Airtable automation
Connect an Airtable base to Automette so that a record reaching a chosen state (a status set to "Ready", a checkbox ticked) generates a document. The generated file can be attached to the record, its link written to a field, or sent to a webhook.
Prerequisites
- An Automette template with fields that match your Airtable table. Template fields are the variables in your document, for example
customer_nameorinvoice_date. - An Airtable base with the table you want to generate from. You need creator or owner access to it so Automette can register a webhook.
- A "trigger" field in that table, typically a single select (Status: Draft / Ready) or a checkbox (Generate).
Step 1: Connect your Airtable account
Go to Data → Connections → New connection and click Connect Airtable. Airtable asks you to choose which bases Automette may access, then asks for these permissions:
- Read records and read base schema: to list tables and fields, and read the record that triggered a run
- Write records: to attach the file or write its link back to the record
- Manage webhooks: to be told when records change
Pick every base you might automate from. Adding a base later means reconnecting.
Once connected, the account appears under Data → Connections as an Airtable connection.
Step 2: Create the automation
Go to Automations → New automation.
Basics. Name the automation and choose Airtable as the source. Then choose when it runs:
- Airtable row updated (recommended): runs when a field you choose reaches a value you choose. Use this for anything a person fills in over time.
- New Airtable row: runs the moment a record is created. Only use this when records arrive fully populated, for example from a form or an API, because a record created by hand is empty when it triggers.
Template. Pick the template to fill.
Step 3: Choose the base, table and trigger
On the Connect step, pick your Airtable connection, then the base and table.
If you chose Airtable row updated, set the trigger condition:
- Run when field becomes: the field to watch, for example
Status. - Value: the value that starts a run. For a single select you pick from its options; for a checkbox you pick Checked or Unchecked; for other field types you type the exact text.
Example: field = Status, value = Ready. The automation runs when a record's Status changes to Ready. It does not run again while Status stays Ready, and does not run for edits to other fields. To generate again, change Status to something else and back to Ready.
The value must match exactly, including capitalisation.
Step 4: Map Airtable fields to template fields
The Field mapping step lists your template's fields on the left with a dropdown on the right to pick the Airtable field that fills it. Fields you leave unmapped keep the template's default value.
| Template field | Airtable field |
|---|---|
customer_name | Customer |
invoice_number | Invoice No |
invoice_date | Date |
total | Amount |
Airtable values are converted to text before they reach the template: single and multiple selects become their option names (comma separated for multiple), checkboxes become true or false, numbers are printed as-is, and dates arrive in the ISO form Airtable stores (2026-09-17).
Repeating rows. If the template has a list field (line items on an invoice, sessions on a schedule), map it to a linked records field. Automette follows the links, fetches each linked record, and you map the linked table's fields to the columns of the list.
Step 5: Choose what happens after generation
On the Delivery step, choose one or more outputs:
- Attach file back: saves the generated file into an attachment field on the same record. Pick the field. The file replaces whatever was in that field before.
- Write link back: writes the file URL into a URL or text field on the record. Pick the field. The link is valid for one hour.
- Send webhook callback: POSTs the result to a callback URL of your choice. See Webhooks for the payload.
Step 6: Review and activate
The Review step summarises the configuration. Click Save, then Activate. Activating registers a webhook on the Airtable table, so Airtable tells Automette the moment a record changes. There is nothing to install on the Airtable side.
Step 7: Test it
In Airtable, open a record and set the trigger field to the trigger value. Within a few seconds the file should appear in the attachment field or the link in the URL field.
Check History in Automette to see the run listed with an Automation source. If nothing happens after 15 seconds, check that the automation is Active on the Automations page.
Common questions
Does it matter how the record was changed? No. Edits in the Airtable app, form submissions, Airtable automations, synced tables and API writes all count.
Will it run twice if I save the same record twice? No. A run only starts when the trigger field changes to the trigger value. Saving other fields, or setting the same value again, is ignored. Each Airtable change event is also recorded, so the same event is never processed twice.
What if generation fails? The run appears in History with a failed status and the error message. Nothing is written back to the record.
Can I pause the automation? Yes. Pause it on the Automations page. Changes in Airtable are ignored while it is paused and it picks up new changes once resumed (changes made while paused are not replayed).
My connection shows "token expired". Airtable connections expire after 60 days without use. Go to Data → Connections and click Reconnect next to the Airtable connection. Automations keep their configuration and are re-armed automatically.
Can one table drive several automations?
Yes. Each automation has its own trigger condition and template, so Status = Ready can generate an invoice while Status = Shipped generates a packing slip.
Last updated on