> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.mediarithmics.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.mediarithmics.io/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/actions.md).

# Actions

What an automation can do to a user: send an email, change segment membership, push to a feed, or run a custom action.

## What an action is

An **action node** does something to or for the user travelling through it. Actions are found in the Automation Components drawer on the right of the builder: drag the one you want into the path of your automation, and you are asked to configure it. Click it later to edit its configuration or remove it.

Once a user goes through an action node, the action is triggered **asynchronously** and the user moves on to the next node.

## The catalogue

<table data-search="false"><thead><tr><th width="210">Action</th><th>What it does</th><th width="120">Maturity</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><a href="#send-email"><strong>Send email</strong></a></td><td>Sends an email to the user.</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td><a href="#add-to-segment"><strong>Add to segment</strong></a></td><td>Adds the user to a list segment.</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td><a href="#delete-from-segment"><strong>Delete from segment</strong></a></td><td>Removes the user from a list segment.</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td><a href="#feed"><strong>Feed</strong></a></td><td>Pushes the user into a feed.</td><td><strong>Alpha</strong></td></tr><tr><td><a href="#custom-action"><strong>Custom action</strong></a></td><td>Triggers a customised action - a push notification, a read or write in a CRM.</td><td>-</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Send email

The configuration comes in three parts.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### The campaign and its provider

* **Campaign name.** The name for the campaign.
* **Provider.** The opt-in provider, which helps you target users who gave explicit consent to email targeting. Contact your Account manager to update your list of providers.
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

### The email itself

Basic information: subject, from email, from name, and so on.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### The template

Choose one among your email templates.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### Frequency capping

{% hint style="danger" %}
The **Send email** node comes with frequency capping, set **by default to 1 email per user every 13 months**.
{% endhint %}

That default is deliberately conservative, and it is the single most common cause of "my automation is not sending". Do not leave it unexamined.

The settings live on the `email_blast` resource created by the automation, and are updated by API through the `capping`, `capping_period` and `min_period_between_shoots` properties:

| Property                    | What it controls                                                                         |
| --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `capping`                   | The maximum number of emails sent in this blast during the capping period.               |
| `capping_period`            | The period considered for capping, as an ISO 8601 duration.                              |
| `min_period_between_shoots` | The minimum time between two emails in the same capping period, as an ISO 8601 duration. |

{% hint style="info" %}
ISO 8601 durations read as `P` plus the quantity: `P1D` is 1 day, `P7D` is 7 days, `P2M` is 2 months. So a capping of `1` with a `capping_period` of `P7D` means at most one email per user per week from this blast.
{% endhint %}

Ask your Solution Architect to update the settings, or do it yourself through the API.

## Add to segment

Adding an **Add to segment** node causes users going through the automation to be added to a segment.

The configuration lets you choose a segment name and a **time to live** (TTL) - the time after which the user should leave the segment, used mainly for regulatory reasons. You can optionally link the segment to user choices.

The resulting segment is a [List segment](/audience-and-activation/build-your-audiences/segment-reference/segment-types/list-automation-segment.md) with a **scenario** subtype.

## Delete from segment

Adding a **Delete from segment** node removes users going through the automation from a segment. The picker only shows list segments.

{% hint style="info" %}
If the user does not belong to the segment, the automation moves on to the next component with no action - it does not fail or branch.
{% endhint %}

## Feed

{% hint style="warning" %}
Feeds for automations are currently in **alpha**. Get in touch with your mediarithmics contact for information on enabling them.
{% endhint %}

A **Feed** node pushes the user going through the automation into a feed. The configuration works in the same way as all other [presets](/audience-and-activation/activate-your-audiences/set-up-a-destination/preset.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
Feed nodes are only visible once you have presets configured - if the component is missing from the drawer, that is why.
{% endhint %}

## Custom action

A **Custom action** node triggers a customised action involving the users going through the automation: sending a push notification, reading or writing information in a CRM, and so on.

If you need an action beyond the standard ones, your Account manager can help you get started on building a custom action component.

## Related pages

<table data-view="cards" data-search="false"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Automation segment</strong></td><td>The segment the two segment nodes write into.</td><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/build-your-audiences/segment-reference/segment-types/list-automation-segment.md">Automation segment</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Flow control</strong></td><td>Getting the user to the right action.</td><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/flow-control.md">Flow control</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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