Project automation didn't run: the event doesn't match the trigger
Last updated: October 2, 2026
Applies to: Super Admins, Creators, and Integrators
Project automations are available when they're turned on for your organization. If you don't see an Automations tab on your projects, contact your OnRamp team.
If the project's Logs has no row for an event, no action ran. This article covers one cause: the trigger waits for a different event than the one that happened. We'll take this one step at a time.
Why it happens
Each trigger starts on one kind of event, and similar events don't count. Find your trigger in this table.
Trigger | Runs when | Doesn't run when |
|---|---|---|
Task completed, Any task completed | A task is completed. Task completed waits for the task chosen in Task. | A task is edited or re-opened, or a subtask is answered while the task stays open |
Subtask completed | The subtask chosen in Subtask is completed | A different subtask is completed, or only the task is |
Project created | Once, right after the project is created | The automation is added after the project exists |
Project owner or status changed | The owner or status changes, if its box is checked: Owner changes or Status changes | Any other project detail changes |
Project completion % reached | Completion rises to the Completion threshold (%) or past it | Completion was already at or past the threshold, or it goes down |
Specific Project datafield changed, Any Project datafield changed | A project data field changes to a new value | A task or account data field changes, or a value is saved again unchanged |
Two more details can matter:
Project completion % reached counts only tasks shown on the customer portal. Tasks whose Visibility is Not on Portal are left out, so this percentage can differ from the progress shown elsewhere in the app.
A project made with a workflow's Debug button and Run and Create Records skips its Project created automations.
Fix it
Open the project from Projects.
Select the Automations tab.
Select the automation in the list. Its trigger is the first step under Workflow.
Compare the trigger with the event, using the table in Why it happens.
If a trigger setting is off, select the trigger and correct it, for example the Task or the Completion threshold (%).
Select Save.
Repeat the event on the project. To test Project created, add the automation to the playbook, then create a new project from it.
Select Logs.
Select Refresh to load the new row.
A trigger can't be swapped while its automation has actions. To use a different trigger, build a new automation with Create, then remove the old one with Delete Rule.
Warning: Repeating an event runs every automation it triggers, not only this one.
Still stuck?
Contact support with the project's name and link, the automation's trigger and its settings, and what happened on the project, with the date and time.