Excluding a group · When a column changes, connect
TL;DR: Same as the basic "connect on column change" recipe — but with a group exclusion filter. Items in a specified group on the connected board are skipped, even if they match. Use to keep archived, done, or cancelled records out of new connections.
Demo GIF — pending. Tracked in CONTENT-NEEDS.
What this does
Recipe: "When column changes , connect with connect column all/first items on another board where this column matches another column using this logic and this logic, excluding items in this group."
Watches a column on this board. When it changes, the recipe searches the other board for items where a column value matches yours — same as the basic on-column-change recipe — but skips items in a specific group on the connected board. Useful for keeping completed, archived, or cancelled records out of new connections.
Connection only — no ongoing column sync.
When to use it
- Connect to active customer records only — exclude "Churned" group on the CRM
- Link to in-flight projects only — exclude "Done" group on the project board
- Auto-link to current orders — exclude "Archived" group on the orders board
For the basic "connect on column change" without group exclusion, use When a column changes, connect . For 2-column matching, see Match by 2 columns · When a column changes, connect . For all connect variants, see Connect items across boards .
Before you start
- A Connect Boards column on this board, configured to point at the target board (see Setting up Connect Boards columns )
- The trigger column on this board
- A matching key column on each board with values that overlap
- The group on the connected board that should be excluded (e.g. "Done", "Archived", "Churned")
Set it up (4 minutes)
Loom walkthrough — pending. Tracked in CONTENT-NEEDS.
1. Open the Automations Center
From your board, click Automate → Create.
2. Search Connected Boards Automations
Search Connected Boards and pick Connected Boards Automations.
3. Find the recipe
Find the recipe ending in "excluding items in this group": "When column changes, connect with connect column all/first items on another board where this column matches another column using this logic and this logic, excluding items in this group." Click Use template.
4. Pick the trigger column
The column on this board whose change fires the recipe.
5. Pick the connect column, all/first, and connected board
Fill the next fields: connect column, all/first, Another board.
6. Pick matching keys and logic
Fill this column, another column, and the two this logic pickers (override/add + match-empty/don't-match). See the standard variant's setup for screenshots of the logic pickers.
7. Pick the group to exclude
The this group field is the group on the connected board whose items should be excluded from matching (e.g. "Done", "Archived", "Churned").
8. Click Create automation
Test that it works
Change the trigger column on this board to a value that matches an item in a non-excluded group on the other board → confirm connection appears.
Change the trigger column to a value that matches an item in the excluded group → confirm no connection is created.
Move an item on the other board into the excluded group → existing connections are not affected (the exclusion is checked at connect time only).
Common gotchas
- Group exclusion is one-shot. If an item is later moved INTO the excluded group, its existing connection isn't removed. This recipe only filters at connection time.
- Only one group can be excluded per recipe. If you need to exclude multiple groups, set up one recipe per group OR use a different filtering approach.
- Group names are exact. Renaming the group on the other board breaks the recipe — re-pick it in the automation settings.
- The connect column must already exist on this board. The recipe won't create one for you.
Use this with "Done" / "Archived" groups. Most cross-board flows benefit from never linking to completed records. This is the cleanest way to enforce that.
Next up
Related
- Connect items across boards (parent landing)
- When a column changes, connect — without group exclusion
- Match by 2 columns · When a column changes, connect — stricter matching alternative
- Setting up Connect Boards columns — prerequisite
Still stuck?