Edit triggers, filters, or frequencies in live automations
UpdatedLearn how changes to triggers, filters, or frequency settings in live automations would impact your customers.
Both trigger and filter conditions must be met for profiles to start moving through your automation’s workflow.
Some automations types — event, form, important date, legacy segment, and attribute or segment — have a frequency setting which controls how many times the same profile can enter an automation. By default, it’s once.
If you edit a trigger or filter and expect profiles to re-enter an automation, make sure you check your frequency setting.
Force profiles to re-enter an automation after making changes
If your automation is triggered by segment membership, attribute changes, objects, or relationships, changes to automation triggers and filters aren’t retroactive: only profiles that match your new conditions after you make changes will enter your automation. If you want to re-evaluate everybody in your workspace against your new conditions, you can stop and restart your automation.
Be careful when changing live automations
Changing live automations can cause unexpected behaviors. You should always test your changes carefully and consider the frequency settings before forcing a match.
- Stop the automation.
- Edit your triggers and filters—this might mean editing a segment.
- Restart the automation.
- Choose Current Profiles and future additions to include profiles that match your updated conditions.
A profile will only ever receive one copy of a message each time they flow through an automation. But forcing profiles to re-enter an automation they have already completed means they might receive messages they already received in the past! If that’s not desired, consider choosing Future only instead.
Restart with Current and future matches
Choose Current and future matches if you want profiles that already match your conditions to enter the automation. (Re-entry is subject to your automation’s frequency settings.) This option is available for automations triggered by attributes, segments, objects, and relationships.
For automations triggered by attributes or segments, profiles can only have one journey in the same automation at a time; they can’t have concurrent journeys. So after a profile exits your automation, they may be eligible to re-enter based on the Frequency settings:
- One time: Profiles that have already been through the automation will not re-enter the automation.
- At fixed intervals: Profiles will re-enter the automation at the next interval if they meet your trigger conditions.
- Every re-match: If you choose Current + Future additions, profiles that already match your trigger conditions will re-enter. If you choose Future only, profiles will only re-enter after they stop matching then re-match your trigger conditions.
For automations triggered by objects or relationships, profiles can have one or more concurrent journeys in an automation triggered by an object or relationship. The frequency setting is always “every re-match” so if you choose Current + Future additions, profiles that already match your trigger conditions will re-enter. If you choose Future only, profiles will only re-enter after they stop matching then re-match your trigger conditions.
Event-triggered automations
Change the trigger event
If you change the trigger event, profiles currently in your workflow will continue their journey.
Moving forward, the automation will only trigger based on the new trigger event.
Change the trigger’s event data filter(s)
If you change the trigger’s event data filter, profiles currently in your workflow will continue their journey.
Moving forward, the automation will trigger when the trigger event is performed and matches the new trigger event data filter.
Change the segment filter(s)
If you change which segment is the filter or the conditions of the segment filter, we re-evaluate profiles currently in your automation based on its exit conditions.
So if you change the segment filter from “In Signed Up” to “In Paying Customers” and the exit condition is “They stop matching the filters,” we’ll re-evaluate the segment filter before profiles’ next actions (message, update action, delay, etc). Profiles that don’t match the automation’s new segment filter will exit the automation. Profiles that do match your automation’s filter will continue the automation.
Moving forward, after an event triggers the automation, profiles will only begin your workflow if they match the new segment filter conditions.
Automations triggered by segments or attributes
In May 2025, we introduced the “Attribute or segment” trigger, which allows you to trigger automations based on profile attributes and/or segments. Unlike the legacy “Segment change” trigger, this newer trigger doesn’t support filters.
- If you created your automation after April 2025, you use the “Attribute or segment” trigger and can’t separately add filters.
- If you created your automation (or duplicated one) created before then, the automation uses the “Segment change” trigger, and you can still add filters.
Without filters, there’s one less check that could influence how profiles enter or re-enter your automation. Otherwise, we evaluate frequency in the same way when editing these live automations.
To learn more about the differences between these triggers, check out Triggers with segments.
Legacy segment trigger: change the trigger or filter segment(s)
Only future matches will trigger the automation. Only profiles that match the new trigger conditions AFTER you save your changes will trigger the automation. Profiles must also match any new segment filter conditions to start your workflow.
