Lesson 6 of 8 · 10 min

Chaining automations

Building multi-step processes with rules that trigger rules.

Lesson 6 of 8

One trigger-action pair is often not enough. MatterFirst lets automations chain — the result of one rule becomes the event that fires the next — so you can build sophisticated processes without code.

Before you start

  • Comfortable building a single automation (see 'Building automation rules')

How chaining works

Automation actions don't run in a vacuum — many of them emit their own system events. When an action such as Change Step, Create Task, or Create Key Date runs, the resulting event re-enters the automation engine and can trigger further rules. The engine tracks how deep a chain has gone and stops it at a depth of 10, which protects you from accidental loops (a rule that keeps triggering itself).

Explicit vs implicit chaining

Chaining can be implicit — Automation A changes a matter's step, which fires Automation B that listens for 'Step Changed'. It can also be explicit: a workflow stage action can trigger a named automation directly. Either way, you compose small, single-purpose rules into a larger process rather than building one giant rule.

Worked example: settlement

Automation A — WHEN Step Changed to 'Settlement' THEN Create Task (settlement checklist), Send Email (client), and Create Calendar Event. Automation B — WHEN Task Completed THEN Notify Users. Completing a settlement task fires B without A knowing anything about it. Each rule stays simple; the behaviour emerges from the chain.

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    Compose rules into a sequence

    Build several small automations whose triggers line up with earlier rules' actions, and view them together on the Automations list. Here a 'Step Changed' rule creates tasks and a calendar event, while a separate 'Task Completed' rule notifies the team — together they form a chain no single rule expresses.

Tips & pitfalls

  • Keep each rule single-purpose. Chains are easier to reason about and debug than one rule that tries to do everything.
  • The engine halts a chain at depth 10 to stop runaway loops. If a chain stops earlier than expected, check that each downstream trigger actually matches the upstream action's event.

Key takeaways

  • Automation actions emit events that can trigger further automations
  • Chaining can be implicit (event-driven) or explicit (a stage action triggers a named rule)
  • The engine stops chains at depth 10 to prevent infinite loops
Building automation rules Monitoring automations

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