# Automation Triggers + Conditions: Full Reference > Complete reference for AcelleMail's 12 built-in triggers, the CONDITION node operators, and the OPERATION actions. Plus the multi-branch patterns power users actually deploy. - Canonical URL: https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/advanced-automation-triggers-and-conditions - Author: Sofia Lindqvist, Email Marketing Editor - Category: Automation — Triggers, workflows, welcome series, drip campaigns, behavioral flows - Content type: reference · Difficulty: advanced - Tags: Acellemail - Published: 2026-04-26 · Last updated: 2026-08-15 - Reading time: 7 min - Publisher: AcelleMail Knowledge Base, https://acellesend.com/kb --- ## What this is for This is the **power-user reference** for AcelleMail's automation system — the catalog you skim when designing a flow, not a how-to walkthrough. If you're just starting with automations, read [Build a Welcome Email Series](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/building-a-welcome-email-series-in-acellemail) first; come back here when you need to know what trigger to pick for a specific scenario. ## All 12 built-in triggers These are every trigger card on the *Create Automation* page: ![Create Automation trigger picker showing all 12 trigger cards in a 4x3 grid — full reference of available trigger types](https://acellesend.com/plugins/acelle/landing/images/help/kb/welcome-automation/02-create-trigger-picker.png) | # | Trigger | Fires when | Most common use | Deep-dive article | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | **Welcome new subscribers** | New subscriber added to the connected list | Welcome series | [Welcome Series](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/building-a-welcome-email-series-in-acellemail) | | 2 | **Say goodbye to subscriber** | Subscriber unsubscribes from the connected list | Exit survey, win-back, internal alert | — | | 3 | **Say 'Happy birthday'** | Subscriber's *Birthday* date field matches today (year-agnostic) | Birthday email | [Birthday + Anniversary](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/birthday-and-anniversary-email-automations) | | 4 | **Subscriber added date** | Yearly anniversary of `subscribed_at` | Anniversary email | [Birthday + Anniversary](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/birthday-and-anniversary-email-automations) | | 5 | **Specific date** | One-time send on a fixed calendar date | Event reminder, appointment | — | | 6 | **API 3.0** | External webhook call to AcelleMail's API | Custom server-side triggers | [API Triggers](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/using-api-triggers-for-custom-automation-workflows) | | 7 | **Weekly recurring** | Same day every week | Weekly digest, weekly check-in | — | | 8 | **Monthly recurring** | Same day every month | Monthly invoice, billing reminder | — | | 9 | **Tag based** | Subscriber receives a specified tag | Post-purchase, re-engagement, lead scoring | [Post-Purchase](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/post-purchase-follow-up-automation), [Re-engagement](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/re-engagement-campaigns-win-back-inactive-subscribers), [Lead Scoring](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/lead-scoring-with-email-automation) | | 10 | **Remove Tag** | Subscriber loses a specified tag | Exit-flow, bucket transitions | — | | 11 | **Contact Attribute Update** | Custom field value matches a specified condition (incl. wildcards) | Lifecycle stage changes, score thresholds | [Lead Scoring](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/lead-scoring-with-email-automation) | | 12 | **Abandoned Cart Reminder** | WC cart abandonment via the sync plugin | Cart recovery | [Abandoned Cart](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/creating-an-abandoned-cart-email-sequence) | ### Trigger anatomy Every trigger you configure has the same three pieces: | Piece | What it does | |---|---| | **Trigger event** | One of the 12 above. Determines WHAT starts the workflow. | | **Audience list** | Limits which subscribers are eligible. Only subscribers on this list enter the flow. | | **Filters** *(trigger-dependent)* | Tag-based / Contact Attribute Update / Specific date need additional config (which tag, which field+value, which date). | Every trigger fires **once per subscriber per qualifying event**. AcelleMail prevents re-firing on the same subscriber while they're in the flow — to re-enter, they need to be removed from the active session first (via *Contacts → Delete trigger* on the automation's Contacts tab). ## The CONDITION node — the branching workhorse The CONDITION node creates a YES/NO split in your flow. It's how you build *"if engaged, do X; if not, do Y"*. ### CONDITION evaluates against four kinds of facts | Fact | Example | Use | |---|---|---| | **Tag presence** | "Has tag `engagement-hot`?" | Bucket-based routing | | **Custom field value** | "Plan field equals `enterprise`?" | Account-type-based content | | **Activity history** | "Opened campaign 'Welcome'?" | Engagement-based pruning | | **Compound (AND/OR)** | "Tag X AND field Y > 50?" | Complex multi-criteria checks | For each fact, AcelleMail offers operators appropriate to the data type: | Data type | Operators | |---|---| | Tag | has tag · doesn't have tag | | Custom field (text) | equals · not equals · contains · doesn't contain · starts with · ends with · is empty · is not empty | | Custom field (number) | equals · greater than · less than · between | | Custom field (date) | greater than (days) · less than (days) · is past · is future | | Activity (email opened) | opened · did not open | | Activity (link clicked) | clicked any link · clicked specific link · did not click | ### Build a CONDITION node In the flow builder: 1. Click **+** on the downstream arrow where you want the split 2. Pick **CONDITION** from the node picker 3. The side panel opens with three dropdowns: **Field → Operator → Value** 4. Configure your check 5. Two arrows appear from the new node: **YES** (top) and **NO** (bottom) 6. Build the downstream flow on each branch ### Multi-branch via chained CONDITIONs The YES/NO split is binary. For more than two outcomes, chain CONDITION nodes: ``` CONDITION → Has tag `vip`? ├─ YES → SEND EMAIL: VIP exclusive └─ NO → CONDITION → Has tag `customer`? ├─ YES → SEND EMAIL: Customer offer └─ NO → CONDITION → Engagement-warm? ├─ YES → SEND EMAIL: Warm nurture └─ NO → SEND EMAIL: Cold-list welcome ``` 4 branches built from 3 CONDITIONs. Each YES/NO is one decision; the chain reaches every outcome. ## The OPERATION node — mutate the subscriber The OPERATION node is how a flow changes the subscriber's data, not just sends them email. Five operation types: | Operation | What it does | Use | |---|---|---| | **Add tag** | Adds a tag to the subscriber | Mark progress (`completed-onboarding`), trigger downstream flows | | **Remove tag** | Removes a tag | Reset state, exit a bucket | | **Update field** | Sets a custom field to a new value (literal or formula) | Lead scoring, lifecycle stage | | **Move to blacklist** | Permanent block on all sends | Sunset non-responders ([Re-engagement](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/re-engagement-campaigns-win-back-inactive-subscribers)) | | **Copy to list** *(in some installs)* | Add the subscriber to another mail list | Multi-list segmentation | The **Update field** operation can take a literal value (`Plan = enterprise`) OR a formula referencing the current value (`{{subscriber.lead_score}} + 25`). Formula support makes OPERATION the engine of any points-based scoring system. ## The WAIT node — pause the flow WAIT pauses the subscriber's journey for a configurable duration before the next node fires. | WAIT unit | Practical range | Use | |---|---|---| | Minutes | 5 min – 60 min | Cart-recovery near-real-time | | Hours | 1h – 48h | Day-to-day welcome series | | Days | 1d – 365d | Multi-week nurture, anniversaries | **WAIT pauses persist across automation pauses** — if you pause the automation, all WAIT nodes hold their place; un-pausing resumes from where each subscriber was. This is critical to know if you're iterating on a flow in production. ## Designing multi-trigger flows Sometimes one automation isn't enough. Common patterns: ### Pattern 1 — One canonical flow, multiple entries Build one *"customer nurture"* automation with a Tag based trigger on `customer-new`. Then build: - Pre-purchase flow → adds `customer-new` tag → enters nurture - Post-purchase flow → adds `customer-new` tag → enters nurture (via the same trigger) The nurture flow doesn't care HOW the subscriber became a customer — it just sees the tag. ### Pattern 2 — Coordinated trigger pairs For a 2-stage funnel: ``` Automation A — Welcome series TRIGGER: Welcome new subscribers …5-email flow… Final OPERATION: Add tag `nurture-eligible` Automation B — Long-tail nurture TRIGGER: Tag based: nurture-eligible …monthly content + offers… ``` Two automations, one handoff. The first ends with a tag operation; the second triggers off that tag. Clean separation, easier