---
title: Add an automated playbook to an app in Creator Studio
description: Create an automated playbook, which is a process that runs whenever a record is created or updated by the app's specified form.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/application-development/creator-studio/creator-studio-add-automation.html
release: australia
product: Creator Studio
classification: creator-studio
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-03-12"
reading_time_minutes: 4
breadcrumb: [Automation in apps, Build apps, Creator Studio, Building no-code applications, Developing your application, Building applications]
---

# Add an automated playbook to an app in Creator Studio

Create an automated playbook, which is a process that runs whenever a record is created or updated by the app's specified form.

## Before you begin

Playbooks run on the records generated by catalog items you create for the app, so you must add forms to the app before you can add automation. You can use only published forms \(that is, forms that have been marked as ready\) to create automations. For more information, see [Working with forms in Creator Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/creator-studio/creator-studio-work-with-forms.md).

To add a playbook, you must be given permission to work on the app.

## About this task

**Note:** For example, you can build a travel request app where people can ask for permission for different types of travel, which automatically routes the request to a manager for approval.

## Procedure

1.  Go to **All** > **App Engine** > **Creator Studio** to see all the apps on the Creator Studio home page.

2.  Open the app that you want to add automation to.

3.  Select **+ Add automation** for the form that you want to add a playbook to.

    **Note:** If your app has a lot of forms, you can use the search box in the navigation panel to search for a specific form.

    The following rules apply:

    -   If the form is still in draft, a message pops up telling you that you must publish the form first. Check out [Publish a form for your app in Creator Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/creator-studio/creator-studio-publish-form.md) for more information.
    -   You can select only published forms to run the playbook. If you published a form and then edit it, you can’t use the version that's being edited in a condition for a playbook, for example as a trigger for the automation. However, you can use the published version of the form or publish the version that you’re editing, which makes its question answers available to use in playbook conditions.
    -   The table for the form you choose is the app’s associated table, which is specified when the app is created. However, your admin can change the table, see [Administering an app's associated table](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/creator-studio/creator-studio-admin-app-table.md) for details. If you get a message that playbook creation is unavailable, contact your admin to verify the table for the app.
    \[Omitted image "crs-automation-add-nav.png"\] Alt text: Select + Add automation in the navigation panel

4.  Specify the playbook's General attributes in the Create playbook modal.

    |Field|Description|
    |-----|-----------|
    |Playbook name|Descriptive name for the playbook you're creating.|
    |Description|Brief explanation of what the playbook does, for example, the end goal for the record type.|

    \[Omitted image "crs-create-playbook-modal.png"\] Alt text: Settings for creating a playbook

5.  Specify the Schedule for the playbook.

    1.  Select the type of **Trigger** that initiates the playbook.

        |Trigger|Description|
        |-------|-----------|
        |Form submitted|Start running the playbook when a user submits the form you chose.|
        |Form updated|Start running the playbook when a user updates the form you chose.|
        |Form submitted or updated|Start running the playbook when a user submits or updates the form you chose.|

        **Note:** You can't change an playbook's trigger type after you finish creating the playbook. Instead, create a new playbook with a different trigger.

        However, you can edit the trigger condition, such as making the playbook run conditionally based on a specific answer to a question. For more information, see [Edit the trigger for a playbook in Creator Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/creator-studio/creator-studio-add-trigger-automation.md).

    2.  If you chose a trigger that includes a form being updated, specify how often that app should **Run your playbook**.

        The options are:

        -   **Once**
        -   **For each unique change**
        -   **Only if not currently running**
        -   **For every update**
    3.  Specify the conditions that must be met for the playbook to begin running by selecting **Add conditions**.

        -   If you want to trigger the playbook based on the value of a column in a table, select the **[Field](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/creator-studio/creator-studio-glossary.md)** that you want to be the trigger, as well as its condition **Operator** and the specific trigger **Value**. For example, when a **Start date** is **after** the **Date** needed.
        -   If you want to trigger the playbook based on the response from a form, select **Questions** as the trigger **Field**. Then select the question you want in the **Question** field, the condition **Operator** and the answer's **Value**.

            \[Omitted image "crs-trigger-question-answer.png"\] Alt text: Use a specific answer to a form's question as trigger

        Add as many conditions as you need. For more information, see [Create a condition statement using the condition builder](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/platform-user-interface/create-cond-state-using-cond-build.md).

    4.  Select **Create**.


## Result

**Congrats:** Congratulations, you've created an automation!

## What to do next

Next, you need to add activities to the playbook. For more information, see [Add activities to an app's playbook in Creator Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/creator-studio/creator-studio-add-activities-automation.md).

**Parent Topic:**[Working with automation in Creator Studio](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/creator-studio/creator-studio-working-with-automations.md)