Automation Basics
Automate lead distribution workflows with triggered webhooks, emails, Slack messages, Google Sheets updates, and custom actions on every lead event. Full automation guide for Lead Distro AI.
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What are Automations?
Automations are actions that fire automatically when a lead event occurs. They run in the background and never block the lead distribution flow.
Trigger Events
- lead.created — fires when a new lead is ingested.
- lead.accepted — fires when a lead is matched to a buyer.
- lead.rejected — fires when a lead fails inbound filters.
- lead.returned — fires when a buyer returns a lead.
- lead.unmatched — fires when no buyer is available for a lead.
Action Types
| Action | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Webhook | Sends a POST request with lead data to any URL. |
| Sends an email notification with lead details. | |
| Slack | Posts a message to a Slack channel via webhook. |
| Google Sheet | Appends a row to a connected Google Sheet. |
Conditions
Add conditions to automations so they only fire when specific criteria are met — for example, only send a Slack notification when a lead from California is accepted.
Use the AI Assistant to set up automations conversationally — just say "Set up a Slack notification when a lead is accepted" and it will handle the configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What lead events can trigger an automation?
Five trigger events: lead.created (new lead ingested, pre-distribution), lead.accepted (matched to a buyer), lead.rejected (failed inbound filters), lead.returned (a buyer returned the lead), and lead.unmatched (no buyer was available). Automations are decoupled from the distribution flow — they run in the background and never block lead delivery to buyers.
What action types are supported in automations?
Four action types: Webhook (POST to any URL with full lead payload), Email (notification template with lead details), Slack (post to a channel via incoming webhook URL), and Google Sheet (append a row to a connected sheet). Multiple actions can fire from a single trigger — e.g., one lead.accepted event can simultaneously notify Slack, update a Sheet, and post to a CRM webhook.
Can I add conditions to automations?
Yes. Add any number of conditions per automation — e.g.,
state == CA AND case_type == auto_accident. Conditions reference any field on the lead (system or custom). Nested AND/OR groups are supported for complex routing logic. The automation only fires when all top-level conditions are true.What does a webhook automation payload look like?
JSON. Top-level system fields include
lead_id, event_type (e.g., lead.accepted), event_at timestamp, campaign_id, buyer_id, supplier_id, status. Standard contact fields (first_name, last_name, email, phone, state, zip_code) are top-level when in your campaign's field mapping. Custom fields are nested under custom. The X-LeadDistro-Signature header carries an HMAC-SHA256 signature so receivers can verify authenticity.What happens if an automation webhook fails?
Lead Distro AI retries with exponential backoff — 3 attempts over ~15 minutes. After final failure, the automation is marked failed in the in-app log and (if configured in the Notifications tab) you get a Slack or email alert. Importantly, automation failures never block lead distribution — the lead still gets delivered to its buyer through the primary delivery channel even if a parallel automation can't reach its destination.
Can I send a different message to different team members on the same event?
Yes — via the Notifications tab. Set per-alert routing: who gets notified on lead.created (e.g., on-call AM), lead.rejected (compliance team), delivery failures (engineering), and so on. Each route can be Slack, email, or SMS. Granular routing prevents alert fatigue — your distribution engineer doesn't need to see every lead.accepted notification, just the failures.
How do I test an automation before going live?
Use Test Send on the automation — it fires the action with a sample lead payload so you can confirm webhook URLs are reachable, Slack channels accept the message, and Sheets append correctly. Combined with a Test Mode supplier (every test lead is real but flagged
is_test: true), you can end-to-end validate an automation chain before exposing it to production traffic.If you have any questions, send us an email at support@leaddistro.ai