to maintain than one giant flow. ### Pattern 3 — Exit-on-tag-set Any automation can exit early if a sentinel tag appears. The pattern: ``` … (any path) … CONDITION → Has tag `exit-now`? ├─ YES → END └─ NO → continue ``` Place these checks before each SEND EMAIL. Useful for "stop sending if customer complained" or "stop sending if customer converted". ## Anti-patterns | Pattern | Problem | Better | |---|---|---| | **One giant flow with 30+ nodes** | Hard to debug, slow to evaluate, easy to break | Split into multiple smaller automations linked via tags | | **CONDITION on every step** | Performance overhead; flow becomes unreadable | Use ONE upstream CONDITION + segment-based filtering | | **Trigger on Contact Attribute Update with no filter** | Fires on every field change to any field — chaos | Always specify the field + condition in the trigger config | | **WAIT 0 between nodes** | Pointless; just remove the WAIT | Remove | | **Multiple automations triggering on the same event** | Subscribers receive duplicate emails | Use one canonical automation + handoff via tags | | **Manual subscriber adds to "trigger" the flow** | Easy to forget, doesn't scale | Use the actual trigger — Tag based with a bulk-tag action | ## Performance notes - AcelleMail evaluates trigger conditions on a polling basis (typically every minute for tag/attribute changes, daily for date triggers). Don't expect sub-second responsiveness. - A subscriber can be in **multiple automations simultaneously** — each automation tracks them independently. Watch for cross-automation send overlaps. - The **Contacts → Trigger all subscribers** action on an automation fires the trigger for every subscriber on the list at once. Use sparingly on large lists (10k+). ## Related articles - [Build a Welcome Email Series in AcelleMail (Visual Flow Builder)](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/building-a-welcome-email-series-in-acellemail) - [Tag-Based Re-engagement Pattern](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/re-engagement-campaigns-win-back-inactive-subscribers) - [Lead Scoring in AcelleMail](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/lead-scoring-with-email-automation) - [Using API Triggers for Custom Automation Workflows](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/using-api-triggers-for-custom-automation-workflows) --- ## Related articles - [Build a Welcome Email Series in AcelleMail (Visual Flow Builder)](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/building-a-welcome-email-series-in-acellemail): AcelleMail's automation builder ships with 12 triggers. "Welcome new subscribers" + 5 email nodes + a WAIT + a YES/NO CONDITION gives you a working welcome series in 30 minutes. Walkthrough with the actual flow canvas. - [Post-Purchase Follow-Up Automation in AcelleMail — Thank, Review, Cross-Sell](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/post-purchase-follow-up-automation): A confirmation email is just the start. Layer in a delivery-day check-in, a 7-day review request, a 30-day cross-sell, a 60-day "we miss you". This guide builds the full post-purchase flow in AcelleMail's automation builder using tags or custom events fired from your ecommerce backend. - [Lead Scoring with AcelleMail Automation — Score, Tag, and Route](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/lead-scoring-with-email-automation): Add points when a subscriber opens a campaign, clicks a key link, or fills a form. Route high-score subscribers to a sales-handoff tag automatically. This guide walks the AcelleMail automation builder + custom-field scoring, with API-driven scoring patterns for ecommerce + CRM integrations in the collapsible section. - [Birthday & Anniversary Automations in AcelleMail — Date-Triggered Sends](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/birthday-and-anniversary-email-automations): Send a happy-birthday discount on the day, a year-since-signup gift on the anniversary, a renewal reminder 30 days before expiry. AcelleMail's date-relative automation trigger handles all of these — this guide walks the setup with screenshots. - [API Triggers for Custom Automations — Wiring AcelleMail to Anything](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/using-api-triggers-for-custom-automation-workflows): Your CRM, app, or backend can fire AcelleMail automations directly — no Zapier, no manual tagging. This guide walks the UI setup (custom-event triggers + API token generation) plus a complete payload + signing reference in the collapsible developer section.