> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.statisfy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Project Template Automations

> Automatically create a project from a template — and link it on the account — whenever an account matches a segment you define.

A **project template automation** is a rule that watches your accounts and, when an account matches the conditions you set, creates a project from a template for that account and links the new project in a project lookup field on the account.

A typical use is onboarding: every account that becomes a customer gets an onboarding project created from your onboarding template, linked in the account's **Onboarding Project** field — without anyone creating it by hand.

Each rule reads as a single sentence:

> **accounts matching `<conditions>`** → **create a project from `<template>`** → **into `<project field>`**

## Prerequisites

* **Admin access.** Automations are tenant-wide, so only users with Settings access see or manage them. Everyone else won't see the **Automations** tab or the **Automation** button.
* **A project template.** See [Project Template Creation Guide](/projects/project_template_creation_guide).
* **A Lookup – Project custom field on accounts.** This is the field the rule writes the created project into. Every account already has the built-in **Onboarding Project** field, or you can create your own — see [Lookup Fields](/custom-fields/lookup_fields). If no project lookup field exists, the editor tells you so and **Add rule** stays disabled.

## Where to manage automations

There are two entry points, and both edit the same set of rules:

* **All rules** — go to **Manage → Templates** and open the **Automations** tab. This lists every project automation in your workspace.
* **One template's rules** — open a project template and click the **Automation** button next to the template's title. The dialog has two tabs: **This template**, where you add and edit rules that use this template, and **Other rules**, a read-only summary of rules on other templates with a **Manage all** link back to the full list.

<Note>
  In the single-template dialog the template is locked to the one you opened, so a rule can't accidentally be reassigned to a different template.
</Note>

## Create a rule

**Step 1:** Open **Manage → Templates → Automations** (or the **Automation** button on a template).

**Step 2:** Click **Add rule**. A new rule card appears, pre-filled to match accounts whose **Type** is **Customer**.

**Step 3:** Set the **conditions** — click the filter on the left of the card and build the account segment the rule should apply to, the same way you build filters elsewhere in Statisfy (for example *Type is Customer* and *ARR is greater than 50,000*). See [How to use filters](/filters/how_to_use_the_new_filter_and_do_updates_on_account_fields).

**Step 4:** Choose the **project template** to create from.

**Step 5:** Choose the **project field** the new project is written into — any Lookup – Project field on accounts.

**Step 6:** Decide whether to tick **Create projects for existing accounts** (see [Existing accounts vs. new matches](#existing-accounts-vs-new-matches) below).

**Step 7:** Click **Save**. Save stays disabled until every rule has both a template and a project field selected.

You can add as many rules as you need — several templates can each have their own rule, and a template can have more than one rule (for example, different conditions writing into different fields).

## The locked "Is Blank" condition

Every rule carries one condition you can't remove: the target project field **Is Blank**. It appears in the filter alongside your own conditions and is re-applied whenever you change the target field.

This is what keeps a rule from creating duplicate projects. An account only matches while its project field is still empty; once the rule creates a project and links it there, the account no longer matches and the rule leaves it alone. If you clear that field on an account, the account becomes eligible again and the rule creates a fresh project.

<Tip>
  Want to re-run a rule for one account? Clear its project lookup field and the automation picks the account up again on its next run.
</Tip>

## Existing accounts vs. new matches

The **Create projects for existing accounts** checkbox decides what happens to accounts that already match the conditions when the rule first runs:

* **Unchecked (default)** — accounts that already match are left alone. The rule only acts on accounts that start matching afterwards.
* **Checked** — the rule also creates projects for accounts that already match, so it backfills your existing book.

Decide this **before you save the rule for the first time**. Accounts that already matched when the rule first ran are recorded as skipped, and ticking the box afterwards doesn't go back for them. If you need to cover them, remove the rule, save, then add it again with the box ticked.

<Warning>
  Ticking this on a broad segment can create a large number of projects at once — one per matching account. Narrow the conditions first, or leave it unchecked and let the rule apply going forward.
</Warning>

## What the created project looks like

* It's **named after the template** and **linked to the matching account**.
* Its **start date is the day the rule runs**, and every task's dates are calculated from that start date using the template's day offsets. Dependencies defined in the template carry over — see [Task Dependencies & Auto-Cascade Dates](/projects/task_dependencies_and_cascading).
* The new project's link is written into the project field you chose, so it shows up on the account like any other lookup value.

Automations run in the background, so expect the project to appear a short while after the account starts matching, not the instant it changes.

## Edit or turn off a rule

* **Edit** — change the conditions, template, field, or checkbox on the rule card and click **Save**. Editing a rule doesn't re-create projects for accounts it has already handled; their project field is no longer blank.
* **Turn off** — click the **✕** on the rule card and click **Save**. The rule stops running. Projects it already created, and the field values it already wrote, stay exactly as they are.
* **Cancel** — discards your unsaved changes and restores the rules as last saved.

<Warning>
  Saving replaces the whole set of rules, so removing a card and saving deletes that rule. If the editor can't load your current rules it shows an error and blocks editing rather than letting you save over them.
</Warning>

## Frequently asked questions

<Accordion title="Why can't I see the Automations tab?">
  The tab and the **Automation** button are only visible to users with Settings (admin) access, because automation rules apply to the whole workspace rather than to one user.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Why is Add rule disabled?">
  No Lookup – Project field exists on accounts yet. Create one (or use the built-in **Onboarding Project** field) and reopen the editor — see [Lookup Fields](/custom-fields/lookup_fields).
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Will an account ever get two projects from the same rule?">
  Not in normal use. The locked *Is Blank* condition means an account stops matching as soon as the rule fills its project field, so the rule won't act on it again. Clearing that field is what makes the account eligible for a new project.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="I deleted the template a rule points at. What happens?">
  The rule stays, but it can no longer create projects — its runs fail because the template can't be found. Point the rule at another template, or remove the rule.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="These rules appear in Agent Studio. Can I edit them there?">
  Rules are stored as system-managed automations in Agent Studio's **System Workflows** folder, and they're locked on purpose. Always edit them from the **Automations** tab — changes made anywhere else are overwritten the next time the rules are saved.
</Accordion>