When an item is moved here, connect
TL;DR: When an item is moved into this board from a chosen source board, this recipe connects the arriving item to matching items on a third board using your connect column and matching logic. Ideal for intake / staging boards where items land and must be linked to records elsewhere.
What this does
Recipe: "When an item is moved to this board from another board , connect with connect column all/first items on another board where this column matches another column using this logic and this logic."
Two "another board" fields with different meanings: the recipe waits for an item to be moved into this board from a specific source board, then connects the arrived item to matching items on a third board (the destination/target board).
Connection only — no ongoing column sync.
When to use it
- Intake / triage: incoming requests land in a staging board, auto-link to the customer master record
- Cross-team handoffs: items move from Sales to Delivery board, auto-link to the customer on the CRM
- Lifecycle staging: items move from a "New" board to a "Live" board, auto-link to the inventory master
For connect on item creation instead of move, use When an item is created, connect to a match . For column-change-triggered connects, see 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 source board from which items will be moved into this board
- The target board (different from the source) whose items will be connected
- A matching key column on this board and on the target board with values that overlap
Set it up (4 minutes)
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 starting with "When an item is moved to this board": "When an item is moved to this board from another board, connect with connect column all/first items on another board where this column matches another column using this logic and this logic." Click Use template.
4. Pick the source board (first "another board")
The first "another board" field is the source board — the board items are being moved from. The recipe only fires when items arrive from this board.
5. Pick the connect column, all/first, and target board
Fill the next fields: connect column (on this board, where the link is written), all/first, and the second "another board" — this is the target board whose items will be connected.
6. Pick the matching keys
Fill this column (matching key on this board) and another column (matching key on the target board).
7. Choose how to handle multiple connections (this logic)
Pick Override or Add.
8. Choose how to handle empty values (this logic)
Pick Match empty values or Don't match empty values (usually the latter).
9. Click Create automation
Test that it works
Move an item from the source board into this board, with a matching key column populated.
Open the connect column on this board — confirm a link to the matching item on the target board appeared.
Move an item from a different board into this board — confirm the recipe doesn't fire (it only watches the configured source).
Common gotchas
- The two "another board" fields mean different things. The first is the source (where items come from ); the second is the target (whose items get connected). Easy to swap them in setup.
- Source board is fixed per recipe. If items might arrive from multiple source boards, set up one recipe per source — or use a column-change trigger instead.
- The move must complete fully. Partial moves (e.g. items that arrive without the matching key populated) won't trigger the connection. Pair with an "on column change" recipe as a backstop if the key is populated post-move.
- The connect column must already exist on this board. The recipe won't create one for you.
Ideal for staging / triage boards. When items land in a queue board before being routed to a final board, this trigger keeps them connected to their master record without manual linking.
Next up
Related
- Connect items across boards (parent landing)
- When an item is created, connect to a match — trigger on creation instead of move
- When a column changes, connect — trigger on column change
- Setting up Connect Boards columns — prerequisite
Still stuck?