TL;DR: Pick labels in a Dropdown column on the parent item — when a status changes to something, each selected label becomes a subitem with that label as its name. Perfect for templated checklists where users pick which steps apply per project.
What this does
Recipe:"When item's status changes to something, create subitems based on the labels in this dropdown column (the labels will be the name of subitem)."
You configure two columns on the parent: a Status column (the trigger) and a Dropdown column (the source). When the status flips to your trigger value, the recipe reads every label currently selected in the Dropdown and creates one subitem per label — using the label text as the subitem name.
Example: parent's Dropdown contains "Design", "QA", "Launch", "Comms". Status flips to "Kick off". Four subitems appear: Design, QA, Launch, Comms.
When to use it
Project templates where users pick which deliverables apply (don't always need every subitem on every project)
Standardised checklists with a fixed library of step names but variable scope per item
Onboarding workflows — pick the modules a new hire needs, status flips to "Onboarding," subitems appear
Service-tier kickoffs — Premium customers get more subitems than Basic; the Dropdown selection drives it
If you want the SAME fixed list of subitems on every status change (no per-item picking), use one of the simpler "create a subitem on this item" recipes instead — they don't read from a column.
Before you start
A Status column on the parent item (the trigger)
A Dropdown column on the parent item with the label library users will pick from
Labels in the Dropdown should be your finalised subitem names — they're used verbatim
Set it up
Open Automate → Create on your board.
Copy the recipe text above and find it in your board's automation center, then click Use Template.
Configure:
Status column + Status value — the trigger
Dropdown column — the source of subitem names
Click Create automation.
Test that it works
On any item, set the Dropdown to a few labels (e.g. "Design", "QA", "Launch").
Flip the parent's status to your trigger value.
Confirm three subitems appear named Design, QA, and Launch.
Reset, change the Dropdown to a different mix, and re-trigger — confirm the new mix appears.
Common gotchas
Labels become subitem names verbatim. If a label is "Design (UI)", the subitem name is exactly that — punctuation and all.
Re-triggering creates duplicates. If status flips to the trigger value twice, you get two sets of subitems. Reset the status before re-triggering, or pair with a "remove existing subitems" recipe.
Empty Dropdown = no subitems. If nothing's selected when the status flips, nothing happens.
For text-driven names (free-form rather than a fixed label library) use the Text-column variant: "When item's status changes to something, create subitems based on the text in this text column."