Automation rules in ShipHero perform actions on orders automatically when the conditions you set are met. Use them to set shipping methods, apply holds, send notifications, add order tags, and more, so every order is handled the same way without manual work.
Before You Begin
- Where to manage rules: Build and manage your rules on the Orders > Automation Rules page.
- When rules run: Rules run once, when an order is created or imported into ShipHero, and before a warehouse is assigned to the order.
- New orders only: Rules only apply to orders that arrive after the rule is created. Creating or changing a rule does not update orders already in ShipHero.
- Pending orders only: Rules do not run on orders created with a Canceled or Fulfilled status.
Note for 3PLs: Every automation rule is owned by a single client account, but you can create and manage client rules from your 3PL account, for one client or several at once. See Overview: Managing Automation Rules as a 3PL in ShipHero. If a rule isn't running as expected, see Troubleshooting: Why Is My Automation Rule Not Working?
Table of Contents
- Understanding Automation Rules
- How to Create an Automation Rule in ShipHero
- How ShipHero Processes Automation Rules
- Triggers and Actions in Automation Rules
- Searching and Bulk Managing Automation Rules
- Important Notes for Automation Rules
- Automation Rules Best Practices
Understanding Automation Rules
The Orders > Automation Rules page is where you create, edit, and sort the processing order of your automation rules. You can also activate, deactivate, and delete rules, and create lists for more complex conditions.
An automation rule has two parts:
- Triggers: The conditions an order must meet for the rule to apply. This is the "IF" part of the rule.
- Actions: The tasks ShipHero performs automatically when an order matches the triggers. This is the "THEN" part of the rule.
Because rules run before a warehouse is assigned, a rule that depends on the warehouse needs the Only run after MWA setting. See How to Use Automation Rules with Multi Warehouse Allocation.
How to Create an Automation Rule in ShipHero
Every automation rule is built the same way, whatever it does. Pick the trigger that describes the orders you want to act on, then pick the action ShipHero should apply to them.
Note for 3PLs: Select at least one client in the Clients selector before choosing a trigger or an action. Triggers and actions stay unavailable until a client is selected. Actions that point to one client's own records, such as a warehouse, list, or status, are disabled when you create a single rule for several clients at once. See How to Create Automation Rules for 3PL Clients.
- Go to Orders > Automation Rules.
- Select Create New Rule.
- Enter a Name for the rule. Use a name that describes what the rule does, so you can find it later in the search field.
- Select a Trigger and the value the order must match. Select (+) to add another trigger, which narrows the rule to orders matching both conditions.
- Select an Action and set any values the action needs.
- Select Create. The rule appears in your rule list and is active right away.
To confirm a new rule works, create a test order that matches the trigger and check the order history for the rule's name.
Pro-Tip
Rule order decides which rule wins when two rules set the same field. Before creating a rule that overlaps an existing one, see How ShipHero Processes Automation Rules. For the trigger or action you need, see Automation Rule Triggers and Actions Reference.
How ShipHero Processes Automation Rules
ShipHero checks each new order against your automation rules one at a time, from the top of your rule list to the bottom.
- Rules can overwrite other rules: When an order matches more than one rule that sets the same field, the rule lower in the list wins. Place the rule that should have the final say lower in the list. For example, if one rule sets Set Shipping Method to Cheapest:Ever and another sets it to FedEx Overnight for specific orders, place the FedEx Overnight rule below the Cheapest:Ever rule.
- Wait before making manual changes: Let all automation rules finish running on an order before you edit it. Check the order history to see which rules ran.
- Activate and deactivate: New rules are active by default. To deactivate a rule, clear its active checkbox while editing the rule or from the rules list.
- Deleting: Select the delete (trash can) icon to delete a rule. Deleting a rule breaks the link to it in the order history of every order it ran on. Deactivate a rule for a while before deleting it so you can still troubleshoot.
Automation Rules and Order Tags
Automation rules that use an Order Tag trigger can only match tags that are on the order when the rule runs.
- Tags added at creation: Tags that come in with the order (imported from your store platform, entered on a manual order, or included in a CSV Order Upload) are available to automation rules right away.
- Tags added by an earlier rule: A rule that uses Set order tag must sit above any rule that uses that tag as a trigger.
