# Buttons and actions

_Package repetitive work into an action and run it with one click._

Canonical: https://snoze.dev/help/buttons-and-actions/

An **action** is a saved piece of work — create a record, update fields, send
a notification, or several of those in sequence. A **button** puts an action
where the work happens: in a page, on a dashboard, next to the process it
belongs to.

1. **Create the action**

   Open the **Automations** surface and create a new action. Give it a clear,
   verb-first name — "Log a decision", "Start weekly review" — and add its
   steps.

2. **Add a button**

   In any page, insert a **Button** block from the slash menu and bind it to
   your action. Buttons can also open a specific item instead of running an
   action — handy for "go to this week's notes".

3. **Run it**

   Click the button. The action runs with the context it needs, and the
   result — a new record, updated fields — appears immediately, like any
   other real-time change.

## Every run is recorded

Each execution is logged as a **run** with its inputs, outputs, timing, and
status. When something looks off, open the action's run history and see
exactly what happened — no guessing about whether the button "worked".

> [!TIP]
> Good candidates for a first action: anything you do weekly with more than
> two steps. "New meeting note from template", "file this request into the
> intake database", "mark this batch reviewed".

The assistant can run the same actions conversationally — see
[Work with the assistant](https://snoze.dev/help/work-with-the-assistant/).