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Workflows can start a Sidekick session on their own, triggered by what happens in your queue or by a clock, so work gets done before anyone opens the app. This article covers how Sidekick fits into workflows. For how to build and configure workflows in general, see the Workflows docs.
Sidekick in workflows in Plain

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Thread-based workflows

A thread-based workflow fires whenever a thread meets conditions you set.
  • Triggers include: a new thread arriving, a message added, labels changed, priority changed, tier updated, an SLA status transition, a thread escalated, thread fields set or updated, a thread locked, or a customer survey response landing.
  • Conditions narrow it further: company, tenant, tier, channel, label, SLA state, or thread fields.
  • Steps then run automatically: reassign, reprioritise, label, notify in Slack, fire a webhook, or start a Sidekick investigation.
For example, a workflow fires on new enterprise threads: Sidekick matches them against active errors and monitors in Datadog and Sentry, sets a label and priority, assigns the right team, and posts its findings as an internal note.

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Scheduled workflows

A scheduled workflow runs on a cron schedule with no trigger thread. It fires at a set time, runs its steps, and completes.
Sidekick in workflows: sidekick step
A scheduled workflow can include a start a Sidekick discussion step. The workflow parks while Sidekick works, then resumes once it’s done. This makes fully autonomous reports possible: a structured briefing every morning without anyone asking for it.
  • Morning queue brief. Every morning, a scheduled workflow has Sidekick pull breaching and near-breach threads, check their linked issues, and add discussion context, so the team walks in to a ready-made triage summary.
  • Weekly support digest. Every Friday, Sidekick counts threads opened, resolved, and breaching, checks linked issues, reads high-activity discussions, and posts a structured digest to Slack.
Sidekick in workflows: output automated report

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Where sessions show up

Sessions that a workflow starts run on the same engine, tools, and approval rules as any other Sidekick session, and they appear alongside your own in Home and the sessions shelf. Workflow-created discussions are visible to your workspace; personal sessions stay private.