Set up Automation email or push notifications

Set up Automation email or push notifications

If you're working on an automation that's been running in the background, you may miss a pending update if you need to switch from Todoist Automations to work on something else. Notifications solves this by alerting you the moment the automation needs attention: a run failed, your balance is running low, or it's waiting for your answer to continue.

Turn on email or push notifications

In Todoist Automations, you can choose which alert you want to receive notifications for, and if you want it as an email, push notification, or both.

  1. Click your avatar at the bottom-left corner.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Click Notifications.
  4. Turn on Push notifications to receive real-time notifications in your browser and operating system.
  5. Select Allow when your browser asks for permission.
  6. Turn on Email to receive notifications at your account email address.

On Apple devices, push notifications only work after you install Automations to your home screen from Safari. Here's how to set it up:

  1. Open Safari on your Apple device.
  2. Log in to Todoist Automations at https://automations.todoist.com.
  3. Tap the Share icon in the Safari toolbar.
  4. Tap View More > Add to Home Screen.
  5. Check if Open as Web App is turned on.
  6. Tap Add.
  7. Tap to reopen Automations from your home screen.
  8. Tap the sidebar icon.
  9. Tap your avatar and select Settings.
  10. Tap Notifications.
  11. Turn on Push notifications to receive real-time notifications in your browser and operating system.
  12. Select Allow when your browser asks for permission.
  13. Turn on Email to receive notifications at your account email address.
  1. Open Google Chrome on your Android device.
  2. Log in to Todoist Automations at https://automations.todoist.com.
  3. Tap the sidebar icon.
  4. Tap your avatar and select Settings.
  5. Tap Notifications.
  6. Turn on Push notifications to receive real-time notifications in your browser and operating system.
  7. Select Allow when your browser asks for permission.
  8. Turn on Email to receive notifications at your account email address.

Once you've turned push notifications on, you can send yourself a test notification, see which devices are registered, or troubleshoot delivery problems from the same Channels section.

The Devices button lists every device receiving your notifications, when each was last active, and lets you revoke any you no longer use.

If alerts still aren't coming through, check your device and browser notification settings directly. In Notifications, the Trouble receiving? button expands a short list of help articles for enabling notifications on macOS, Windows, and Google Chrome.

Choose your alerts

Automations can send three kinds of alerts:

AlertSent when
Failure alertsAn automation run fails.
Pending questionsAn automation pauses and needs your answer to continue.
Low balance alertsYour balance is running low, and it can no longer cover a run.

Failure alerts and Pending questions are marked as Recommended, and each have their own Push and Email switches in the Notifications page. If you don't want to receive any of these alerts, turn both options off.

Low balance alerts also have their own Push and Email switches, but Email stays on for this one and can't be turned off because these are payment notifications.

Answer a pending question from a notification

In some browsers, like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge on your desktop computer or Android device, you can answer a pending question directly from the notification.

If you're using other browsers like Firefox or Safari, or a pending question has more than two options, tapping the notification opens Todoist Automations itself, and you can answer from there instead.

Pending action notifications may show part of the question's text, so check if your lock screen is visible to others.

Receive notifications from inside an automation

Apart from these three alerts, you can use the Automation chat to add a push notification as a step inside any automation. This type of notification works independently. For example: 

When this automation finishes, send me a push notification with a summary.

Push notifications are delivered to any device where you use Automations and have notifications turned on.

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Turning Push or Email off in the Channels section won't stop an automation that's set up to notify you directly. Instead, edit or remove that step from the automation.

Remove push notifications from your automation

If you no longer want the automation to send a push or email notification, follow these steps:

  1. Click your automation.
  2. Click Change in chat. You can also select the chat bar at the bottom of your screen.
  3. Use natural language to instruct the Automation chat to remove the push or email notification step.

Fix notification issues

If your browser blocked notifications, allow notifications for Automations in your browser's site settings. Then return to Settings > Notifications and turn Push notifications back on.

If push notifications aren't supported in your browser at all, switch to a Chromium-based browser, like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, or install Todoist Automations as an app.

If alerts still aren't coming through, check your device and browser notification settings directly.

Get in touch

Say goodbye to missed automation updates. Open Todoist Automations, go to Settings > Notifications, and set your preferences.

If you're having trouble setting up your notifications, or receiving notifications for any of your automations, get in touch with us.