The best way to start with Subitem Automations

The best way to start with Subitem Automations

TL;DR: Skip the trial-and-error. The fastest way to get value from Subitem Automations is to set up two specific recipes — they're used by more than a third of all accounts and they take five minutes total. Once these work, the rest of the app makes more sense.

The two recipes that matter most

Across 25,000+ installs, the same two recipes top the usage charts every month — by a huge margin. They're the "default first automations" most teams set up and never turn off:
    Sync parent values to subitems on creation — used by 21% of accounts
    Sync parent values to subitems on every change — used by 16% of accounts
Together: ~37% of all subitem automation usage. If you do nothing else this week, set these two up.

Which one do you need?

Your situation
Recipe to start with
"New subitems should inherit the parent's owner / priority / due date — but if the parent changes later, existing subitems should stay as they were."
Recipe 1 only
"Whenever the parent's status / owner / priority changes, every subitem should update too — keep them in lockstep forever."
Recipe 2 only
"Both — new subitems should inherit, AND existing subitems should stay in sync."
Both (they don't conflict)

Before you start

  • The same column type on both parent and subitem (Status → Status, Date → Date, etc.)
  • Column names don't need to match — you map them in the automation
  • Read-only columns (Mirror, Formula, Last updated) can't be the destination

Recipe 1 — Sync parent values to subitems on creation

Recipe: "When subitem is created, set value of its column to match value of column in parent."
What it does: The moment a new subitem appears, it inherits the parent's chosen column value. Existing subitems are not touched.
Best for: giving every new subitem a sensible default (Owner, Priority, Due Date) without requiring users to fill in the same value over and over.

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.
    Pick the parent column (source) and the subitem column (destination — must match parent's type).
    Click Create automation.

Confirm it works

    Set a value on the parent's chosen column.
    Add a new subitem.
    The subitem's matching column should auto-populate.

Recipe 2 — Sync parent values to subitems on every change

Recipe: "When column changes on an item, change its subitems column to the same value."
What it does: Whenever the parent's chosen column changes, every existing subitem updates to match — instantly and automatically.
Best for: shared-state workflows where parent and subitems must always reflect the same value (project status, assigned team, priority level).

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.
    Pick the parent column (source — its changes trigger the sync) and the subitem column (destination).
    Click Create automation.

Confirm it works

    Change the parent's chosen column value.
    Every subitem's matching column should update within seconds.

What can go sideways

  • Column types must match. Status → Status. Date → Date. Mismatched types = the automation never fires.
  • Read-only destinations silently fail. Mirror, Formula, and Last-updated columns can't receive synced values.
  • Recipe 1 is one-shot, Recipe 2 is ongoing. Decide based on whether existing subitems should change when the parent does.
  • Conditions are case-sensitive if you ever extend these patterns to filtered variants.

Where to go next

Once both basics work, expand into the workflow categories that match your team:

Related

  •  Main Use Cases⁠  (browse all 9 automation categories)
  •  Full recipe library⁠ 

Still stuck?

Email  hello@fantasymedia.io  and we'll help you get the basics live in minutes.