Coda is a versatile document editor that stands out by blending text, spreadsheets and databases into a single canvas.
It’s like the dream combination of Notion, Google Docs and Google Sheets, making it perfect for project management, note-taking, databases and more.
But like with any tool—the more you use it, the more you find yourself performing repetitive tasks that can be automated to free up time for more meaningful work.
Coda offers some great native automations. But you have to pay for “packs” to integrate with external tools, or upgrade to a higher tier plan.
You can get around this—and achieve much more—by using third-party automation software like Relay.app to connect it with your wider tech stack. In this article we’ll cover how.
An introduction to native Coda automations
With Coda’s native automations you can streamline repetitive tasks like updating statuses, assigning tasks or sending reminders. They have an excellent video that breaks it down, which we’ll link below.
These automations operate with “if/then” logic (or in the case of Coda, “When/Then” logic). Every native Coda automation has between two and three parts:
- A trigger (the “when”) + an action (the “then)
- A trigger + a condition + an action
You can choose from two trigger types: time-based and when a row is changed, and there are a range of possible actions, from notifying your team, to adding, modifying or even deleting rows.
So, say for example you’re using Coda as your project tracker, and you wanted to send a reminder to your team every Friday to update the status of their individual tasks before the weekend.
- The trigger would be time-based (e.g. 3:00 pm every Friday)
- The action would be to notify anyone who has a task assigned to them
Then, you could set certain conditions. In this case, you might want to set a condition so, if the status of a project is “Done”, a reminder isn’t sent to that assigned team member.
How to set up native Coda automations
How do you set a native Coda automation like this up? Glad you asked! Here’s how ⤵️
Step 1. Open your Coda document
First, navigate to the document where you want to create the automation (we’re using the excellent Project Tracker Quick Start template).
Step 2. Create a new automation
Click the cogwheel icon on the top right of the page. Select Automations from the dropdown menu.
Step 3. Set up your “when” trigger
Click + Add rule to get started. This is where we set our “When” (The trigger) and our “Then” (the action). Every automation kicks off with a trigger—the event that sets your automation in motion.
Coda offers four possible triggers:
- Row changed
- Time-based
- Form submitted
- Webhook invoked
Select what action you would like to kick off your automation. In this example, we’re going to send a reminder to update the tracker every Monday at 10:00 AM.
Step 4. Set up your “then” action
After defining the trigger, naturally you need to configure the action that will occur when the trigger is activated.
Actions can range from sending an email, creating or updating rows in a table, changing the status of a task, or using a Coda pack to integrate with third-party tools for a fee.
The interface will change slightly based on the type of action you select. For our notification, we can select recipients (owners of the status column) and send a templated message that will go out with the notification each week.
Step 5. Send a test
It’s important to test your automation before setting it live. Click Test Rule. All going well, the icons of each automation step will turn green and you’ll receive a pop-up saying your automation has been a success.
Step 5. Name and save the automation
Finally, give your automation a name and short description. Chances are you’ll want to create more than one automation!
On the Free plan you’re able to access a generous 35 time-based and 100 rule-based automations, and it’s a pain to remember the difference between “Rule”, “Rule 1” and “Rule 30”.
Once you’ve written your title and description, switch the toggle to on and you’re done! Your automation will now run automatically until you switch it off.
📚 For a deeper look at automations in Coda, check out Coda’s guide.
Connect to external tools with Coda Packs
As we touched on earlier, automations in Coda are focused on simple workflows within your docs.
But there is a way to connect with other tools: Coda Packs.
Coda Packs are integrations that add the ability to sync with tools beyond Coda.
The catch? You have to pay for each integration.
Want to send updates in Slack? $5. Gmail? Another $5. Salesforce? That’s $30.
These one-off payments help supplement the generous free plan, but the costs still add up.
Certain Packs are included in each paid plan, which is the most cost-effective way to get access.
Each paid plan offers a different set of packs (25 in Free, 36 in Pro, 64 in Team and 74 in Enterprise).
Packs can be purchased from The Gallery, with packs helpfully broken down by team function (e.g. Product, Marketing, Education, etc.)
