Conditions

1. Shape

MUST:

• Exactly one entry in orExpressionGroups with an explicit operator ("AND" = all hold, "OR" = any). Several groups are flattened into one on first open and their logic is lost; a missing operator is saved as OR.
• 1–20 expressions — an empty group makes the builder loader hang; the panel allows at most 20 (more than 20 → a code condition).
• One comparison per entry; never combine with and(…)/or(…) inside an entry.
• Every var() path exists in THIS step’s aggregated schema (trigger + ancestors; Automations Graph and Data Model (opens in a new tab) §4). A path the panel can’t find marks the step invalid and its canvas label stays empty.
• No whitespace outside string literals ({{ stringEq(… makes the function unreadable).
• Only conditionInfo on the step; both branch arrays present; never both empty (dead end). Set a short displayName.

2. Operator table (the only shapes that round-trip)

The builder ships two panel layouts (a dropdown and a newer property picker) and users get either. Everything below survives both; when a user edits a condition, the property picker may rewrite arraySome/arrayEvery into arrayIncludes* forms — that is outside your control; never write arrayIncludes* yourself (see the list below).

Classify the field from its schema, in this order: format: "date" → date · format: "date-time" → date-time · type: "string" + format: "number" → number · has enum (or string/number oneOf of consts) → enum / number-enum · integer → number · string with itemsSelectionConfiguration (providerKey or tag) → item selection · otherwise its type.

NEVER:

• not(…) around anything not marked ¬ (numberGt, numberLt, date*Before/After, boolEq, arrayEvery) — the panel loses the operator. Negating boolEq(…;true) can use boolEq(…;false). NEVER negate a strict comparison by swapping Gt/Lt or Before/After: not(x > N) means x <= N, including equality. Preserve that boundary with comparison + equality in a single OR group when the full logic fits (§4), or use CODE_CONDITION. For example, “not more than 100” includes 100; “not before a date” includes that date. Do not invent an inclusive visual operator.
• arrayIncludesAnyOf/AllOf/Only(…) — the dropdown layout reads all three as “includes only” and re-saves them with that meaning.
• The collection-first arrayEvery(["a","b"];contains(var("f");$_)) — the property-picker layout cannot read it. For “includes all of” use one arraySome entry per value with operator: "AND"; if the group must be OR, chain conditions (§4) or use code.
• arrayMap to any property other than defaultConditionedProperty (or on an array without one) — the dropdown layout re-points it or fails to save. The path is relative to the item ("service.id") and must exist in the item schema; otherwise → CODE_CONDITION.
• Anything around the field (lower(var("f")), month(var("d"))), var() or now() as the value, two fields compared, eq/gt/contains at top level, isEmptyString, startsWith, if, and/or. These are valid formulas but not drawable.

Literal rules (the value inputs reject or rewrite others):

Date values and time zone: the panel writes a picked date/time as wall-clock time in the site time zone with its offset (a date → that day’s 00:00 site time), and URI-encodes it like every literal ("2026-12-31T23%3A59%3A00%2B02%3A00"). Its reader decodes first, so an encoded and an unencoded ISO literal load the same (a "YYYY-MM-DD" literal is unchanged by encoding). Treat a calendar date the user names as a site-time-zone date: “valid until Dec 31” → compare with the end of that day in the site’s zone (Site Properties timeZone, Automations Schemas and Scheduling (opens in a new tab) §4).

Semantics: stringEq/stringHasSubString/stringContains are case-insensitive. No ≥/≤: for integers numberGt(var("f");N-1); otherwise numberGt + numberEq in an OR group (only if the group may be OR) or code. $_ appears bare, only inside contains(…).

3. Entity-id fields

A field with itemsSelectionConfiguration (service, form, product, label, coupon, location, pipeline stage, …) carries an id or key. A display name passes validation and silently never matches. Get ids from the owning vertical’s documented public list, search or get endpoint for this entity type, or the user. Confirm a supplied id with a successful read of that entity. If the field’s selection configuration restricts eligible entities to a parent (such as a form) or fixed criteria, accept only ids that meet those restrictions. Never construct an entity-picker endpoint URL from the provider key or call the builder’s internal picker endpoint directly. Ids are whatever that API returns — label keys look like custom.vip-customers, not uuids.

• Scalar field service_id: {{stringContains(["<service-id>"];var("service_id"))}}
• Property in an array of objects lineItems[].rootCatalogItemId: {{arraySome(arrayMap(var("lineItems");"rootCatalogItemId");contains(["<product-id>"];$_))}} — visual only when that property is the defaultConditionedProperty; else code: (payload.lineItems || []).some(i => ids.includes(i.rootCatalogItemId))
• The field is an array of ids labelKeys.items: {{arraySome(var("labelKeys.items");contains(["<label-key>"];$_))}}

Never synthesize [0], .0, firstItem or a dotted path through an array. “The order contains product X” is a whole-array test — keep it one. If the user needs one specific item, clarify. If you cannot obtain the ids, the entity set is unknown, not empty: tell the user and ask which entity to use.

