.</Card>
  <Card title="Waiting at the office (per day)">Every business day the parcel sits there.</Card>
  <Card title="Returned">From the courier.</Card>
  <Card title="Abandoned cart">When a cart goes cold.</Card>
</Columns>

<Note>
  Triggers marked "from the courier" fire at the next status check, not the second the courier scans the parcel. And not every courier reports every event: many office parcels never get an "out for delivery" scan at all.
</Note>

## Conditions

Conditions filter which orders enter the automation, and can also branch it mid-way with a **Yes / No** step. Match **all** or **any** of: order total, paid or unpaid, products contained or not contained, courier, days overdue, and tracking number (only meaningful after a wait step).

## Steps

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Send SMS" icon="comment-sms">
    The one billed step. See [SMS pricing](/orders/sms).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tag or untag" icon="tag">
    Tag the order, tag the customer, or remove a tag.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Mark as paid" icon="money-check-dollar" />

  <Card title="Archive order" icon="box-archive" />

  <Card title="Hold or release fulfillment" icon="circle-pause" />

  <Card title="Report to NEkorekten" icon="thumbs-down">
    Needs your NEkorekten API key.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Forward to fulfilment" icon="warehouse">
    Hands the order to your fulfilment provider, who issues the waybill. Needs Shipio, or EuShipments in fulfilment mode.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Wait" icon="clock">
    Up to 90 days per step.
  </Card>
</Columns>

Plus **Condition (Yes / No branch)** and **Stop automation**.

## Templates

**New automation** offers a blank canvas or a template: order confirmation SMS, shipped SMS, auto forward to fulfilment, delivery thank-you, uncollected-parcel reminder, and cart recovery. Templates are created switched **off** so you can review them first.

## Limits and safety rails

* Up to 20 steps in the main sequence and 20 in each branch. The condition step ends the main sequence, so it has to be the last one; the work continues in the Yes and No lanes.
* At most **5 billed actions per run**, and an optional **monthly SMS spend cap** per automation.
* An automation that fails 5 times with no successes in 24 hours disables itself.
* A terminal event stops any run still in flight, so a delivered parcel never gets the "waiting at the office" reminder.
* Before you enable an automation with a billed step, Sendway shows the worst-case cost per order and asks you to confirm.

There is no limit on how many automations you create, and no manual run: every run comes from a real event.

## Watching runs

Each automation keeps its own **Runs** list: the order, a status badge (running, succeeded, failed, stopped), the timestamp and a step counter. Expand a run to see each step with its own state. Skipped steps say why in plain language, for example "Spend cap reached", "Order already dispatched", or "Free plan order cap reached".

## Shopify Flow

If you already build in Shopify Flow, Sendway plugs in there too. **Triggers**: shipment accepted by courier, arrived at office, delivered, waiting at office (daily), returned. **Actions**: send SMS via Sendway, and forward to fulfilment via Sendway.