Why Monday.com Native Automations Can't Do This (But Custom Blocks Can)

Monday.com's native automations are powerful, but they hit frustrating walls that leave teams manually handling what should be automated. The core issue? Native automations are reactive tools that only respond after something changes, and they can't work with calculated data or mirror columns at all.

If you've ever wondered why your formula column can't trigger an automation, or why mirror data sits there uselessly while you copy values by hand, you've hit these fundamental limitations. Custom automation blocks and specialized recipes fill these gaps by working with the data types and logic patterns that native automations simply cannot handle.

What Are Native Automation Limitations?

Monday.com's native automations follow a strict reactive model: they wait for specific events (status changes, new items, date arrivals) then execute predefined actions. This event-driven approach works well for straightforward workflows but breaks down when you need:

• Proactive automation that acts on existing data without waiting for changes
• Calculated triggers based on formula column values or thresholds
• Mirror column integration that treats synced data as actionable
• Complex conditional logic with multiple branching paths
• Cross-board coordination beyond basic connected board updates

The workflow builder has improved some of these limitations with conditional branching and delay blocks, but fundamental restrictions around data types and trigger sources remain.

Why Can't Formula Columns Trigger Automations?

Formula columns perform live calculations but exist in a separate layer from automation triggers. When a formula recalculates - whether due to underlying data changes or reference updates - the automation system doesn't register this as an "event" worth responding to.

This creates common scenarios where teams need workarounds:

• A project health score (calculated from multiple factors) changes, but no automation fires to alert stakeholders
• Budget variance formulas show overruns, but status updates require manual intervention
• Timeline calculations reveal schedule conflicts, but notifications don't send automatically

Community Cookbook's Formula Column Threshold Trigger and Formula Column Change Trigger solve this by monitoring formula values and converting changes into automation events. These recipes essentially bridge the gap between calculated data and actionable automation.

The Mirror Column Problem

Mirror columns display data from connected boards but remain completely isolated from automation logic. You can see the synced information, but you can't use it to trigger actions, include it in calculations, or reference it in conditional logic.

This limitation forces teams into inefficient patterns:

• Manually copying mirror values to regular columns for automation use
• Creating complex connected board relationships instead of simple data mirroring
• Building duplicate data entry processes across multiple boards

The Copy Mirror Column Value to Editable Column recipe automates this conversion process, turning static mirror data into actionable column values that can trigger subsequent automations. For ongoing synchronization needs, recipes like Update Status in Connected Board create dynamic connections that native automations handle poorly.

Group Summaries and Aggregate Data Gaps

Group summaries provide valuable insights by aggregating data across items, but they exist purely as display elements. You cannot create automations based on group totals, averages, or completion percentages - even though these metrics often represent the most important project health indicators.

Consider a project management board where you want to automatically escalate when a group's average progress drops below 75%, or send alerts when total budget allocation exceeds approved limits. Native automations simply cannot access this aggregated data.

Subitem Automation Limitations

While monday.com has expanded subitem automation capabilities, complex scenarios still require workarounds. Native automations struggle with:

• Triggering actions when ALL subitems reach a specific status (the built-in option only covers "Done")
• Rolling up subitem timeline data to parent item dates
• Cross-board coordination where subitems on one board need to update parent items on another

Community Cookbook's All Subitems Reach a Status Trigger addresses the first limitation by monitoring completion across any status value. The Sync Parent Dates from Subitem Timelines recipe handles timeline roll-ups that native automations cannot perform.

Rate Limits and Action Consumption

Native automations operate within strict rate limits and monthly action quotas. Standard plans include 250 actions per month, while Pro plans get 25,000. Each automation execution consumes actions from this quota, and high-frequency automations can quickly exhaust available actions.

Rate limits also throttle automation execution when too many triggers fire within short timeframes. This protection prevents system overload but can disable automation templates when you need them most.

Custom blocks often provide more efficient execution paths by batching operations or using external processing that doesn't count against monday.com's action limits.

How Custom Blocks Bridge These Gaps

Custom automation blocks, whether through marketplace apps like Community Cookbook or full custom development, operate outside native automation constraints. They can:

• Monitor any data type including formulas, mirrors, and calculated values
• Execute proactive logic that scans existing data without waiting for trigger events
• Implement complex conditional branching with multiple decision points
• Coordinate across multiple boards with sophisticated synchronization logic
• Process aggregate data from group summaries and cross-item calculations

Community Cookbook recipes target specific limitation patterns with focused solutions. Rather than building comprehensive automation suites, each recipe solves one common gap in native functionality.

Native vs Custom: Choosing Your Approach

Start with native automations for straightforward reactive workflows: status changes triggering notifications, new items creating related tasks, date arrivals sending reminders. These work reliably within monday.com's built-in system.

Add Community Cookbook recipes when you hit specific limitations: formula-based triggers, mirror column integration, cross-board synchronization, or subitem coordination scenarios that native automations cannot handle.

Consider full custom development for comprehensive workflow systems that require extensive conditional logic, external API integration, or processing volumes that exceed platform limits.

Use the workflow builder for multi-step automation sequences that need conditional branching but don't require forbidden data types like formula or mirror column triggers.

The key is recognizing which tool addresses your specific limitation. If you need formula columns to trigger actions, Community Cookbook's formula triggers solve this surgically. If you need comprehensive cross-board workflow orchestration, full custom blocks or external tools like Make.com might be more appropriate.

Native automations remain the foundation of most monday.com workflows. Custom blocks fill the gaps where native functionality cannot reach, creating a complete automation ecosystem that handles both simple reactive patterns and complex proactive logic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I use formula columns as triggers in native automations?+

How do I trigger automations based on mirror column data?+

Can I create proactive automations that run on a schedule in monday.com?+

What's the difference between automations and workflows in monday.com?+

Can group summaries trigger automations?+

Why did my automation stop working when I hit rate limits?+