Create a flow from scratch

To create a fully custom automation, you can build a flow from scratch:

On your computer, go to https://studio.workspace.google.com and click New flow.
Click the Starter to choose which event or schedule will launch your flow.
Click Choose a step and select the task the flow will perform.
At the top of the page, click the pencil to name your flow.
Optional: Before you turn on your flow, to make sure it works properly, click Test run Start.
- This runs the flow immediately so you can verify the output.
- If everything works fine, you get a "Run Completed" message.
After you complete your edits, click Turn on.

Every flow has 2 main parts:

Starter: This is the event that starts your flow. A starter can be a schedule, like “every Friday at 5 PM,” or an event, like to receive a new email with an attachment. Each flow has only one starter.
Steps: These are the tasks the flow performs after it starts. You can add multiple steps to a flow. A step could be:
- “Draft a reply.”
- “Notify me in Chat.”

Tip: Variables are placeholders for information from your starter or previous steps. They let you create dynamic and powerful flows.

For example, you can use a variable to insert the subject line of an email from your starter into a Google Chat message step. Learn how to use variables to pass data in your flow.

Build your flow from scratch with an example

In this example, you'll create a flow from scratch that automatically drafts a reply in Gmail whenever you receive an email that contains the word 'Invoice'.

Step 1: Choose your starter

On your computer, go to studio.workspace.google.com click New flow .
Click Choose a starter When I get an email. This tells the flow when to begin.
On the right of the configuration panel, under "Which messages to check," select Specific emails.
Find the "Has the words" field.
Enter: Invoice
- This tells the flow to run only when an email contains the word "Invoice" in its subject or body.

For a full list of all available starters and steps, go to Guide to Starters and Steps in Workspace Studio.

Step 2: Add a step

Below your starter, click Choose a step.
Under the "Gmail" category, select Draft a reply.

Step 3: Use variables to create a dynamic message

On your "Draft a reply" step, click inside the Message field.
Enter: Hello,
Press Enter for a new line and type: I received the invoice regarding:
Click Variables + Step 1: When I get an email Email subject.
Press Enter.
Type: I will review it and get back to you.
- Your message should look like this:
  
  Hello,
  
  I received the invoice regarding: [Email subject]
  
  I will review it and get back to you.
When your flow runs, it automatically replaces the variable chips with the actual details from the email. Learn more about using variables.

Step 4: Name, test & turn on your flow

At the top of the page, click the pencil to name your flow.
At the bottom, click Test run.
- A new window will show that allows you to select a recent email from your inbox that matches your starter conditions to test the flow with.
In the "Email received" field, enter: Invoice
- This finds recent emails that match your starter conditions.
Select an email.
Click Start.
- If everything works fine, you get a "Run Completed" message and should find a new draft email in your Gmail Drafts folder.
When you're finished, click Turn on.