> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cogniagent.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# App Action Node

> Do things in Gmail, Slack, Google Sheets, and 2,700+ other apps

The App Action node lets you do things in other apps — send emails in Gmail, post messages to Slack, add rows to Google Sheets, create contacts in HubSpot, and much more. It works with 2,700+ apps through our [integrations](/features/integrations).

Think of it as your workflow reaching out and clicking buttons in other apps for you.

<Frame caption="App Action configuration — pick the app, the connection, the specific action, then fill in its parameters.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/glorium/eqWkhSfBUec9afZU/images/nodes/node-app-action-form.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=eqWkhSfBUec9afZU&q=85&s=df2fd3b129bbe42f7340fef98a9fea29" alt="App Action node configuration form" width="1440" height="1200" data-path="images/nodes/node-app-action-form.png" />
</Frame>

## When to Use

* **Emails** - Send, reply, organize, or move emails in Gmail/Outlook
* **Team chat** - Post messages to Slack, Teams, or Discord
* **Spreadsheets** - Add rows to Google Sheets, update Airtable
* **CRM** - Create contacts in HubSpot, update Salesforce
* **Project tools** - Create tasks in Asana, update Jira tickets
* **Any integrated app** - If it's in the list, you can automate it

<Info>
  This is for apps already connected with CogniAgent. For websites or services not in the list, use the [HTTP Request](/nodes/actions/http-request) node instead.
</Info>

## Common Actions by App

### Gmail

| Action              | Description                        |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Send Email          | Send a new email                   |
| Reply to Email      | Reply to an existing thread        |
| Forward Email       | Forward an email to new recipients |
| Add Label           | Apply a label to an email          |
| Move to Folder      | Move email to a specific folder    |
| Mark as Read/Unread | Change read status                 |

### Slack

| Action            | Description                     |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------- |
| Send Message      | Post to a channel or DM         |
| Reply in Thread   | Reply to a specific message     |
| Upload File       | Share a file in a channel       |
| Add Reaction      | Add emoji reaction to a message |
| Create Channel    | Create a new channel            |
| Invite to Channel | Add users to a channel          |

### Google Sheets

| Action             | Description                       |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------- |
| Append Row         | Add a new row at the end          |
| Update Row         | Update an existing row            |
| Get Row            | Retrieve row data by number       |
| Find Row           | Search for rows matching criteria |
| Clear Range        | Delete data from a range          |
| Create Spreadsheet | Create a new spreadsheet          |

### HubSpot

| Action         | Description               |
| -------------- | ------------------------- |
| Create Contact | Add a new contact         |
| Update Contact | Modify contact properties |
| Create Deal    | Add a new deal            |
| Create Task    | Create a task             |
| Add Note       | Add a note to a record    |

## Example: Support Email Workflow

Automatically respond to support emails and log them:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Receive the email">
    Use Event from App (Gmail) to trigger on new emails to [support@company.com](mailto:support@company.com).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Classify the email">
    Use an Ask AI node to categorize as: billing, technical, general.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Log to spreadsheet">
    Add an External API node:

    * App: **Google Sheets**
    * Action: **Append Row**
    * Spreadsheet: **Support Log**
    * Values:

    ```
    Date: {{timestamp}}
    From: {{event_from_app_1.email.from}}
    Subject: {{event_from_app_1.email.subject}}
    Category: {{llm_1.response}}
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send auto-reply">
    Add another External API node:

    * App: **Gmail**
    * Action: **Reply to Email**
    * Thread ID: `{{event_from_app_1.email.threadId}}`
    * Body: `Thank you for contacting support. We've received your {{llm_1.response}} inquiry...`
  </Step>

  <Step title="Notify the team">
    Add a final External API node:

    * App: **Slack**
    * Action: **Send Message**
    * Channel: **#support**
    * Message: `New {{llm_1.response}} ticket from {{event_from_app_1.email.from}}`
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Example: Lead Capture to CRM

When a form is submitted, add the lead to your CRM:

```
Workflow: Lead Capture
├── Webhook (form submission)
├── Ask AI (score and qualify lead)
├── External API (HubSpot: Create Contact)
│   Parameters:
│   - email: {{webhook_1.body.email}}
│   - firstName: {{webhook_1.body.firstName}}
│   - lastName: {{webhook_1.body.lastName}}
│   - leadScore: {{llm_1.response.score}}
├── Condition (score > 70?)
│   ├── Met: External API (HubSpot: Create Deal)
│   └── Unmet: External API (HubSpot: Add to Nurture List)
└── External API (Slack: Notify sales team)
```

