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The actions you can add

In this article

The list is deliberately shorter than what the engine can do. Merchaint offers the steps that are safe and useful in a finance workflow, rather than every possible operation.

  • A walkthrough video, then all seventeen actions in their three groups
  • Flag, in full — the one you will use most
  • Send Notification, and how recipients work
  • Why field variables often come out blank, and what to do about it

01 · Video

Feature walkthrough

Video · the action list · 2:30

02 · Why

Why is the list this short?

The list is deliberately shorter than what the engine can do. Merchaint offers the steps that are safe and useful in a finance workflow, rather than every possible operation. If you are looking for something that is not here, it probably is not available.

03 · Use cases

Use case 1
Mark a problem without stopping anything

Use Flag.

Use case 2
Get a human decision

Approval, or Review if you do not want to wait.

Use case 3
Only do something in certain cases

Use If / Or.

Use case 4
Tell someone

Use Send Notification.

Use case 5
Move data to or from your accounting system

Pull from ERP, Push to ERP.

04 · How

Press ADD STEP, pick a category, pick an action, fill in its settings.

Logic and control

ActionWhat it does
If / OrSplits into two paths based on a check — see Check something before you act
SplitSplits a record into its line items
ReviewAsks someone to look, and carries on without waiting
ApprovalPauses until someone approves or rejects — see Ask someone to approve

Data and records

ActionWhat it does
FlagPuts a coloured label on the record
Create New RecordMakes a record in a module
Update RecordChanges fields on the triggering record
Delete RecordSoft-deletes a record
Close RecordMarks it closed, so workflows and match checks stop firing on it. Can archive instead
Reopen RecordOpens a closed record again. Archived records cannot be reopened
Pull from ERPBrings records in from your accounting system — see Pull records from your ERP
Push to ERPSends records out — see Push records to your ERP

Communicate

ActionWhat it does
Send NotificationAn in-app notification to people you choose
Export DataExports to a file
Export and EmailExports and emails the file to team members
CodeRuns custom JavaScript
AI AgentRuns an AI step that can reason about the record before acting

05 · Flag — the one you'll use most

A flag is a label on the record. It shows in the record's status column and in your exceptions list.

SettingWhat to put
ActionAdd flag, or Remove flag to take one off again
Target columnLeave as Row level to label the whole record, or pick a column to attach it to that column
Message templateThe words on the label
SeveritySuccess (green), Info, Warning, Error
Mark as summary statusShows this flag first, as the record's headline verdict
Only run once per recordStops it firing again on later edits

Remove flag is worth knowing about. Put an Add flag on one branch of a condition and a Remove flag on the other, and the label clears itself when the problem is fixed.

06 · Send Notification

An in-app notification. Give it a title, a message, a priority (Low, Normal, High, Urgent) and recipients. Recipients work the same way as approvers:

ChooseMeaning
Entire OrganizationEveryone
DepartmentEveryone in one department
Functional RoleEveryone with a job title, like CFO or AP Clerk
Individual MemberNamed people

Picking the whole organization or a department replaces anything else you had chosen. Job titles and named people can be combined.

07 · Expected result

The step appears in the list with a one-line summary of what you set.

08 · Troubleshooting and notes

There is no plain "send an email" step

Export and Email sends a file to team members. If you need to email a supplier, Merchaint cannot do that from a workflow today.

Close and Archive are the same step

Close Record has an option to archive instead. Archiving is final — a Reopen Record step cannot undo it.

Only run once per record appears on most steps

It follows the workflow's own default, which you set in Workflow settings, and you can override it per step.

09 · FAQ

Common questions

Can I put a step inside a branch?

Yes. Branches have their own ADD IF STEP and ADD ELSE STEP buttons.

Can I change a step's type without rebuilding it?

Yes, open it and press Change.

Why can I not find a Slack step, or a "wait" step?

They are not in the list. What you see is what is available.

What does "Mark as summary status" do?

It makes that flag the headline on the record, rather than one label among several. Use it for a final verdict like PASSED, not for individual problems.