Setting up Connect Boards columns
TL;DR: Every Connected Boards Automations recipe needs a Connect Boards column linking your two boards. This guide walks through the four ways to set it up — depending on whether you're connecting items or subitems on each side.
When to use this guide
You need a Connect Boards column before you can run any of the Connected Boards Automations recipes. The setup depends on what you're connecting:
- Item ↔ Item — most common; both boards have items linked to each other
- Subitem (this board) ↔ Item (other board) — detail-level tasks on one board linked to master records on another
- Item (this board) ↔ Subitem (other board) — master items linked to detail-level subitems elsewhere
- Subitem ↔ Subitem — subitem-level coordination across two boards
Before you start
- You need at least two boards in your monday.com account
- You need edit access on both boards
- For subitem connections, the Subitems column must already exist on the relevant board (add it via board settings if not)
1. Item ↔ Item
Use when: connecting items between two boards (e.g. Projects ↔ Clients).
Steps
Go to the board where you'll set the automation.
Add a new Connect Boards column at the item level.
Select the board you want to connect to.
Enable two-way connection .
(Optional) Rename the column to something meaningful like "Client Link".
Set up your Connect & Sync automation (or any Connect Boards Automations recipe) using the new connect column.
Walkthrough
2. Subitem ↔ Item
Use when: connecting subitems (detailed tasks) on this board to main items on another board.
Steps
Open the board where you'll set the automation.
Click into Subitems, then add a Connect Boards column at the subitem level.
In the column settings, choose the board you want to connect to.
Enable two-way connection .
(Optional) Rename the column to something meaningful like "Client Link".
Walkthrough
3. Item ↔ Subitem
Use when: connecting high-level items to subitems on another board (e.g. Projects board items → Department board subitems).
Steps
Go to the target board (the board you're connecting to, not where the automation will run).
Add a Connect Boards column.
Choose the board where the automation will be set.
Enable two-way connection .
(Optional) Rename the column to something meaningful like "Project Link".
Set up your Connect & Sync automation using the connect column that was auto-generated when you enabled two-way connection.
Walkthrough
4. Subitem ↔ Subitem
Use when: connecting subitems from one board to subitems on another (e.g. Team A subitems ↔ Team B subitems).
Steps
Go to the board where you'll set the automation.
In the Subitems view, add a Connect Boards column.
Choose the board whose subitems you want to connect to.
Enable two-way connection .
Open the other board, go to its Subitems, click + Add column → Copy parent columns, and select the connect column that was just created on the first board.
Walkthrough
Common gotchas
- Two-way connection must be enabled on the Connect Boards column. This is the toggle on the column itself ("Create a two-way connection"). Without it, recipes can't write back to the originating board. Note this is the column setting — different from a "two-way sync" recipe (which is the automation that keeps matching columns aligned over time).
- For Subitem ↔ Subitem (case 4), you need the "Copy parent columns" step on the second board. Without it, both sides won't see the connection.
- Renaming the connect column doesn't break anything — automations use the column's internal ID, not its name.
- You can connect one board to multiple boards — set up additional connect columns as needed.
Next up
Up next: The best way to start with Connected Boards Automations — set up your first two recipes using the connect column you just created.
Related
- Installation & Set up — install the app if you haven't yet
- Two-way sync — the recipes that use the connect column
- Connect items across boards — connect-only recipes
- Main Use Cases — all categories that use Connect Boards columns
Still stuck?