Poppi (AI) Steps

A Poppi decision lets a workflow branch yes or no based on what staff actually answered. You attach the decision to an element on the canvas, write the question in plain English, and Poppi reads the answer and picks the branch. Each branch can run different steps.

What a Poppi decision is for

A decision lets the workflow do something different depending on what happened, not just what was scheduled. You write the question, Poppi gives the yes or no answer, and what runs next depends on that answer.

Good fits include:

• After a number element, run an extra check on the No branch when the reading is out of range, and skip straight on when it is fine
• After a photo element, send the work down a "looks clean" or "needs attention" path
• After an inspection checklist, add a follow-up step only when something failed
• After a complaint note, route the work down a "minor" or "major" path based on what the worker wrote

If the workflow needs to take a different path based on what a worker entered, a Poppi decision is the step that decides which path.

How a Poppi decision works now

You no longer add a separate decision node. Instead, you attach the decision directly to the element whose answer you want Poppi to judge. Every input element on the canvas (text, number, photo, checklist, and so on) can carry one Poppi decision.

When you write the question, two branch dots appear under the element: a green dot on the left for the Yes branch and a pink dot on the right for the No branch. You then add a step to each branch. After staff complete the element in a work run, Poppi reads their answer, decides yes or no, and the workflow follows the matching branch.

Guidance elements (written, photo and video guidance) cannot carry a decision, because there is no answer to judge. Elements inside a group cannot carry one either, because group steps do not have their own branches.

How to add a Poppi decision to an element

You add a decision in the element's own card on the canvas. There is no separate menu item for it.

1. Click the element on the canvas to open its card
2. Find the field labelled Instructions for Poppi (AI) to make a decision near the bottom of the card
3. Type your question, for example is the entered number above 8
4. A green Yes dot and a pink No dot appear under the element card

Write the field as a yes or no question. Poppi reads the worker's answer to that element, answers your question, and follows the Yes or No branch you build next. The field placeholder shows e.g. is the entered number above 8 as a guide.

How to build out a branch

Each branch starts empty with its own circular Plus button. The green Plus on the left builds the Yes branch and the pink Plus on the right builds the No branch.

1. Click the Plus button under the Yes dot or the No dot
2. Pick an element type from the toolbar that opens (the same element types as the rest of the canvas)
3. The chosen step is added at the end of that branch, already connected
4. Fill in the new step like you would any other

You can also drag a branch dot onto an existing element to connect it, instead of adding a new step. You can only attach one step directly to each branch dot; to add more, chain extra steps off that first step. You do not have to build both branches. If a branch has no step, the workflow simply carries on after the decision when Poppi picks that branch.

How to remove a Poppi decision

To remove the decision, clear the Instructions for Poppi (AI) to make a decision field on the element card.

If you have already wired up Yes or No branches, a confirmation popup appears headed Remove this Poppi rule? It warns that removing the rule also deletes its Yes and No connections, and that the steps on those branches stay on the canvas as unconnected steps so you can re-wire or delete them. Click Remove rule to confirm, or Cancel to keep the decision. If you have not wired any branches, the decision is removed straight away with no popup.

Validation warnings

The canvas flags an unfinished decision when you try to save.

• A red border around the question field means the decision has a question but neither the Yes nor the No branch is wired to a step
• The save warning lists it as {N} Poppi rules with no steps wired, where N is the number of decisions that still need at least one branch connected

Connect at least one branch, or clear the question, and the warning clears.

The satellite decision that runs actions

There is a second kind of Poppi decision that sits beside an element as its own node and branches to Poppi actions rather than to ordinary steps. This kind is coming soon and is not yet available to add on the canvas, so you will not see its add button for now. It is for when you want Poppi to judge an answer and then run an integration action, like posting to Slack, only on the matching branch.

When satellite decisions arrive, you will add one by hovering over an element to reveal the circular Plus button on its right, clicking it, and picking Decision from the menu. This adds a separate node to the right of the element, headed Poppi (AI) decision with a grey background. It has a single question field labelled What should Poppi decide? with the placeholder e.g. Were all critical items ticked? Was the photo clean and well-lit?. Poppi evaluates the question when the element is saved.

Each branch has a green Yes dot and a pink No dot on the right of the node. Clicking the Plus button on a dot adds a Poppi action to that branch. A red border means the node is not connected to anything. The play icon in its header tests the decision; it is greyed out with the tooltip Add a question first until you type a question.

Tips

• A decision is most useful right after the element whose answer it judges, so phrase the question about that one answer, for example is the entered number above 8
• Phrase the question so Yes is the "happy path", it makes the canvas easier to read at a glance
• You do not have to build both branches. Wire only the branch that needs an extra step, and the workflow carries on as normal on the other one
• A decision needs at least one branch wired before the canvas will save, so either connect a branch or clear the question
• Clearing the question on a decision that has wired branches always asks you to confirm, and leaves the branch steps on the canvas so you can re-use them

A Poppi action is an AI-powered step you add on the canvas (web only) that runs a single instruction through one of your connected integrations. Poppi reads the answers from the steps above it plus your written instruction, works out the right details, and carries out the action through the service you chose. Poppi actions are coming soon: they are not yet available to add on the canvas, so you won't see the add button for now. This page explains how they will work when they arrive.