To connect to a purchased Pack, follow the steps outlined above, then select Packs from the dropdown menu and set it as your action.
For certain use cases it’s easier (and more cost-effective) to just use third-party workflow automation software like Zapier, Make or of course, Relay.app to integrate with multiple apps at no extra cost.
Plus, with Relay.app you get human-in-the-loop touchpoints for approvals and oversight, in-line AI and simple collaborative functionality so your entire team can build, and edit, automations.
10 Coda automations using Relay.app
With all that in mind, we’ve curated a brief list of Relay.app automations can build with Coda today.
Connect your calendar
So you’re managing projects and deadlines in Coda. Great! But what if you want to have tasks and deadlines shown on your Google Calendar.
With Relay.app you can turn any Coda tasks into events in Google Calendar—or even add Google Calendar event information to your Coda tables.
Integrate with your chat tools
These days we’re all split between too many apps. What if you just want Coda docs to be… docs, and prefer to keep team notifications in Slack, Microsoft Teams, or plain old emails?
Say you want to send support ticket notificaitons to Slack. You can choose a destination channel (or even a team member’s DMs), add a message template (with the ability to pipe data from another automation step, or have it generated with AI) or have a human review step before a message gets sent.
With Relay.app you can send notifications on your chat tool of choice to cut down on the endless back-and-forth, and keep your team updated with less manual effort.
Automate task assignments
Now maybe your organization all work serenely on one platform. But often, different departments have their own project management tool of choice.
Developers are on Jira. Marketers are on ClickUp, Monday.com and Asana. Content folks are doing their thing on Airtable or Trello. It makes sense for these little silos to exist—after all you need the right tool for the job—but it can make juggling cross-functional tasks and getting a bird’s eye view really difficult.
Relay.app solves this bottleneck by allowing you to streamline the flow of information across each app.
You can set it up so that changes in any (or all!) of these apps are reflected in Coda, keeping the dream of one central hub for your team alive and well.
Add form submissions to Coda docs
Online forms are one of the best, and easiest, ways to automate data entry and kickstart workflows.
Using Coda as a CRM? Use them to collect leads and pipe the data into Coda to track interactions and set follow-ups.
Using Coda to manage content? Use them to collect submissions, then create entries in Coda for editorial review and scheduling.
Inventory requests. Customer feedback. Employee onboarding. The list goes on. It really is amazing how much time you can save with a simple form and powerful Relay.app automations.
And all you need to do is connect to your favorite form builder through Relay.app and start collecting responses that slot straight into Coda.
Append notes and meeting insights
If you’re using Coda as the hub for your meeting notes you’ll love this automation.
With Relay.app you can have Fireflies.ai transcribe meeting notes, and share them directly to your Coda docs to turn every meeting into a searchable, actionable resource.
No more sifting through hours of recordings to find key decisions or tasks. Instantly locate important decisions, extract action items, and make sure no time is wasted.
Want to go one step further? Have Relay.app’s inline AI generate a bullet point summary and share it with your team on Slack.
Start automating Coda today
There you have it—a guide to Coda automations that has you covered whether you want to use the native options, purchase packs, or level-up your automation game with a third-party like Relay.app.
What now? Well, it’s time to start automating.
Try Relay.app's free trial and start streamlining your workflows (like this one) in minutes.
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Coda automation FAQS
What is Coda automation?
Coda automation refers to the capability within the Coda platform to create automated workflows that trigger specific actions based on predefined conditions. These automations can streamline repetitive tasks, manage data, and enhance productivity without manual intervention.
What are Coda automation rules?
Coda automation rules are the specific conditions and actions defined within an automation. These rules determine when an automation should trigger and what actions it should perform, such as updating a table, sending a notification, or creating a task, based on changes or events within your Coda docs.
Is Coda AI free?
Coda offers various pricing tiers, including a free plan which provides access to some AI features. However, more advanced AI functionalities and larger usage limits are available on paid plans. It's best to check Coda's current pricing structure for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Does Coda have an API?
Yes, Coda provides an API that enables developers to programmatically interact with Coda docs. Through the API, users can automate tasks, integrate with other apps, and manage data within Coda, expanding its functionality and customizability.
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