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

# Apply automation template

> Create an automation from a ready-made template and prove it with a real test run

This endpoint creates an automation from a template (see [List automation templates](/api-reference/automations/list-automation-templates)), runs a **real test**, and — for assistant-event templates — attaches the automation to the assistant once the test passes. It returns the same envelope as [Create automation](/api-reference/automations/create-automation).

<Warning>
  Templates marked `side_effects: true` really send messages or start calls during their test run — applying them requires `confirm_side_effects: true`, and the test targets the real values you supplied. Never apply a template with example or guessed values.
</Warning>

### Path Parameters

<ParamField path="key" type="string" required>
  The template key (from [List automation templates](/api-reference/automations/list-automation-templates)). An unknown key returns a `404`.
</ParamField>

### Request body

<ParamField body="params" type="object" optional>
  The template's parameters as key-value pairs — see the template's `params` list for what each one needs. Missing required parameters return a `422` (`missing_params`) listing exactly what is needed. Max 64 KB.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="assistant_id" type="integer" optional>
  The assistant the resulting automation attaches to. Required for templates with `requires_assistant: true`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="name" type="string" optional>
  A custom name for the automation (max 255 characters); defaults to the template name
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="confirm_side_effects" type="boolean" optional>
  Required (`true`) for templates marked `side_effects: true`
</ParamField>

### Response

The [Create automation](/api-reference/automations/create-automation) envelope: `automation_id`, `webhook_url` (for webhook-triggered templates such as `lead-intake-webhook` and the mid-call lookup ones; `null` for assistant-event templates), `status` (`active` / `active_untested` / `test_failed`), `test` (`run_status` + per-step outcomes), `response`, `binding`. Returns `201` when the automation is active, `200` when its test run failed.

A template whose test run parks at a Delay step (e.g. `post-call-callback`) reports `run_status: "PAUSED"` — that is success, not a failure: every step before the delay ran, and the run resumes at the target time.

### Error codes (`422`)

Hard failures return `{"message": "...", "error": "<code>", "params": ...}` and nothing is created. Notable codes:

| `error`                                                           | Meaning                                                                                                                                            |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `missing_params`                                                  | Required parameters are missing — the response's `params` array lists their full specs.                                                            |
| `invalid_param_choice`                                            | A parameter references a resource (e.g. a spreadsheet) that does not exist in your connected account — the message lists the real choices by name. |
| `needs_connection` / `needs_reconnection`                         | A required account connection is missing or broken — the message contains the exact steps to fix it in the app (one-time).                         |
| `side_effects_require_confirmation`                               | The template sends for real — retry with `confirm_side_effects: true`.                                                                             |
| `assistant_required` / `assistant_not_found` / `binding_conflict` | Same as [Create automation](/api-reference/automations/create-automation).                                                                         |

<ResponseExample>
  ```json 201 Response (test passed and attached) theme={null}
  {
    "automation_id": "aB3xYz01MnOpQrStUvWxY",
    "webhook_url": null,
    "status": "active",
    "test": {
      "run_status": "SUCCEEDED",
      "steps": []
    },
    "response": null,
    "binding": {
      "type": "post_call",
      "assistant_id": 123,
      "bound": true
    }
  }
  ```

  ```json 422 Response (missing params) theme={null}
  {
    "message": "These values are required: spreadsheet_id. Ask the user for them — never guess or reuse example values.",
    "error": "missing_params",
    "params": [
      {
        "key": "spreadsheet_id",
        "label": "Google Spreadsheet ID",
        "description": "The spreadsheet to append rows to.",
        "required": true,
        "example": "1AbCdEfGhIjKlMnOpQrStUvWxYz"
      }
    ]
  }
  ```

  ```json 404 Response (unknown template) theme={null}
  {
    "message": "No template with that key — call the template list first.",
    "error": "template_not_found",
    "params": null
  }
  ```
</ResponseExample>