What a Poppi action is for

An action is the "do something useful" step at the end of a chain. The element gathers the answer, a Poppi decision picks a branch, and the action gets the work done in another tool. Actions run quietly in the background when a workflow run reaches that point, so staff never see the action node on their phone.

Good fits include:

• Posting a summary of a daily inspection to a #site-updates Slack channel after a step is completed
• Creating a Google Calendar event for a maintenance follow-up after the No branch of a Poppi decision
• Uploading a generated report to a Google Drive folder after a closing step
• Sending a polite team message inside Pilla to thank staff after the Yes branch confirms a clean handover

If the workflow ends with "and then this should happen in tool X", that is an action.

Pilla acts on your behalf

Actions run under the identity of whoever connected the service, not as a separate Pilla robot.

If you connected Slack, a message posted by a Poppi action appears in Slack as if you posted it. The same goes for Google Calendar (the event shows you as the organiser), Google Drive (the file is created in your Drive), and WhatsApp (the message is sent from your WhatsApp Business number).

This applies to every outside integration. The only exception is Pilla itself, where the team message is sent from Pilla, so the on-behalf-of note does not apply.

The reason is consistency. Most integrations have no robot mode at all, so a single "your account did this" model is simpler to explain and matches how a person would have used the tool by hand.

How to add a Poppi action

When Poppi actions launch, you will add an action node with the circular Plus button on the canvas; there is no right-click menu.

From the right of a step

1. Hover over a step on the canvas to reveal the round + button on its right side
2. Click the + to open the add menu
3. Pick Action (the menu also offers Decision for a Poppi decision)
4. A new action node appears to the right of the step, already joined to it

From a Poppi decision's Yes or No branch

1. Add a Poppi decision to the right of a step first (it has a green Yes branch and a pink No branch on its right side)
2. Click the round + button next to the Yes branch or the No branch
3. A new action node appears at the end of that branch, already joined — there is no menu to pick from here, because an action is the only thing a branch can lead to

The header of the new node reads Poppi (AI) action with a grey background. The grey is the same on every action node, whichever branch it sits on.

Configuration fields

The action node has three fields, filled in top to bottom. Later fields only appear once earlier ones are picked. Until you choose a service the field shows Pick a service, and until you choose a tool it shows Pick a tool.

Service (picker, required)

This is the integration the action will run through. The picker only lists services that have actions ready to use, which today are Pilla, Slack, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Shopify and WhatsApp. Pilla itself sits at the top and is always available; the rest only become selectable once they are connected. A service that is not connected yet shows a small Connect button you can use to link it on the spot. Other services you may see on the "Manage my integrations" screen do not appear in this picker until they have actions wired up.

To connect a service ahead of time instead, open the avatar menu in the top-left corner of the top bar and pick Manage my integrations (managers and admins only).

Tool (picker, required)

Once a service is picked, the Tool picker appears. It lists the actions available on that service, which vary by service. The connected services that have tools wired up today are:

Pick one tool. The instruction field below updates to match the chosen tool.

Instruction (textarea, required)

This is where you tell Poppi what to do. The label changes based on the tool you have picked, for example:

• Pilla "Send team message" — Tell Poppi what to send *
• Slack "Post message to channel" — Tell Poppi what to write on your behalf *
• Google Calendar "Create event" — Tell Poppi what event to create on your behalf *

A short helper line below the label reminds you where the action will run (for example "The message will be posted in Slack as you."). The helper line is only shown for outside integrations, not for Pilla.

Write the instruction in plain English. Poppi reads your instruction, looks at the answers from the steps above the action, and works out the details when the workflow runs.

For example, the placeholder for Slack reads: e.g. Post a polite summary to the #ops channel. Mention the worker and how many issues were raised.

Availability

Poppi actions are coming soon and not yet available to add on the canvas. Connecting an outside service such as Slack, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Shopify or WhatsApp from the "Manage my integrations" screen is available to every account now, so you can link your services ahead of time. Pilla itself, used for "Send team message", needs no connection.

Validation warnings

A red border around the action node means it is orphaned: it is not joined to the rest of the workflow, so nothing leads to it from the trigger. This usually happens when the step it was attached to is deleted, or when you drag the node away from the chain. The fix is to connect it back into the flow, either to the right of a step or to the Yes or No branch of a Poppi decision.

The test button (the play icon in the header) is disabled until the action has a service, a tool and an instruction. The tooltip tells you what is still missing — "Add a prompt first" if there is no instruction, or "Pick a service and action first" if the service or tool is empty. When everything is filled in, the tooltip reads "Test this action".

Tips

• Be specific in the instruction. "Post a polite one-line summary to #ops mentioning the worker and the issue count" works better than "let Slack know"
• Mention channel names, calendar names or folder names directly in the instruction. Poppi uses those names to pick the right destination
• Test the action with the play button before you save, so you can see what Poppi sends through the integration on a real workflow run
• If you delete the step an action was attached to, the action node is left with a red border because nothing leads to it any more — reconnect it into the flow before you save
• Use a Pilla "Send team message" action when you want an action that needs no outside connection