# Automations

The Automations feature allows you to create automated email sequences to engage your contacts.

Set up triggers, actions, and rules to automate your email sending.

## Use cases

Use integrations to add contacts into Mailtrap using API, SDKs, [Make.com](https://app.gitbook.com/s/gkNigAKiqQtQub1GOdjY/integrations/make), [Zapier](https://app.gitbook.com/s/gkNigAKiqQtQub1GOdjY/integrations/zapier), or [N8N](https://app.gitbook.com/s/gkNigAKiqQtQub1GOdjY/integrations/n8n).

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Welcome Series" %}
**Use case**: Greet new contacts, set expectations, and share first-week tips. Perfect for onboarding new subscribers and making a great first impression.

**How to set it up**:

1. Trigger: Contact created
2. Add Send email steps with Time delays
3. Optionally: Conditional split by plan or locale

<figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2FjZDyONhFaFePZRXCWA9o%2Fwelcome.png?alt=media&#x26;token=50f98a0b-d91c-4835-a83e-a9fb72ce261d" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Onboarding Prompts" %}
**Use case**: Nudge users when a field changes (e.g., trial started, role/plan updated). Ideal for guiding users through product adoption milestones.

**How to set it up**:

1. Trigger: Contact field updated
2. Send email with next steps
3. Add to list "Onboarding" for later messages

<figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2FBBtdAVef1Pbs30iOn1Oi%2Fonboarding.png?alt=media&#x26;token=24a96713-af96-46eb-a3c7-349a1e1914c7" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Segment-Based Campaigns" %}
**Use case**: Deliver targeted content as people enter key lists. Great for webinar registrants, new customers, or list cleanup workflows.

**How to set it up**:

1. Trigger: Contact added to list (or removed from list)
2. Send email
3. Add/Remove from lists to manage follow-ups

<figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2Fne4iodIZ5Bg1EscKyrnl%2Fsegment%20basd.png?alt=media&#x26;token=d853c7a1-123b-4aa0-8417-ed35c10bfcb9" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Event-Driven Follow-ups" %}
**Use case**: React to product or billing events. Excellent for purchase confirmations, payment failures, or milestone celebrations.

**How to set it up**:

1. Trigger: API event received
2. Send email
3. Optionally: Update contact field and Conditional split based on event data

<figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2FX2pLCZzvPjgUmqjEFxDd%2FScreenshot%202026-02-04%20at%2012.20.41.png?alt=media&#x26;token=0b455798-0356-4eff-82e1-4a3cceb3fafa" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

## Functionality

### Available components

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Triggers" %}
Some of the Entry points available in the automation builder include:

* **Contact created** — Starts when a new contact is added.
* **Contact field updated** — Fires when specific field changes (e.g., email, last name, state, etc.).
* **Contact added to list** — Activates when a new user is added to your list.
* **Contact removed from list** — Triggers when a contact is removed from your list.
* **Contact custom event** — Starts when Mailtrap receives a custom API event.

{% hint style="info" %}
Each contact can only enter the same automation once every 24 hours.
{% endhint %}
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Actions" %}
Here are the operations you can perform on your contacts in the automation builder:

* **Send email** — Deliver personalized messages to your contacts.
* **Update Contact Field** — Modify contact properties (e.g., email, last name, state, etc.).
* **Unsubscribe Contact** — Unsubscribe a contact from receiving your marketing emails.
* **Add to List(s)** — Assign a contact to one or more lists.
* **Remove from List(s)** — Remove a contact from one or more lists.
  {% endtab %}

{% tab title="Rules" %}
To control the flow and timing of your automations, you can use:

* **Time delay** — Wait a specified amount of time before moving on to the next step.
* **Conditional Split** — Branch the workflow automation based on criteria (fields and events).
  {% endtab %}
  {% endtabs %}

## Triggering via API Event

"Contact custom event" trigger requires you to send an API event.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Event in the trigger settings should be equal to the event you pass via API.
{% endhint %}

Here is [description of the endpoint](https://api-docs.mailtrap.io/docs/mailtrap-api-docs/6b1b5749b0eec-create-contact-event).

