> ## Documentation index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dash.robopost.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Automations overview

An automation watches a source for you, such as your blog's feed or your online store, and turns every new item it
finds into a post. It can publish that post right away, save it as a draft for you to review, or add it to a
collection that posts on its own schedule.

**You need:** at least one connected channel, and the address of the feed, blog or store you want to share (or a
connected Facebook Page to copy from).

## What can an automation post from?

Pick the source in **Automation Type** when you create the automation.

| Automation Type | What it watches | Setup guide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **RSS Feed** | Any RSS or Atom feed | [Post from an RSS feed](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/rss-feeds.md) |
| **WordPress** | New posts on a WordPress site | [WordPress and Ghost](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/wordpress-and-ghost.md) |
| **Ghost Blog** | New posts on a Ghost site | [WordPress and Ghost](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/wordpress-and-ghost.md) |
| **WooCommerce** | New products in a WooCommerce store | [WooCommerce](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/woocommerce.md) |
| **Shopify** | New products in a Shopify store | [Shopify](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/shopify.md) |
| **Shopify (News)** | New articles on a Shopify store's blog | [Shopify](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/shopify.md) |
| **Squarespace** | New posts on a Squarespace blog | [Squarespace](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/squarespace.md) |
| **Channel** | New posts on one of your Facebook Pages | [Recurring posts and collections](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/recurring-posts-and-collections.md) |

None of these need a password, an API key or an app installed on your site. Robopost reads the same public feed a
news reader would, so the source must be reachable without logging in.

## Create an automation

1. In the sidebar, click **Posts → Automations** ([open it](https://dash.robopost.app/automations)), then **New Automation**.
2. Type an **Automation name** you'll recognize later, such as "Blog to Facebook".
3. Choose the **Automation Type**.
4. Paste the address of your feed, blog or store in **URL**. For a **Channel** automation, pick the
   **Source Channel** instead.
5. Decide how the post text is written: fill in the **Post Template**, or switch on
   **Let AI generate the post text**. See [Post from an RSS feed](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/rss-feeds.md) for both.
6. In **Post To**, choose where new posts go (see the next section).
7. In **For Channels**, pick every channel that should get the posts.
8. Leave **Enable** on and click **Create Automation**.

If you chose **Save as a Draft** or **Post to Collections**, Robopost asks for an **Initial Fetch Limit**: how many
of the most recent items already in the feed to bring in now, from 0 to 100. Enter a number and click **Confirm**.

The automation appears as a card on the **Automations** page with an **enabled** badge. Robopost then checks a feed
about every 10 minutes, and a Facebook Page every few minutes.

> **Note:** Once an automation is created, you can't change its **Automation Type** or **URL**. To watch a different
> address, create a new automation and delete the old one.

## Choose where new posts go

| Post To | What happens to each new item |
| --- | --- |
| **Directly post to Channels** | Published right away on every channel in **For Channels** |
| **Save as a Draft** | Saved in **Draft posts** for you to review, edit and schedule |
| **Post to Collections** | Added to each collection picked in **Post Collections**, which publishes it on its own schedule |

See [Drafts and approvals](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/drafts-and-approvals.md) and [Collections](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/collections.md) for what to do
next with drafts and collection items. With **Directly post to Channels**, each channel gets its own post, worded for that network. A draft or collection
item is a single post for all the channels you picked.

## What happens right after I create it?

A feed, blog or store automation starts with the newest items that are already in the feed, then keeps watching for
new ones:

- With **Directly post to Channels**, the first check can publish up to the 5 most recent items in the feed. If you
  don't want to re-share older articles or products, create the automation with **Save as a Draft** first, delete
  the drafts you don't want, then edit the automation and switch to **Directly post to Channels**.
- With **Save as a Draft** or **Post to Collections**, the **Initial Fetch Limit** sets how many recent items are
  imported first.

In every case, one feed never produces more posts per hour than **Maximum RSS items fetched per hour** (1 to 5), so a
large import arrives over a few hours. A **Channel** automation works differently: see [Copy new Facebook Page posts
to other channels](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/recurring-posts-and-collections.md#copy-new-facebook-page-posts-to-other-channels).

## Pause, edit or delete an automation

**Pause it.** Click **Edit** on the automation's card, switch **Enable** off and click **Update Automation**. The card
now shows **disabled** and nothing is posted. When you switch it back on, items published while it was paused count
as new if they are still among the latest items in the feed, so they may be posted then.

**Change its settings.** Click **Edit** on the card, change what you need and click **Update Automation**. The new
settings apply to items found from then on.

**Delete it.** On the card, open the **⋮** menu and click **Delete**, or open the automation and click
**Actions → Delete Automation**. Click **Yes** to confirm. Robopost stops watching the source.

**Re-import items.** Open a feed, blog or store automation and click **Actions → Re-Import Posts** (available after
the first check). Enter how many of the most recent items to import again (1 to 20) and click **Yes**. Robopost saves
your current settings first, then creates the posts again with them. A **Re-Import in progress...** message stays on
screen until it's done.

> **Important:** Re-importing creates the posts again, so expect duplicates. With **Directly post to Channels** it
> publishes the items again (up to 5). Re-import into drafts or a collection when you only want to rebuild them.

## What do the badges on an automation mean?

| Badge | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **enabled** | The automation is on and watching its source |
| **disabled** | The automation is paused |
| **Initializing...** | Robopost hasn't finished its first check yet |
| **Re-Import...** | A re-import is running |
| **RSS Error** | The last check or post failed. Click the badge to see why |

The grey badge shows the automation type, for example **RSS** or **SHOPIFY NEWS**.

## How many automations can I have?

Your plan sets how many automations you can create. Every automation on the **Automations** page counts, whatever its
type, including paused ones. Recurring collections and faceless video series don't. When you reach the limit, Robopost
shows **Plan Limit Hit** instead of creating the automation. Check your count in **Account → Plan Usage**: see
[Usage and limits](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/account/usage-and-limits.md).

## Who can manage automations?

Team admins, and members with the **Manage Automation** right. Others don't see **Automations** in the sidebar. See
[Team members and roles](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/account/team-members-and-roles.md).

## Why isn't my automation posting?

Work through these in order:

1. **Is it enabled?** The card should show **enabled**.
2. **Is there an RSS Error badge?** Click it to read the reason. The most common are "Failed to fetch feed" (the
   address doesn't answer, or the site blocks automated requests) and "No entries found in feed" (the address isn't
   a feed, or the feed is empty).
3. **Is there anything new?** Robopost posts only items it hasn't seen before. Publish a new article or product, or
   use **Re-Import Posts** to test.
4. **Is Smart Filtering on?** Items that don't match your instructions are skipped on purpose.
5. **Does the network need media?** Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok posts need an image or a video, and YouTube needs
   a video. An item without one is skipped for that channel. See
   [Choose the image](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/rss-feeds.md#choose-the-image).
6. **Did the post itself fail?** Check **Published posts** for an error and see
   [Why did my post fail?](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/why-did-my-post-fail.md).
7. **Is X missing?** X posts use X credits and pause when you run out. See [X credits](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/posts/x-credits.md).

## Next

[Post from an RSS feed](https://dash.robopost.app/docs/automations/rss-feeds.md)