You can stop your automation if you want to trigger for current matches
If you change the segment (assign a different segment or change the underlying conditions of the segment), the automation only re-evaluates profiles with active journeys if the trigger or filter is part of your exit conditions. If the exit condition is “They match the conversion criteria,” and you change which segment is assigned to the trigger or filter, then profiles that don’t match your trigger or filter could still complete the automation.
Attribute or segment trigger: Change the trigger attributes or segments
Only future matches will trigger the automation. Only profiles that match the new trigger conditions AFTER your save your changes will trigger the automation.
Do you want profiles that currently match your criteria to enter the automation?
An automation only re-evaluates profiles currently in the automation if the trigger is part of your exit conditions; changing the attribute or segment that triggers the automation or the conditions of the segment itself won’t always cause the automation to re-evaluate profiles with active journeys. For instance, if the exit condition is “They match the conversion criteria,” and you change which segment is assigned to the trigger, then profiles that don’t match your trigger could still complete the automation.
Change the frequency
You can change the frequency with which profiles re-enter an automation while an automation is live. Frequency changes work the same for both legacy segment-triggered automations and automations triggered by attributes or segments.
| Change | Impact |
|---|---|
| One time to Every re-match |
|
| One time to At fixed intervals |
|
| Every re-match to One time |
|
| Every re-match to At fixed intervals |
|
| At fixed intervals to One time | Profiles that are scheduled to re-enter this automation will not do so, but those who are already in the automation will follow your exit conditions. After they exit, they will not re-enter. |
| At fixed intervals to Every re-match | Profiles that are scheduled to re-start your automation will not do so. They will need to stop matching the trigger conditions and re-match them to enter again. |
| The time of a fixed interval | This immediately changes the time when profiles can start their next journeys. For example, if you change the interval from 7 to 9 days, profiles will re-enter the automation 9 days after their initial entry. After day 9, the profile will re-enter the automation if they finished their previous journey and match the trigger/filter conditions. Otherwise, we will recheck their eligibility to re-enter the automation after another 9 days, and so forth. |
| The minumum wait for Every re-match | This immediately changes the time when profiles can start their next journeys. For example, if you change the minimum wait from 7 to 9 days, a profile can re-enter after 9 days have passed since the last time they entered the automation. If a profile re-matches while in an active journey, they will not immediately start a new journey after exiting the automation. Rather, the profile must exit the automation and pass the minimum wait time then re-match the conditions to re-enter the automation. |
Date-triggered automations
Change the trigger conditions
Profiles currently in the automation will follow your exit conditions; we do not re-evaluate date trigger conditions after they enter the automation.
Profiles will enter the automation when they match the new date trigger conditions.
Change a profile’s value that the trigger date evaluates
- When frequency is Once, changing the value of a profile’s date attribute will NOT cause them to re-enter the automation.
- When frequency is Monthly: if a profile triggered the automation (i.e. Oct 5th), then their trigger date value is updated to a date in the future in the same month (i.e. Oct 10th), the profile WILL re-enter the automation. They will re-enter after they finish their current journey, even though it’s the same month.
- When frequency is Yearly: if a profile triggered the automation, then their trigger date value is updated to a later date in the same year, the profile WILL re-enter the automation. They will re-enter after they finish their current journey, even though it’s the same year.
Change the segment filter(s)
If you change which segment is the filter or the conditions of the segment filter, we re-evaluate profiles currently in your automation based on its exit conditions.
So if you change the segment filter from “In Signed Up” to “In Paying Customers” and the exit condition is “They stop matching the filters,” we’ll re-evaluate the segment filter before profiles’ next actions (message, update action, delay, etc). Profiles that don’t match the automation’s new segment filter will exit the automation. Profiles that do match your automation’s filter will continue the automation.
Moving forward, after date triggers the automation, profiles will only begin your workflow if they match the new segment filter conditions.
Object & relationship triggers
Below, you’ll learn how editing a live automation with these triggers impacts your customers. You also have the option to stop and restart the automation after you’ve made these changes, which may be useful if you want to re-trigger the automation immediately for profiles that currently meet the audience criteria. Learn more about the impacts of stopping and restarting an automation.
