Poppi actions

A Poppi action is an AI-powered step on the canvas that runs a single instruction through one of your connected integrations. Poppi reads the upstream workflow context plus your written instruction, picks the right tool call parameters, and runs the action through the chosen service.

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, the decision picks a branch, the action gets the work done in another tool.

Good fits include:

• Posting a summary of a daily inspection to a #site-updates Slack channel after a check element is completed
• Creating a Google Calendar event for a maintenance follow-up after a No branch on a decision
• Uploading a generated PDF report to a Google Drive folder after a closing element
• Sending a polite team message inside Pilla to thank staff after a 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

This is important framing. Actions run under the connecting user's identity, not as a Pilla bot.

If you connected Slack, a message posted by a Poppi action appears in Slack as 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 number).

This applies to every external integration. The only exception is Pilla itself, where the team message is sent from Pilla as a system message, so the on-behalf-of caveat does not apply.

The reason is uniformity. Most integrations do not have a bot mode at all, so a single "your account did this" model is simpler to explain and matches how a human would have used the tool by hand.

How to add a Poppi action

There are two common ways to add an action.

From a Poppi decision's Yes or No branch

1. Click the + button on the Yes or No handle of a Poppi decision node
2. Pick Action from the menu (right-satellite decisions skip the menu and go straight to action, because that is the only option)
3. A new Poppi action node spawns at the end of that branch, already connected

From a main element

1. Right-click the element on the canvas, or click the plus menu on the node
2. Pick Action from the list
3. A new Poppi action node spawns to the right of the element, already connected

The header reads Poppi (AI) action. Its background colour tells you where the action sits in the workflow.

• Orange — default placement, attached directly to an element
• Green — attached to the Yes branch of a Poppi decision
• Pink — attached to the No branch of a Poppi decision

Configuration fields

The action node has three fields, filled in top to bottom. Later fields only appear once earlier ones are picked.

Service (picker, required)

This is the integration the action will run through. The list shows every service with an active connection, plus Pilla itself which is always available.

If a service you want is not in the list, it is not connected yet, head to the Integrations page to connect it before picking it on the action.

Tool (picker, required)

Once a service is picked, the tool picker appears. It lists the actions available on that service. For example:

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 external integrations, not for Pilla.

Write the instruction in plain English. Poppi reads your instruction, looks at the upstream context (the element answers above the action), and works out the tool call parameters at runtime.

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.

Plan requirements

External integrations (Slack, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Shopify, WhatsApp) need a Pro or Enterprise plan. Pilla itself, used for "Send team message", is always available on any plan.

Validation warnings

A red border around the action node means it is orphaned, usually because the service it was set to has been disconnected. The fix is to either reconnect that service on the Integrations page, or open the node and pick a different service.

The test button (the play icon in the header) is disabled until the action has a service, a tool, and an instruction. The tooltip explains which one is missing.

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 the names to pick the right destination
• Test the action with the play button before publishing, so you can see what Poppi sends through the integration on a real workflow run
• If a service is disconnected after the action is set up, the red border tells you which node needs attention before the next run
• Use a Pilla "Send team message" action for free, no-integration paths if you are still on the Standard plan and want to try Poppi actions before upgrading