4. When the logic doesn’t fit one group

• (A AND B) OR C / mixed AND+OR / anything needing more than one group → one CODE_CONDITION (§5) with exactly that logic — the default; it keeps a single true/false branch. Chaining two visual conditions (A AND B → false: condition C) is an alternative only when the true branch is one small step, since that step must then be duplicated (tree only — duplicate, never join; Automations Graph and Data Model (opens in a new tab)). Never write several orExpressionGroups.
• Starts / ends with → No visual operator. Use an exact CODE_CONDITION, or compute a boolean with startsWith / endsWith in a preceding set-variables step and test it with boolEq. Never silently substitute a substring test; explain any proposed change in semantics and obtain the user’s agreement before building it.
• Two fields compared, computed values, relative dates, month/day of a date (birthdays), string length, any §2 NEVER → CODE_CONDITION (§5), or compute a boolean with a set-variables step (Automations Delays Variables and Branches (opens in a new tab)) and test it with boolEq(var("setVariable.<key>");true)
• Optional field (“if phone is present it must contain 555”) → Two chained conditions (not(isEmpty(…)), then the test), or code

Prefer a visual CONDITION when it expresses the logic exactly — users can keep editing it. Don’t force complex logic into it; if the user insists, explain what can’t be drawn. Never say the logic is impossible when code can do it.

5. CODE_CONDITION

Before constructing a calendar condition: obtain the IANA time zone from current tool-returned site metadata for the exact target site, or read Site Properties (Automations Schemas and Scheduling (opens in a new tab) §4) if that metadata is absent. A zone from another site, documentation, memory or an example is not evidence. Validate the returned zone and replace <SITE_TIME_ZONE> before saving; a confirmed literal is expected in saved code.

The birthday example requires a confirmed IANA site time zone (Automations Schemas and Scheduling (opens in a new tab) §4). A birthdate is a date-only YYYY-MM-DD: reject impossible Gregorian dates (including February 29 in a non-leap birth year and year 0000), then compare its literal month/day with today’s calendar parts in that zone. Do not parse the birthdate as a UTC instant or use the runtime’s local getMonth() / getDate(). An unresolved or invalid zone blocks saving; the runtime guard is only a fallback. A February 29 birthday matches February 29, not an invented non-leap-year date.

Minimal array check (the code reads only the declared array):

Numeric values in code. Payload numbers can arrive as strings, including fields with format: number. A bare typeof value === 'number' rejects those valid values. Convert only numbers or nonblank strings, then require Number.isFinite before arithmetic or comparison. Do not turn missing, null or blank values into zero unless the user’s rule explicitly requires it. For a same-line quantity/price check, use the actual schema paths in place of these example names and declare the entire lineItems array in dynamicVariableExpressions:

MUST:

• type: "CODE_CONDITION" with only codeConditionInfo; namespace follows the condition pattern (CONDITION-N, unique).
• language is always JAVASCRIPT. The code default-exports a synchronous function (payload) with exactly one parameter, starts with the JSDoc block the builder’s template has (/** @param {Payload} payload … @returns {boolean} … */ — required), and returns an explicit boolean. No imports, no network calls. Whole code ≤ 1000 characters; newlines escaped in JSON.
• Guard every access (?., Array.isArray, || [], typeof, try/catch for deep paths); a missing field must not throw. Numeric conversion follows the rule above, not an unconditional || 0 default.
• Access — the same paths as the aggregated schema (Automations Graph and Data Model (opens in a new tab) §4): payload.field, payload['field-with-hyphens'], action outputs payload['<namespace>'].field, payload.contact.email, payload.setVariable['<key>']. JS may index arrays and use .some/.every/.filter and Date math; new Date() gives the current time for calendar checks.
• dynamicVariableExpressions: one {{var("<path>")}} for EVERY field the code reads — the runtime hydrates ONLY these, so an undeclared field is undefined. Arrays: declare the array itself (payload.lineItems.some(…) → {{var("lineItems")}}), never items or indexes; reading an object whole needs the object declared; if a path has no valid var(), declare its closest valid parent. Never payload[computedKey] or the whole payload. [] only when the code reads no field. Every path must exist in this node’s aggregated schema.
• Use it only when the visual panel can’t express the logic (array indexing, per-element math, string splitting, date parts, regex — §4).
• Test mentally against a true case, a false case and a payload with the fields missing.

Other special steps (delay, rate limit, set variables, split): Automations Delays Variables and Branches (opens in a new tab).

6. Pre-save checklist

• Not done: One group; explicit AND/OR; 1–20 expressions; no nested and/or; no stray whitespace.
• Not done: Each expression is a §2 row for the field’s classified type; not() only on ¬ rows; no arrayIncludes*, no collection-first arrayEvery.
• Not done: Value literal obeys §2 (no quotes in strings; no .5, 05 or exponent numbers — 0.5 and -0.25 are valid; exact enum values; unquoted booleans).
• Not done: Every var() path exists in this step’s aggregated schema; arrayMap only onto defaultConditionedProperty.
• Not done: Entity fields compared to ids (§3); no synthetic array paths.
• Not done: String literals URI-encoded; JSON quotes escaped.
• Not done: Branch arrays ≤1 id each, children single-parent, not both empty; namespace unique.
• Not done: Anything else → restructured (§4) or a CODE_CONDITION meeting §5.
• Not done: Validate Automation returns no errors for this step.