“Object updated” trigger
For object-triggered automations, you can change the conditions for the trigger and filter as well as the audience that will move through the automation. The frequency setting is always “every re-match,” so profiles will be eligible to re-enter your automation.
Change the trigger conditions
If you update the conditions of the trigger, profiles currently in the automation continue to move through it. We do not check trigger conditions after a profile starts a journey in an object-triggered automation. After you change the trigger conditions, the object must meet the new conditions for related profiles to go through the automation again.
Since the frequency is always “every re-match,” profiles that have already completed a journey through the automation, or are currently in one, can start another journey. An object must change, based on the new criteria, for profiles to start another journey.
Change the filter conditions
Changing the filter conditions impacts who will enter the automation moving forward. Both trigger and filter conditions must be met for profiles to move through the automation.
Changes to filters will impact profiles currently in the automation only if your exit conditions include filters—either:
- “They stop matching the filters” or
- “They match the conversion criteria or they stop matching the filters”
If the automation uses one of these exit conditions, then we’ll re-evaluate the filters before the next action in the profile’s journey (a message, update action, delay, etc). Then profiles that don’t match the automation’s new filters will exit the automation, while profiles that do match your automation’s filter will continue forward.
Since the frequency is always “every re-match,” profiles that have already completed a journey through the automation, or are currently in one, can start another journey. An object must change AND the new filter criteria must be met for profiles to start another journey.
Change the audience
For object-triggered automations, you can change between two options:
- If you change from “every profile related to the object” to “certain profiles related to the object”, profiles currently in the automation will continue forward. We only evaluate the audience criteria when the automation is triggered. When the automation is triggered in the future, profiles must meet the latest audience criteria to start a journey.
- If you change from “certain profiles related to the object” to “every profile related to the object”, profiles currently in the automation continue forward. We do not check whether profiles meet the audience criteria AFTER they enter the automation, only when the automation is triggered. When the automation is triggered in the future, every related profile will get a journey.
Since the frequency is always “every re-match,” profiles that have already completed a journey through the automation, or are currently in one, can start another journey.
Consider whether each object update might fan out to more than 1,000 profiles. If so, the trigger is blocked and no one starts a journey. Learn how to work within the fan-out limit.
Relationship triggers
Relationship triggers include the “Profile added to object” and “Relationship changed with object” triggers. You can change the conditions for the trigger and filter as well as the audience that will move through the automation. The frequency setting is always “every re-match,” so profiles will be eligible to re-enter your automation.
Change the trigger conditions
If you update the conditions of the trigger, profiles currently in the automation continue to move through it. We do not check trigger conditions after a profile starts a journey in a relationship-triggered automation. After you change the trigger conditions, the new conditions must be met for the automation to trigger again.
Since the frequency is always “every re-match,” profiles that have already completed a journey through the automation, or are currently in one, can start another journey. A relationship must change, based on the new criteria, for profiles to start another journey.
Change the filter conditions
Changing the filter conditions impacts who will enter the automation moving forward. Both trigger and filter conditions must be met for profiles to move through the automation.
It will impact profiles currently in the automation only if your exit conditions include filters—either:
- “They stop matching the filters” or
- “They match the conversion criteria or they stop matching the filters”
If the automation uses one of these exit conditions, then we’ll re-evaluate the filters before the next action in the profile’s journey (a message, update action, delay, etc). Then profiles that don’t match the automation’s new filters will exit the automation, while profiles that do match your automation’s filter will continue forward.
Since the frequency is always “every re-match,” profiles that have already completed a journey through the automation, or are currently in one, can start another journey. A relationship must change AND the new filter conditions must be met for profiles to start another journey.
Change the audience
For relationship-triggered automations, you can change between three options:
- The profile that was added to the object
- Every profile in the object
- Certain profiles related to the object based on profile or relationship attributes
No matter which option you change to, profiles already in the automation will continue forward. We do not evaluate audience criteria AFTER the automation is triggered.
Since the frequency is always “every re-match,” profiles that have already completed a journey through the automation, or are currently in one, can start another journey.
Consider whether each new or updated relationship might fan out to more than 1,000 profiles. If so, the trigger is blocked and no one starts a journey. Learn how to work within the fan-out limit.
