Create an automation

In brief: Create an automation from Workflows → Automations (or contextual CTAs), walk through trigger → action → timing & gates → review, then track runs under Workflow Executions.

Before you start

1. At least one cloud agent strategy configured under Project Settings → Automations (GitHub Issue and/or OpenHands).
2. Policies for the workflows you will invoke (often seeded by /testchimp init). Workflows that need connect-to-test-env stay Missing config until that policy exists.
3. Decide the aggregation and whether humans must approve invoke and/or plan execute.

Entry points

From	What is prefilled
Workflows → Automations → Create Automation	Nothing (full wizard)
Workflow detail → Automations	That workflow as the action
Issues	Entity = Issue
Plans	Entity = Story or Scenario (from folder scope)
Automation Batches	Entity = Test execution batch
Releases	Entity = Release

All paths open the same full-page wizard (create and edit share one UI). Editing: open an automation card from the list.

Step 1 — Configure the trigger

Pick when the automation should fire.

1. Optionally start from a popular template chip (severity high, story ready, batch with failures, …)—this sets entity, event, and a starter condition.
2. Choose Entity, then Event (options depend on the entity).
3. Add optional conditions. Every condition is AND-ed.

Trigger step: entity, event, and optional AND conditions

Save mental model: Issue created with severity = HIGH and reported_by ≠ ExploreChimp is a different automation from any issue created.

Step 2 — Configure the action

Pick what the cloud agent should run.

1. Action type: Execute agent workflow (only option today).
2. Select the workflow from the catalog.
3. Edit the task template. Type {{ for autocomplete of entity / event / project fields. Defaults are sensible per workflow.
4. Select a policy (defaults to the workflow’s default; missing required policies show a warning).
5. Choose an invocation strategy card: OpenHands or Via GitHub Issue. Unconfigured strategies show a warning and a link to project settings.

Action step: workflow, templated task, policy, and cloud invocation strategy

Step 3 — Timing and human gates

1. Choose aggregation: Immediate, Buffered (default), or Windowed—and fill grace / max window / max events / window hours as needed.
2. Toggle Require approval before invoke and/or Require approval before plan execute if you want human gates.
3. If either gate is on, choose who is notified (user, role, or assignee when the entity supports it).

New automations are enabled by default. Disable later from the automations list without deleting the definition.

Step 4 — Review and create

Confirm the summary (trigger, action, aggregation, gates), then Create Automation (or save when editing). You return to the automations list with a summary card for the new rule.

After creation

1. Trigger a matching event in a safe environment (or wait for production traffic).
2. Open Executions → Workflow Executions.
3. Approve if gated; otherwise watch Queued → Running → Done / Failed.
4. Follow the OpenHands conversation link or GitHub issue from the execution detail.
5. Tune task templates, conditions, or aggregation if runs are too noisy or too sparse.

Disable, edit, or delete

• Disable — toggle from the automations list (stops matching without removing history).
• Edit — open the summary card to reopen the wizard with values loaded.
• Delete — remove the definition when the rule is obsolete.

Tips

• Prefer Buffered when CI or ExploreChimp can emit many related events in a short window.
• Keep task templates short and identity-rich ({{issue.id}}, branch, batch id)—the skill and MCP resolve the rest.
• Start with invoke approval on high-blast-radius workflows (implement, broad run-qa) until you trust the conditions.
• Respect the hourly cap; several Immediate automations can queue behind each other during incident storms.

Related

• Typical setups
• How automations work
• Cloud agents
• Setting up cloud agents