Lead Automation Actions – Send to Sub-Automation

Zaid Assadi

Updated 11 Nov 2026 | 05:16 PM

1. Feature Overview

A sub-automation is a separate automation that a parent automation passes records into. Instead of building one long workflow, you build the shared or branching steps once as a sub-automation, and then call it from as many parent automations as you want.

Use the Send to Sub-Automation action to:

• Keep a parent automation short by moving later steps into a sub-automation.
• Reuse a standard sequence of steps across multiple automations.
• Build larger workflows without exceeding the 50 node limit of a single automation.

A sub-automation is a regular automation with one difference. Its trigger is the Sub-Automation card, which receives records from another automation instead of starting on an event such as lead creation.

1.1 Example Use Case

You send an email to every new lead, and then follow one sequence of steps for leads who open the email and a different sequence for leads who do not. Both sequences are long.

Build the two sequences as separate sub-automations. In the parent automation, add an If/Else condition on the email open, and then add a Send to Sub-Automation action under each branch. The parent automation stays short, and you can reuse both sequences in any other lead automation you create later.

2. Prerequisites

• You must be an Administrator on your LeadSquared account to create or edit an automation.
• A sub-automation must be published before you can select it in a parent automation. Saved drafts do not appear in the list.

3. How It Works

A sub-automation does not start on its own. It runs only when another automation hands a record to it.

1. The parent automation runs as usual until a record reaches the Send to Sub-Automation card.
2. The card passes the record to the one published sub-automation you selected on it.
3. The sub-automation receives the record through its Sub-Automation trigger card, along with the record’s data. For the data each trigger passes, see Data Posted by Automation Triggers.
4. The sub-automation runs its own conditions and actions, in the same way as any other automation.
5. If the sub-automation contains its own Send to Sub-Automation card, the record is passed down again, to a maximum of three levels below the parent automation.

Because the record enters the sub-automation through a trigger card, the sub-automation must be built on the same trigger type as the parent automation. A lead automation can only call a sub-automation built in a lead automation, and an opportunity automation can only call a sub-automation built in an opportunity automation.

A sub-automation is reusable. Any number of parent automations can send records to the same sub-automation, which is why a change you make to a published sub-automation affects every automation that calls it.

3. Create a Sub-Automation

1. On the automation canvas, click the + icon below the card that the records must flow from.
2. On the Choose Condition or Action menu, under the Actions section, click Send to Sub-Automation.
3. On the Send to a Sub-Automation pop-up window, click Create a new Sub-Automation. The sub-automation opens in a new browser tab, with the Sub-Automation trigger card already in place.
4. Click the pencil icon next to the automation name, enter a Name and Description, and then click Save.
5. Click the + icon below the Sub-Automation trigger card, and then add the conditions and actions you want. The process is the same as building any other automation. For more information, see How to Create a Lead Automation.
6. Click Publish, and then click Yes. To finish the sub-automation later instead, click Save. The sub-automation is stored as a draft and does not appear in the parent automation until you publish it.
7. Return to the parent automation tab, and then complete the steps in section 4 to select the sub-automation you published.

4. Send Records to an Existing Sub-Automation

1. On the automation canvas, click the + icon below the card that the records must flow from.
2. On the Choose Condition or Action menu, under the Actions section, click Send to Sub-Automation.
3. On the Send to a Sub-Automation pop-up window, in the Select an existing Sub-Automation field, search for and select the sub-automation you want. Only published sub-automations of the same trigger type as the parent automation appear in the list.
4. Click Save.

5. Limits

6. Points to Remember

• Only published sub-automations appear on the Send to a Sub-Automation pop-up window.
• You can send any number of parent automations to the same sub-automation.
• For the data each trigger passes into an automation, including the Sub Automation trigger, see Data Posted by Automation Triggers.
• Once an automation triggers 50 times for a lead within a single day, it terminates automatically. This applies to chained sub-automations as well. For more information, see Automation FAQ & Troubleshooting.

Any Questions?

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