The best way to start with Connected Boards Automations
The best way to start with Connected Boards Automations
TL;DR: Skip the trial-and-error. The fastest way to get value from Connected Boards Automations is to set up two specific recipes — they're the most-used cross-board patterns and they take five minutes total. Once these work, the rest of the app makes more sense.
The two recipes that matter most
Across 6,000+ installs, the same two recipes top the usage charts every month — by a wide margin. They're the "default first automations" most teams set up and rarely turn off:
Connect new items and keep them synced two-way — auto-link new items to matching items on another board, and keep matching columns in sync from that point on
Connect items on status change and keep them synced two-way — same outcome, but only kicks in once an item reaches the status you choose
If you do nothing else this week, set these two up.
Which one do you need?
Your situation
Recipe to start with
"Every new item on this board should immediately link to its match on the other board and stay in sync."
Recipe 1 only
"Items shouldn't link until they reach a specific stage (e.g. Won, Approved, Ready) — only then should they sync."
Recipe 2 only
"Both — every new item should link immediately AND we want a backup that catches items if status changes later."
Columns on both boards with matching name and type for any value you want kept in sync (Status → Status, Date → Date, etc.)
A "matching key" column on each board (e.g. Email, SKU, Client ID) so the recipe can find the right pair
Read-only columns (Mirror, Formula, Last updated) can't be the destination
Recipe 1 — When an item is created, connect + sync
Recipe:"When item/subitem created, connect it to items/subitems from another board using this connect column when this column matches another column and sync ALL future changes where column name and type match."
What it does: The moment a new item appears on this board, it auto-connects to the matching item on the other board. From that point forward, any column with the same name and type stays in sync on both sides.
Best for: CRM ↔ Project, Master inventory ↔ Regional boards, Tickets ↔ Engineering backlog — any pair of boards that need to feel like one.
Set it up
Open Automate → Create on your board.
Search "Connected Boards" and pick this recipe in the Automation Center, then click Use Template.
Pick the connect column on this board, the matching key on this board, and the matching key on the other board.
Click Create automation.
Confirm it works
Create a new item on this board with a value in the matching key column.
Confirm it links automatically to the matching item on the other board.
Change a value in a matched column on either side — the other side should update within seconds.
Recipe:"When item/subitem status changes to something, connect it to items/subitems on another board using this connect column when this column matches another column and sync ALL future changes where column name and type match."
What it does: Same outcome as Recipe 1, but the trigger is a status reaching a specific value (e.g. Won, Approved). The connect + ongoing sync only kicks in once the item hits that stage.
Best for: Sales pipeline → Delivery, Approval gates → Production, Triage → Engineering — workflows where items only matter to the other board once they reach a milestone.
Set it up
Open Automate → Create on your board.
Search "Connected Boards" and pick this recipe, then click Use Template.
Pick the status column, the status value that triggers the recipe, the connect column, and the matching keys on both boards.
Click Create automation.
Confirm it works
Change an item's status to the value you picked.
Confirm the item links automatically to its match on the other board.
Change a matched-column value on either side — the other should update.