> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.umbraco.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-automate/concepts/actions.md). # Actions Actions are reusable units of work — HTTP requests, content updates, log messages — that run as steps in an automation. An action is a reusable unit of work. You add actions to an automation as steps and configure each step with its own settings. ## Available Built-in Actions Use built-in actions to send data, update Umbraco entities, and control automation flow. ### General | Action | Purpose | | -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **HTTP Request** | Send an HTTP request to an external URL. | | **Send Email** | Send an email to one or more recipients. | | **Log Message** | Write a message to the application log. Useful for debugging. | | **Delay** | Pause the automation for a configurable duration. | | **Set Variable** | Output a named value that downstream steps can bind to. | | **Notify Editor** | Send a realtime toast to any backoffice user currently editing a content item. | | **Request Approval** | Suspend the run and wait for a user to approve or reject. | | **Run Script** | Run a short JavaScript snippet in a sandbox to transform or compute data, with optional outbound `fetch` support and a configurable output schema for downstream bindings. | ### Content | Action | Purpose | | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Publish Content** | Publish an Umbraco content item. | | **Unpublish Content** | Unpublish an Umbraco content item. | | **Get Content** | Fetch a published content item and expose its properties for downstream steps. | | **Find Content** | Find content items by name, optionally filtered by content type. | | **Get Content Property** | Read a single property value from a published content item. | | **Update Content Property** | Write a single property value on a content item (draft save). | ### Media | Action | Purpose | | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Get Media** | Fetch a media item and expose its properties for downstream steps. | | **Find Media** | Find media items by name, optionally filtered by media type. | | **Get Media Property** | Read a single property value from a media item. | | **Update Media Property** | Write a single property value on a media item. | Add-on packages contribute additional actions. See [Add-ons](/umbraco-automate/add-ons/add-ons.md) for the catalogue. ## Action Settings Each action exposes its own settings. The settings panel is generated from the action's settings model. Many settings support [Bindings](/umbraco-automate/concepts/bindings.md) so values can be pulled in from the trigger or previous steps at runtime.
The settings panel for the HTTP Request action.

Configuring an action's settings.

## Action Output Actions can produce output that downstream steps can bind to. For example, the HTTP Request action outputs the response status code and body: ``` ${ steps.callApi.statusCode } ${ steps.callApi.responseBody } ``` Each step has a **Name** (its label on the canvas) and an **Alias** (`callApi` in the example). See [Step Behaviour](#step-behaviour) below for both. {% hint style="warning" %} The HTTP Request action rejects responses larger than `Execution:MaxHttpResponseBodyBytes` (10 MB by default). The step fails with a terminal error that names the response size and the limit. Raise the limit in [Configuration](/umbraco-automate/getting-started/configuration.md) for larger payloads. {% endhint %} {% hint style="warning" %} The Run Script action runs in a JavaScript sandbox with a 5 MB memory cap and a 15-second total execution timeout by default. Configure both via `Scripting:*` settings. See [Configuration](/umbraco-automate/getting-started/configuration.md). Outbound `fetch` calls are blocked by default. Enable them tenant-wide (`Scripting:FetchEnabled`) and per step (**Allow fetch**) to use them. `fetch` blocks requests to localhost, private, link-local, and cloud metadata addresses to prevent Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF). {% endhint %} ## Step Behaviour Each step has additional settings on the canvas: | Setting | Description | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Name** | The step's display label on the canvas. | | **Alias** | The identifier used to reference the step's output in bindings, for example `${ steps.callApi.responseBody }`. Automate suggests one automatically when you add the step; edit it any time before publishing. | | **Error behavior** | What to do when the step fails: **Retry**, **Suspend** the run for manual intervention, **Terminate** the run, or **Compensate** before terminating. | | **Max retries** | When the error behavior is **Retry**, how many times the step retries before giving up. | | **Retry interval** | When the error behavior is **Retry**, how long to wait between retries. | {% hint style="info" %} An alias must start with a letter and contain only letters and numbers, and must be unique within the automation. Renaming a step's **Name** after it's been added does not change its **Alias**: the two are independent once set. Publishing fails if any binding elsewhere in the automation still references an alias that no longer exists. {% endhint %} The engine-wide default step timeout is controlled by the `Execution:DefaultTimeout` setting. See [Configuration](/umbraco-automate/getting-started/configuration.md). ## See Also * [Build an Automation](/umbraco-automate/backoffice/building-an-automation.md) * [Connections](/umbraco-automate/concepts/connections.md) * [Create a Custom Action](/umbraco-automate/extending/custom-action.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-automate/concepts/actions.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.