Creating an automation in Sentalis means defining a flow: a trigger condition that reads live sensor data, optional conditions that scope or filter the trigger, and one or more actions that fire when the conditions are met. The automation builder gives you a visual canvas where you assemble these steps by selecting nodes from a library and linking them together.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sentalis.co/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Creating and editing automations typically requires administrator-level permissions. If you do not see the New automation button or cannot save changes in the builder, contact your facility administrator to check your access level.
Opening the builder
Start a new automation
Select New automation in the top-left area of the Automations page. This opens the automation builder in “new” mode with an empty canvas.
The builder layout
The builder has three panels:- Node library (left) — browse available trigger, condition, action, notify, and delay nodes and add them to the canvas
- Canvas (centre) — the visual flow of your automation; nodes appear as cards connected by animated lines
- Node inspector (right) — when you select a node on the canvas, this panel shows its configurable parameters
Step 1 — Choose a trigger
Every automation starts with a trigger node. The trigger defines what sensor condition starts the flow. Select a trigger from the Trigger · When section of the node library. Available triggers include:| Trigger | What it watches |
|---|---|
| Bed pressure | Detects when a patient leaves or returns to the bed |
| Vital sign drop | Fires when a metric like SpO₂ falls below a threshold |
| Fridge temperature | Cold-chain sensor crossing a temperature limit |
| RFID asset moved | A tagged asset changing location zones |
| Infusion alarm | An infusion pump entering an alarm state (e.g. occlusion) |
| Door access | A door opening with an unknown or unauthorised badge |
Step 2 — Add conditions (optional)
Condition nodes narrow down when the automation should proceed. Add one or more conditions between the trigger and the action to prevent the automation from firing in situations where it is not needed.| Condition | What it does |
|---|---|
| Time window | Only proceed during a specified time range (e.g. night hours) |
| Ward equals | Scope the automation to a specific ward |
| Staff nearby | Only proceed if no staff member is within a set distance |
| De-duplicate | Add a cooldown period so the automation does not fire repeatedly for the same ongoing event |
Step 3 — Configure the action
The action is what happens when the trigger fires (and any conditions are met). Select an action or notification node from the library.- Notifications
- Tasks and escalation
- Facility control
- Webhook
SMS — sends a text message to a configured phone number or role (e.g. duty supervisor). Enter the recipient and an optional custom message in the inspector.Email summary — sends an email with the sensor event details to a configured address. Emails are sent from
alerts@sentalis.co.Pager — routes to an on-call rotation group via pager. Set the on-call group in the inspector.For Slack, use the Webhook action type and point it at your Slack incoming webhook URL. Sentalis will format the alert as a Slack message automatically.Step 4 — Add a delay (optional)
If you want a pause between one step and the next — for example, wait 30 seconds after a trigger before sending a notification — add a Wait node from the Delay section of the library. Set the duration in seconds in the inspector. Delays are commonly used before escalation actions to give staff time to respond before a second notification is sent.Step 5 — Review the flow
Before saving, check the canvas to make sure the flow reads correctly from left to right:- Trigger node fires
- (Optional) Condition nodes are evaluated
- (Optional) Delay node waits
- Action or notification fires
Step 6 — Name, save, and activate
Confirm the name
Check the automation name at the top of the builder. Make sure it clearly describes what the rule does.
Set the enabled state
Use the Enabled toggle in the header to choose whether the automation goes live immediately after saving or starts in a paused state. If you are not ready to activate it yet, leave the toggle off.
Editing an existing automation
Select any automation card on the Automations page to open it in the builder. Make your changes, then select Save. Changes take effect immediately if the automation is active.Activating and deactivating automations
You can toggle an automation on or off from two places:- The automation card on the Automations page — use the toggle in the top-right corner of the card
- Inside the builder — use the Enabled toggle in the builder header, then save