You've been pulling live data into Google Sheets. Now you can act on it automatically.
Today we're launching Flows — a way to attach conditional automation to any saved API Import workflow. Define a condition, choose an action, and let it run on a schedule. No code, no extra tools, no separate automation platform.
The problem Flows solves
Pulling data into a spreadsheet is only half the job. The other half — actually noticing when something important happens — still requires a human to open the sheet, look at the numbers, and act on what they see.
That's fine for a weekly report. It's not fine when you need to know the moment your ad CPC drops, your Shopify order count spikes, or a YouTube video crosses a milestone.
Flows close that loop.
How Flows work
Every Flow has two parts: a WHEN trigger and a THEN action.
The trigger evaluates against your API response on each scheduled run. If the condition is met, the action fires automatically. If not, the workflow carries on writing its data to the sheet as usual.
Each Flow is configured inside the API Import sidebar — in the Flow section (⚡) below your output settings.
Three triggers
Always
Fires every time the scheduled workflow runs. Use it to build an audit log: append a timestamped row to a sheet on each run using {{workflow.name}}.
Threshold
Compare any numeric field in the API response against a fixed value using >, <, >=, <=, =, or !=.
Example:
ordersCount > 50
Run a preview first — the field dropdown populates automatically from the response. When the condition fires, {{trigger.value}} contains the actual number.
Scout (AI)
Write your condition in plain English. Scout sends the full API response to the AI on every scheduled run and gets back a fired: true or fired: false decision, plus a plain-English explanation.
"Has revenue dropped by more than 20% compared to last week?" "Are there any new reviews mentioning a refund?" "Has this video passed 100,000 views?"
No JSON paths. No formulas. No code. {{trigger.reason}} holds the AI's explanation — drop it directly into your email subject or Slack message.
Three actions
Send Email
Sends a transactional email via Resend. You provide your Resend API key (free tier: 3,000 emails/month), the recipient address, a subject, and a body. The body supports full token substitution.
We chose Resend specifically to avoid requiring the sensitive script.send_mail OAuth scope that Google adds to your add-on's permission list.
Slack Message
Posts a message to any channel in your Slack workspace using a bot token. The bot auto-joins the channel if it isn't already a member. Use {{trigger.reason}} as the message body for instant context.
Write to Sheet
Logs a message to any Google Sheet you have access to. Choose append mode to build a running history, or overwrite mode to keep a cell current. Defaults to {{trigger.reason}} if you leave the message blank.
Token reference
| Token | What it contains |
|---|---|
{{trigger.value}} | The numeric value (Threshold) or AI-extracted data point (Scout) |
{{trigger.reason}} | Plain-English explanation of why the flow fired |
{{workflow.name}} | Display name of the scheduled workflow |
A few example Flows
YouTube views milestone
- WHEN: Scout AI — "Has this video passed 100,000 views?"
- THEN: Send Email —
{{trigger.reason}}
Shopify order spike to Slack
- WHEN: Threshold —
ordersCount > 50 - THEN: Slack Message —
#ops: {{workflow.name}} — {{trigger.value}} orders today
Ad CPC drop audit log
- WHEN: Scout AI — "Did average CPC drop more than 20% vs last week?"
- THEN: Write to Sheet — append
{{trigger.reason}} · {{workflow.name}}
Getting started
- Install API Import from the Google Workspace Marketplace (free).
- Open a Google Sheet and launch the sidebar from Extensions → API Import for Google Sheets™.
- Connect your API, run a prompt, and save a workflow.
- Set a schedule on the workflow (hourly, daily, or weekly).
- Scroll to the Flow section and click Add Flow.
- Configure your trigger and action, then save.
That's it. The next scheduled run will evaluate your flow and fire the action if the condition is met.