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Automation Patterns

Once you've created your first automation rule, these patterns cover the most useful ways teams and families actually use PrimeCal's automation system day to day.

Pattern 1: Color-Code By Keyword​

Goal: Automatically distinguish event types without manually picking a color every time.

  • Trigger: event.created or event.updated
  • Condition: title contains "Interview"
  • Action: set_event_color → Purple

Repeat with different keywords and colors — "Doctor" → Red, "School" → Yellow, "1:1" → Sky. Within minutes you get a calendar that's color-coded by event type without touching the color picker yourself.

Pattern 2: Flag Long Events for Review​

Goal: Catch unusually long meetings before they clutter the week.

  • Trigger: event.created
  • Condition: computed duration greater than 120 (minutes)
  • Action: set_event_color → Orange (your "needs review" signal)

Pattern 3: Highlight Events Starting Soon​

Goal: Make today's urgent events visually stand out.

  • Trigger: event.starts_in → 60 minutes
  • Condition: none needed (or filter by calendar)
  • Action: set_event_color → Red

This re-colors events automatically as they approach, then they revert to normal once event.updated fires again on the next edit — useful for daily standups and time-boxed work blocks.

Pattern 4: Webhook-Driven Event Creation​

Goal: Let an external tool trigger calendar changes automatically.

  • Trigger: webhook.incoming
  • Condition: webhook.data.status equals "confirmed" (using smart value extraction)
  • Action: set_event_color → Green

For example, a booking system can POST a JSON payload to your rule's unique webhook URL whenever an order is confirmed, and PrimeCal reacts automatically. See Webhooks for the full payload format.

Pattern 5: Calendar Import Cleanup​

Goal: Make imported events match your color scheme instead of arriving uncolored.

  • Trigger: calendar.imported
  • Condition: calendar.name equals "Google Calendar Import"
  • Action: set_event_color → your chosen color

This runs automatically every time a sync brings in new events from Google Calendar, Microsoft 365, or another connected provider.

Pattern 6: Boolean Logic for Precise Matching​

Combine multiple conditions with AND/OR for sharper rules:

  • title contains "Review" AND duration > 60 → only long review meetings get flagged
  • title contains "Urgent" OR title contains "ASAP" → catch either keyword

Use NOT at the condition level to exclude cases — for example, color all meetings except ones on your personal calendar.

Start From a Template​

If you're not sure where to start, the built-in Automation Templates cover these exact patterns pre-configured — clone one and adjust the keyword or color to fit your workflow.

Debugging a Rule That Isn't Firing​

Check the rule's audit log first — every execution attempt (successful or not) is recorded with the exact condition values evaluated. See Troubleshooting Automations for the full checklist.

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