Smart Pipelines
Automate metadata updates, WIP limits, and issue management within your workspace
What Smart Pipelines Do
Smart Pipelines automate metadata updates within your workspace when issues move between pipelines. Configure rules that automatically add or remove labels, assign team members, or add issues to sprints based on pipeline movement, reducing manual updates and maintaining consistent board organization.
This is different from Workflows, which move issues between different workspaces. Smart Pipelines work within a single workspace to automate metadata management without requiring issues to leave your team's board.
You can create automation rules that trigger when issues enter or leave specific pipelines. For example, add issues to the current sprint when they enter "In Progress," remove "needs-triage" labels when issues leave "Backlog," or assign QA team members when work enters "Review/QA."
Accessing Pipeline Automation
Configure automation for any pipeline by clicking the three-dot menu icon next to the pipeline name on your Work Tracker, then selecting "Settings & automation" from the dropdown menu.
The pipeline settings panel has three tabs:
Details - Configure pipeline name and description to help team members understand what the pipeline represents
Limits - Set WIP (Work-in-Progress) limits for the pipeline
Automations - Create metadata automation rules that trigger when issues enter or leave the pipeline
Creating Automation Rules
Click "Create new automation" in the Automations tab to set up metadata rules for the pipeline. Each automation rule has two components:
Trigger - Choose whether the rule activates when issues enter or leave the pipeline
Action - Select what happens when the trigger activates:
Add Label - Apply specific labels to issues
Remove Label - Remove specific labels from issues
Add Assignee - Assign team members to issues
Remove Assignee - Unassign team members from issues
Add Sprint - Add issues to the current active sprint
You can create multiple automation rules for a single pipeline. For example, configure "In Progress" to both add the current sprint AND apply an "in-development" label when issues enter.
Common Automation Patterns
Sprint management: Configure your active development pipeline (like "In Progress") to automatically add issues to the current sprint when work begins. This ensures sprint tracking stays current without manual assignment.
Status labeling: Apply and remove labels that reflect workflow state. Add "in-review" when issues enter "Review/QA," then remove it when they leave. This keeps labels synchronized with actual work status.
Team assignment: Automatically assign specialists when work reaches their stage. Add QA team members when issues enter testing pipelines, or assign tech leads when work needs architecture review.
Label cleanup: Remove planning-phase labels when development begins. Configure "In Progress" to remove labels like "needs-estimation" or "needs-planning" when issues leave backlog stages.
WIP Limits
Work-in-Progress limits help teams maintain sustainable workflow by setting soft caps on how many issues can occupy specific pipelines simultaneously. When a pipeline exceeds its WIP limit, Zenhub displays the count in red to encourage the team to complete existing work before starting new items.
Configure WIP limits in the Limits tab of pipeline settings by entering the maximum number of issues you want in that pipeline. Common limits include 3-5 issues for "In Progress" pipelines on small teams, or 1-2 issues per developer for individual capacity management.
WIP limits are soft warnings, not hard blocks. Teams can still move issues into pipelines that exceed limits, but the visual warning prompts discussion about why work is accumulating and whether process adjustments are needed.
Best Practices for Pipeline Automation
Start with simple automation rules before creating complex metadata chains. Add sprint automation to your "In Progress" pipeline first, validate it works as expected, then gradually expand to other pipelines and metadata types.
Document your automation rules so team members understand what happens when they move issues between pipelines. When developers know that moving work to "Review/QA" automatically assigns the QA lead, they can coordinate more effectively.
Review automation effectiveness during retrospectives by discussing whether automated assignments match team needs, checking if WIP limits reflect actual capacity constraints, and identifying opportunities for additional automation.
Balance automation with flexibility. Not every issue needs automatic sprint assignment or label application. Design rules that handle common cases while allowing manual overrides for exceptional work items.
Troubleshooting Pipeline Automation
Automation not triggering: Verify that pipeline settings are saved correctly and that you're moving issues into or out of the trigger pipeline. Automation activates on pipeline movement, not on manual metadata changes to stationary issues.
Incorrect sprint assignments: Check that your current sprint is properly configured and active. Automatic sprint assignment only works when Zenhub can identify which sprint is currently in progress.
WIP limit warnings not appearing: Confirm that you've saved WIP limit settings in the Limits tab and that your issue count actually exceeds the configured threshold. The limit displays in red when exceeded.
Can't find automation settings: Click the three-dot menu icon next to the pipeline name (not the pipeline name itself), then select "Settings & automation" from the dropdown.
FAQ
Q: Can I automatically remove issues from sprints when they move to specific pipelines?
A: Currently, pipeline automation can add sprint assignments but cannot automatically remove them. You'll need to manually remove sprint assignments when needed.
Q: Can I have different automation rules for different issue types in the same pipeline?
A: Pipeline automation applies to all issues that enter or leave the pipeline regardless of issue type. To create type-specific automation, you'll need to use separate pipelines for different work types.
Q: What happens if an issue is already in a sprint and moves to a pipeline with sprint automation?
A: Issues already assigned to sprints retain their existing sprint assignment. Automatic sprint assignment only affects unassigned issues to prevent disrupting planned work.
Q: Do WIP limits prevent me from moving issues into "full" pipelines?
A: No, WIP limits are soft warnings that encourage review, not hard blocks. You can still move issues into pipelines that exceed limits, but the visual warning prompts team discussion.
Q: Can I see which automation rules triggered for a specific issue?
A: Automation changes appear in the issue's activity history showing when labels were added/removed or assignees changed, but they don't specifically indicate that automation triggered the change versus manual updates.
Q: Can Smart Pipelines work together with Workflows?
A: Yes, you can use both. Smart Pipelines handle metadata automation within your workspace, while Workflows move issues between workspaces. They complement each other for comprehensive automation.