{% code title="API Event Example" %}

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.mailtrap.io/contacts/{contact_id}/events \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "event": "purchase_completed",
    "data": {
      "amount": 99.99,
      "product": "Premium Plan"
    }
  }'
```

{% endcode %}

## Limits

Each Mailtrap Email API/SMTP plan comes with different automation limits. To see the usage:

* Navigate to the [Billing Dashboard](https://mailtrap.io/billing/dashboard).
* Click on 'View all features' under Email API/SMTP.
* Look for 'Automations run count'.

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-34d3907247e4ca0540a36831cee0252bf10836f4%2Fimage.png?alt=media" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

{% hint style="info" %}

* Each contact can go through the same automation once in 24 hours.
* Each account can have up to 20 Automations.
  {% endhint %}

## Creating your first automation

To get started, navigate to the tab in your Mailtrap account or go to <https://mailtrap.io/automations>.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Define the name for your automation.

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-5d9ef78db5f51ea6763eea822146e5448bb890ae%2Fimage.png?alt=media" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

Choose a descriptive name that indicates the automation's purpose.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Set up an entry trigger and select when the automation should start.

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b99ad1442d73be6fc481620ec5b0d87251cbe07d%2Fimage.png?alt=media" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

For this example, we'll use the "Contact created" trigger. This means the automation will start whenever a new contact is added. After selecting the trigger type, click "Save".
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Building your automation sequence

Now that you've set up the trigger, you can start adding steps to your automation.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Click the "Add Step" button to add your first action.

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-6eda7a0856020e2af24918273e63a86a65f915e2%2Fimage.png?alt=media" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Select "Send Email" as your first action.

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-c71b7101ec673c3251d71e1c149763b34f86e295%2Fimage.png?alt=media" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Customize your email content and settings.

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-dfafa836b4c086a4f0cb09fb63cb5caf528e7ad3%2Fimage.png?alt=media" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

Add your subject line, choose a template, and personalize with merge tags.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### Adding delays and additional steps

To create a more complex sequence, you can add time delays and further actions.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Insert waiting periods between actions.

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-d416d62a2d46cd90c7567a7e5593eb77b9bf6323%2Fimage.png?alt=media" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

Configure the delay duration (minutes, hours, days, or weeks).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Continue building your sequence with additional messages or actions.

Repeat the process to add more emails, list assignments, or field updates.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Automation activation

Once you've built your automation sequence, it's time to activate it.

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-572273f1d58d99802b308d89a952733064fa6ab2%2Fimage.png?alt=media" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

{% hint style="success" %}
**Before activating**

* Test with a small group first
* Review all email content
* Verify trigger conditions
* Check time delays
  {% endhint %}

### Pausing and disabling

You can pause or disable your automation at any time.

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-78a5764850ade72213a3061ab2f006f08fb741ee%2Fimage.png?alt=media" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Pause Automation" %}
**Temporary suspension**

* No new contacts can enter automation
* Contacts currently in automation continue the flow
* Use when making minor adjustments
  {% endtab %}

{% tab title="Disable Automation" %}
**Complete shutdown**

* No new contacts can enter automation
* All contacts currently in automation will complete their current step
* Then removed from the flow
* Use for major changes or discontinuation
  {% endtab %}
  {% endtabs %}

## Stats — Monitoring automation performance

You can track the performance of your automation by clicking on the Reports tab within the automation builder.

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1476453098-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FS3xyr7ba7aGO19rc8dSK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-c2c7642c6b16515e084fb63753b2048002798270%2Fimage.png?alt=media" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

**Available metrics**:

* Open rate per email
* Click rate per email
* Number of step completions
* Delivery rate

## Best practices

* **Start simple**: Begin with basic welcome series before complex flows.
* **Test thoroughly**: Use test contacts before going live.
* **Monitor performance**: Check reports weekly for optimization opportunities.
* **Segment wisely**: Use conditional splits for personalization.
* **Time delays**: Consider time zones and optimal send times.
* **Exit strategies**: Plan how contacts leave the automation.