- Tags added later in ShipHero: Adding a tag on the Order Details page or with Bulk Edit after the order is created does not rerun automation rules.
- Tags added later in Shopify: The Rerun this rule on order tags import setting is turned on by default. When a tag is added in Shopify after the order is already in ShipHero, rules that use that tag as a trigger run again.
For every way to add tags, see How to Use Order Tags in ShipHero.
Triggers and Actions in Automation Rules
Automation rules can handle simple one-to-one scenarios or logic with several conditions.
Using a Single Trigger in an Automation Rule
With a single trigger, any order that meets the condition triggers the action. In this example, an operator hold is applied to all orders placed after 5/14/2025.
Using Multiple Triggers in an Automation Rule
Use multiple triggers to target more specific orders. The (+) means AND, so the rule runs only when an order meets every trigger. For example, to limit the rule above to one connected store, add (+) and the trigger "If Store Name is xxx."
Using Lists in an Automation Rule
A list works like an OR condition: use one when several values should trigger the same action. For example, if the SKU is ABC-123 OR XYZ-456, then do this. Create lists in the Lists panel on the Automation Rules page, then point a trigger at the list. See How to Create and Manage Automation Rule Lists in ShipHero.
Available Triggers and Actions for Automation Rules
ShipHero offers 52 triggers and 60 actions. For the full list, what each action does, and which article covers it, see Automation Rule Triggers and Actions Reference.
Pro-Tip
Type in the search field when selecting a Trigger or an Action to filter the list instead of scrolling.
Searching and Bulk Managing Automation Rules
The Orders > Automation Rules page lets you search your rules and act on several of them at once instead of opening each rule.
How to Search Automation Rules
Enter a rule name, trigger, or action in the search field to narrow the list. When no rules match, ShipHero shows an empty state instead of a blank table.
You can't drag and drop rules to reorder them while a search is active, because the filtered list isn't your full rule order. Clear the search to reorder your rules.
How to Bulk Manage Automation Rules
- Go to Orders > Automation Rules.
- Select the checkbox next to each rule you want to change, or select Select All to select every rule currently shown.
- In the Bulk Manage panel, select Activate, Deactivate, Delete, or Duplicate.
- If you selected Delete, confirm the action when prompted.
ShipHero processes a bulk action as one operation. If one selected rule can't be processed, the action stops and the remaining selected rules are left unchanged.
How to Duplicate an Automation Rule
Select one or more rules, then select Duplicate in the Bulk Manage panel. ShipHero names each copy after the original rule with Copy added to the end, creates it as inactive at the bottom of the list, and shows a success message after the page reloads.
| Duplicate Action in Bulk Manage | Duplicated Rule Result |
|---|---|
Duplicated Automation Rules Are Inactive
Duplicated rules are always created inactive. Open each copy, review its triggers and actions, and activate it when you're ready for it to run on new orders.
Note for 3PLs: From a 3PL account you can also copy rules into other client accounts. See How to Duplicate Automation Rules in ShipHero.
Important Notes for Automation Rules
Automation Rules Run Before Address Validation
- Address triggers: Address triggers use the address exactly as the order was imported, so they vary more than other triggers. For example, when an order has "United States" as the country and the trigger is "Country equals US," the rule does not run.
- Set Address Hold: "No": Automated address validation can override this action. Pair it with the Set ignore address validation errors action to prevent unexpected changes.
Automation Rules Only Run on Pending Orders
An order must have a pending status for automation rules to run. This includes ShipHero's default status and any custom statuses. An order is pending as long as at least one line item has a pending fulfillment quantity of 1 or more. When a rule cancels all pending line items, the order moves to Fulfilled, and rules below that rule in the list don't run.
Changes to Automation Rules Don't Update Existing Orders
When you edit a rule, only new orders use the updated version. Edit any orders already in ShipHero by hand if they should reflect the change. To find out who changed a rule, contact support@shiphero.com with the Automation Rule ID (the last set of numbers in the rule's URL).
Automation Rules Best Practices
- Review and test your automation rules regularly to confirm they run as expected on new orders.
- Understand the conditions that trigger each rule before you activate it, and check the order history on test orders to verify.
- Monitor orders after you create or update rules to catch unintended overwrites or conflicts between rules.