## Example: Automated Reporting

Generate and distribute a daily report:

```
Workflow: Daily Report
├── Scheduled Trigger (daily at 9 AM)
├── External API (Google Sheets: Get data from "Metrics" sheet)
├── Ask AI (generate summary and insights)
├── External API (Google Docs: Create document with report)
├── External API (Gmail: Send to stakeholders)
└── External API (Slack: Post summary to #reports)
```

## Connecting Your Apps

Before you can use this node, connect your apps:

1. Go to **Settings > Integrations**
2. Find the app you want to connect
3. Click **Connect** and log in to authorize it
4. Give the connection a name (helpful if you have multiple accounts)

<Warning>
  Make sure the account you connect has permission to do what you want. For example, a "read-only" Gmail account won't be able to send emails.
</Warning>

## Using Data from Previous Steps

You can use information from earlier in your workflow:

```
To: {{webhook_1.body.email}}
Subject: Order Confirmation #{{webhook_1.body.orderId}}
Body: |
  Dear {{webhook_1.body.firstName}},

  Your order for {{webhook_1.body.productName}} has been confirmed.

  Total: ${{webhook_1.body.total}}
```

## What If Something Goes Wrong?

Things can fail because:

* Your login expired and needs reconnecting
* You're sending too many requests too fast
* Some required information is missing
* The internet had a hiccup

You can check if it worked and handle failures:

```
├── External API (send email)
├── Condition (did it work?)
│   ├── Yes: Continue
│   └── No: Alert the team on Slack
```

<Tip>
  Most External API actions automatically try again if there's a temporary problem. You usually don't need to handle these yourself.
</Tip>

## Rate Limits

Different apps have different rate limits:

| App           | Typical Limit                               |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Gmail         | 100 emails/day (free), 2000/day (Workspace) |
| Slack         | 1 message/second per channel                |
| Google Sheets | 100 requests/100 seconds                    |
| HubSpot       | 100 requests/10 seconds                     |

<Note>
  CogniAgent handles rate limiting automatically when possible, queuing requests to stay within limits.
</Note>

## Tips

<Tip>
  Use the "Fill by AI" feature when configuring parameters. It can suggest values based on your workflow context.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  When building emails or messages, use the Ask AI node first to generate content, then App Action to send it. This separates content creation from delivery.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  For bulk operations (adding many rows, sending many messages), use a Loop node to iterate and process items one at a time. This avoids rate limits and makes debugging easier.
</Tip>

## Settings

<ParamField path="name" type="string" default="External API">
  What to call this node (shown on the canvas).
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="key" type="string" default="external_api_1">
  A short code to reference what this node returns.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="app" type="string" required>
  Which app to use (Gmail, Slack, Google Sheets, etc.).
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="action" type="string" required>
  What you want to do in that app. The options change based on which app you choose.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="connection" type="string" required>
  Which account to use (if you've connected multiple accounts for the same app).
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="parameters" type="object">
  The details for your action. The form shows you what's needed based on what you're doing.
</ParamField>

## Outputs

Outputs vary by app and action. Common patterns:

<ParamField path="success" type="boolean">
  Whether the action completed successfully.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="response" type="object">
  The full response from the API, structure depends on the action.
</ParamField>

### Email Actions

* `messageId` - ID of the sent/modified message
* `threadId` - Conversation thread ID

### Slack Actions

* `ts` - Message timestamp (used for threading)
* `channel` - Channel ID
* `permalink` - Link to the message

### Google Sheets Actions

* `updatedRange` - Cells that were modified
* `values` - Row data (for get/find actions)

## Related Nodes

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="HTTP Request" icon="globe" href="/nodes/actions/http-request">
    For APIs not in the integration list.
  </Card>

  <Card title="App Trigger" icon="plug" href="/nodes/triggers/app-trigger">
    Trigger workflows from app events.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Integrations" icon="plug" href="/features/integrations">
    See all 2,700+ available integrations.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Channels" icon="share-nodes" href="/features/channels">
    Communication channel details.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>