Understanding Conditional Triggering
TL;DR: Not every calendar event belongs on your board, and not every item belongs on your calendar. Conditional triggering lets you set rules for each direction — like "only sync events tagged with a specific Outlook category" or "only sync items where Attendees is filled" — so each side only gets what's relevant.
What is conditional triggering?
When you create a sync, the default behavior is simple: everything syncs. Every Outlook event creates a monday item, and every monday item creates a calendar event. No questions asked.
Conditional triggering changes that. It adds a filter layer between your calendar and your board — a set of rules that the sync checks before creating or updating anything. If an event or item doesn't match your rules, the sync skips it.
Think of it as a gatekeeper: instead of "sync all events," you say "sync only events where Category is 'Sync to monday'" or "sync only items where Attendees is not empty." The sync runs the same way — it just checks your conditions first.
Where you set it up: Steps 3 and 4 of the sync wizard, after you've configured your sync scope and field mapping.
- Step 3 — Incoming data: filters what comes from Outlook into monday
- Step 4 — Outgoing data: filters what goes from monday into Outlook
Each direction is independent — you can filter one, both, or neither.
Incoming data: filtering Outlook events
This controls which Outlook Calendar events create or update items on your monday board.
How to set it up
In the sync wizard, reach Step 3 (Incoming data)
Click the dropdown that says "any event"
Select "An event that meets conditions"
A condition builder appears — choose your filter subject and operator
Add more conditions if needed
Click Next to continue to Step 4
Available filter subjects
These are the Outlook event properties you can filter on:
- Title — the event name/subject line
- Category — Outlook's built-in color-coded categories
- Organizer — who created the event
- Attendees — the people invited to the event
- Location — where the event takes place
- Description — the event body text
Available operators
- is — exact match (e.g., Category is "Sync to monday")
- is not — excludes exact match
- contains — the value includes the specified text (e.g., Title contains "client")
- does not contain — the value doesn't include the specified text (e.g., Attendees does not contain "@yourcompany.com")
- is not empty — the field has any value
- is empty — the field has no value
Example setups
The idea: Create a dedicated Outlook category (e.g., "Sync to monday") and only sync events you explicitly tag.
How to set it up:
In Outlook, create a new category called "Sync to monday" (right-click any event → Categorize → Manage Categories)
In the sync wizard Step 3, set: Category is "Sync to monday"
Now, only events you tag with that category will appear on your board
Why this is powerful: You get full manual control. Nothing syncs by accident — you decide event by event. Great for users who want a clean board without calendar noise.
The idea: Only sync meetings that include people outside your company — perfect for CRM, sales, and account management boards.
How to set it up:
In the sync wizard Step 3, set: Attendees does not contain "@yourcompany.com"
Internal-only meetings (where all attendees share your domain) stay off the board
Any meeting with at least one external participant syncs through
Why this is useful: Sales teams can automatically track client meetings without cluttering the board with internal standups and 1:1s.
The idea: Only sync events whose title contains a specific word or phrase.
How to set it up:
In the sync wizard Step 3, set: Title contains "client"
Only events with "client" in the subject line will sync to your board
When to use: Quick and simple, but less reliable than categories — if someone names a meeting differently, it won't sync. Best for teams with consistent naming conventions.
Outgoing data: filtering monday items
This controls which monday items create or update events in your Outlook Calendar.
How to set it up
In the sync wizard, reach Step 4 (Outgoing data)
Click the dropdown that says "any item"
Select "An item that meets conditions"
A WHERE clause appears — choose a subject (column) and an operator
Add more conditions if needed
Click Activate Sync to finish
Available filter subjects
You can filter on any column that you've mapped in Step 2:
- Item Name — the item's name
- Start Date — the date column mapped to event date
- End Date — the end date column (if mapped)
- Start Time — the hour column mapped to event time
- Duration (Min) — the number column mapped to duration
- Attendees — the text column mapped to attendees
- Description — the text column mapped to event body
- Location — the column mapped to event location
Available operators
- is not empty — the column has any value
- is empty — the column has no value
- is — exact match
- is not — excludes exact match
- contains — the value includes the specified text
- does not contain — the value doesn't include the specified text
Example setups
The idea: Keep draft and tentative items off your calendar until they're ready.
How to set it up:
Add a Status column to your board (e.g., with values: Draft, Confirmed, Cancelled)
Map it in Step 2 (Field mapping)
In Step 4, set: Status is "Confirmed"
Only items marked as Confirmed create calendar events
Why this is useful: Your calendar stays clean. Move an item to "Confirmed" when it's real — the event appears automatically. Change it back — the event can be removed (if sync deletions is enabled).
The idea: Use monday board groups to control what reaches your calendar.
How to set it up:
Create a group called "Confirmed Meetings" on your board
In Step 4, filter by group so only items in that group sync
Drag items into the group when you want them on your calendar
Why this is useful: Visual and intuitive — you can see at a glance which meetings are syncing. The group acts as a gate between your board and your calendar.
The idea: Personal tasks and reminders stay on the board. Only actual meetings with participants become calendar events.
How to set it up:
In Step 4, set: Attendees is not empty
Items without attendees are treated as tasks and stay off your calendar
As soon as you add attendees to an item, it syncs to Outlook
Why this is useful: Keeps your calendar focused on real meetings. Use your monday board for task tracking without polluting your calendar.
Combining conditions
You can add multiple conditions to create more precise filters. When you add more than one condition:
- Conditions work as AND logic — all conditions must be true for the sync to trigger
To add another condition, click the + button in the condition builder.
Examples
- Title contains "client" AND Attendees is not empty — only syncs client meetings that have attendees
- Start Date is not empty AND Description is not empty — only syncs fully detailed items to your calendar (no half-filled rows)
- Category is "Sync to monday" AND Location contains "Teams" — only syncs categorized events that are Teams meetings
When to use filters vs. sync everything
First time using the app
Sync everything. Start with "Any event" and "Any item" to see how the data flows. Add filters later.
Dedicated board for calendar sync
Sync everything. The board exists for this purpose — no need to filter.
Shared board with mixed content
Filter outgoing. Prevent non-meeting items from creating calendar events.
Busy calendar, focused board
Filter incoming. Use categories or keywords to keep only relevant events on your board.
Full control over both directions
Filter both. Use categories for incoming + status/group for outgoing.
Nothing syncing after setting up filters? Check your conditions first — a filter that's too restrictive (e.g., exact match on a misspelled category name) will silently block everything. Try switching back to "Any event" or "Any item" temporarily to confirm the sync itself works, then re-add your conditions one at a time.
Common gotchas
- Filters apply to new activity only. Changing a filter won't retroactively sync or unsync items that already exist. It only affects what happens from that point forward.
- "Any event/item" is the default. If you skip Steps 3 and 4 without changing anything, everything syncs in both directions.
- You can change filters anytime. Open the sync view, go to the relevant step, and update your conditions. No need to delete and recreate the sync.
- Conditions apply per-sync. If you have multiple syncs on different boards, each has its own independent filters.
- Test before you commit. If you're unsure about a filter, start with "Any event/item," watch what syncs for a day, then add filters based on what you want to exclude.
Next up
Related
- Set up your first sync
- Field Mapping
- Board Setup Best Practices
- Import Past Events — What to Know