Automation versioning
Automation versioning lets you edit a running automation without affecting the live version. Changes are made in a draft, published as a versioned update, and tracked in a full version history. If something goes wrong, you can restore any previous version.
How it works
Every automation has a version group that tracks its drafts, published versions, and audit history. The workflow follows three stages:
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Draft | You edit a copy of the automation. The live version keeps running untouched. |
| Publish | The draft becomes the next version. In-progress runs finish on the old version; new events route to the updated version. |
| Restore | You create a draft from any previous version, then publish it as the next version number. |
Version numbers increment automatically (v1, v2, v3). Published versions are locked — all edits go through a draft.
One draft exists at a time per automation. If a draft already exists, clicking Edit opens it instead of creating a second one.
Create and publish an automation
- Go to
Partner Center→Automations→My automations. - Click
Create automation. This creates a draft. - Configure the trigger and workflow steps.
- Click
Turn On. The draft is published as version 1 and activated.
Optionally, add a publish message to describe the change.
Edit a live automation
- Open the running automation and click
Edit. A draft is created from the live version. - Make changes in the draft. The live version continues running.
- Click
Turn Onto publish. The draft becomes the next version, the previous version drains, and events route to the updated version.
Editing an automation's name, description, or tags does not create a version. Metadata is always editable without a draft.
Restore a previous version
Restore creates a draft from a previous version and publishes it as the next version number. For example, restoring v1 after v3 creates v4 with v1's configuration. Version history is fully preserved — versions only move forward.
- Open the automation and go to
Version History. - Find the version to restore and click
Restore. A draft is created from that version. - Review the draft and click
Turn Onto publish.
Restore is available when the automation has a running version. If the automation is off, you can still create a draft from any version by clicking Edit.
Version history and audit trail
Every automation tracks a complete audit trail:
| Event | What is recorded |
|---|---|
| Version published | Version number, timestamp, user, publish message |
| Automation turned on | Which version was activated |
| Automation turned off | Which version was stopped, stop mode (drain or stop) |
| Version restored | Source version, resulting version number |
To view the audit trail, open the automation and go to Version History.
The system retains up to 100 published versions per automation. When the limit is reached, the oldest versions are removed, but their audit log entries are preserved.
Turn off a versioned automation
When you turn off an automation, choose between two modes:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Drain | In-progress runs finish, but no new runs start |
| Stop | All activity stops immediately |
Optionally, add a message explaining why the automation was turned off. The turn-off event and message are recorded in the audit trail.
Publish messages
You can add an optional message when publishing a version or turning off an automation. Messages are recorded in the audit trail and help your team understand why a change was made. Messages cannot be edited after saving.
Webhook URLs
Webhook URLs remain stable across all versions of an automation. Publishing a new version does not change the webhook URL.
What versioning does not cover
| Scope | Details |
|---|---|
| Templates | Template automations do not have versioning |
| System automations | System automations do not have versioning |
| Bulk operations | Versioning applies to one automation at a time |
| Account templates | Template-level versioning that propagates updates across accounts is not available |
| Version comparison | Side-by-side diff between versions is not available |