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

# Flows

> Automate the repetitive parts of customer success without writing code.

**Flows** is where you automate the repetitive parts of your work, under **Automation** in the left nav. A flow watches for something to happen, then runs the steps you set up, like creating a task, sending an email, posting to Slack, or updating a field.

## Build a flow

There are three ways to start:

* **Describe it in plain language.** Type what you want ("When health drops below 40, create an urgent task for the account owner") and GainTrace turns it into a flow you can edit.
* **Start from a template** for a common play.
* **Build in the canvas** and drag the steps together yourself.

Any of these drops you into the editor, a canvas where you connect a trigger to a series of actions. It saves as a draft while you work on it.

## What a flow can do

A trigger starts a flow, like a **Signal**, a **Schedule**, a **Data change**, or a **Manual** run. From there, the steps can:

* Create a task for an owner
* Send an email or a Slack message
* Update a field on the account
* Branch on a condition, or wait before the next step

## Test before you turn it on

Save the flow, then use **Test** to run it once and watch each step light up on the canvas. When it looks right, **Activate** it. You can **Pause** it or drop it back to a draft any time. The flows list shows each flow's status, how many times it's run, and its success rate.

## Good to know

* Some steps need a channel connected to do their job. Sending email needs email set up for GainTrace, and the Slack step needs Slack connected. If a channel isn't ready, that step is skipped and the rest of the flow still runs.
* **Test** only works once you've saved the flow.