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

# Build an automation

> Configure steps, weekly workload, article options and destinations.

Build a flow by choosing where work comes from and what should happen to each item. Start from a recipe in **Automations**, or choose **Start from scratch**.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose the source">
    Add **My website posts**, **Find topics** or **My topics list**. Configure the website, niche, written list or Project, then choose how many items to process each week.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the actions">
    Click a step to add it where it fits, or drag it into a valid position. Topics can become articles; articles can become WordPress posts; public pages can become Pins. The builder highlights missing steps and incompatible connections.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure output and approvals">
    Choose article and image options, template sets, destinations and Pin spacing. Add **Wait for my OK** before an action you want to approve.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the plan">
    Give the automation a useful name. Check **What will happen**, the weekly run day and time, **Next 4 weeks** and any credit estimate. Fix every problem before testing or turning it on.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Changes save automatically; check **Saved** before leaving.

## Article and WordPress settings

**Write articles** lets you choose 3–25 ideas per article, a wide, square or tall image shape, and a niche. **From each topic** lets the article's topic determine the niche. Each idea costs 2 credits.

**Publish on WordPress** uses your default site or a site selected for that step. Add a category if needed and choose **Publish** or **Save as draft**.

<Note>
  A WordPress draft is not a public page. The flow stops there until the post is published; it does not send Pins to an unpublished draft URL.
</Note>

## Pin settings

**Design Pins** creates 1–20 Pins per page using Pinsearch templates or one of your custom template sets. Templates need photos that fit their layouts, so the number successfully created can differ from the requested count.

**Schedule on Pinterest** chooses the account and whether Pins go straight to **Queue** or wait in **Drafts**. Set the gap between Pins for the same post. Queue output also depends on the account's posting times and limits.

## Weekly runs and the calendar

The weekly day and time control when the automation starts creating work. Pinterest queue times control when its Pins are published. These are separate schedules.

**Next 4 weeks** is a workload preview. Actual publication can move because of approvals, available queue times, spacing, credits or errors.

See [source options](/pinsearch-product-guides/automations/choose-automation-sources) and [testing](/pinsearch-product-guides/automations/test-and-activate-an-automation).


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