Digest is a tool for compiling data from Zap triggers or actions in a single batch that can be sent at a regular interval to a Zap action. This means that instead of the actions in a Zap running every time the trigger or action event occurs, the Zap will receive the data and run in bulk at a given interval, such as every day or every week.

Digests can be used with one or multiple Zaps. This means you can have multiple sources to send to your digest.

Using this tool doesn't count towards your task usage.

Example

You have Zaps that receive leads and assign them to different salespeople. You can use a Digest by Zapier step to compile all the leads that came in that week, then an email step to send the batch to you every Friday. This cuts down on the number of email notifications you receive while still allowing you to keep track of your leads on a weekly basis.

1. Add a digest step

First, set up a trigger or an action that contains the data that you want to add to the digest. When you’re done, add a digest step to your Zap.

• In the Zap outline, click the Action step or the plus sign + to add a new action. A dialog box will open.
• In the search box, search for and select Digest. The right sidebar will open to the Setup tab.
• Click the Action event field to open the dropdown menu. 
  • Select Append Entry and Schedule Digest.
• Click Continue.

2. Set up your digest step

• In the Title field, enter a name for your digest. The title will be used to identify your digest in later steps in your Zap or in other Zaps and can have a maximum of 32 characters.
• In the Entry field, select the data from a previous step to add to the digest.
• Click the Frequency dropdown menu and select how often you want to receive this digest of information:
  • Daily
    • Click the Trigger on Weekends? dropdown menu and select No, you'll receive any content that was collected over the weekend on the next Monday.
  • Weekly
  • Monthly
  • Threshold: releases the digest when it reaches a certain number of entries. If it doesn't reach the count within a month of the first entry, it will be released with the content collected up till that time.
  • Manual: allows you to use another Zap to release your digest. This option requires you to create a separate Zap with a Release Existing Digest action step.

Each frequency option will show different fields to select the specific time of day or day of the week or month to release the digest.

Tip

Choose a release schedule that aligns with your workflow needs, such as daily updates for task summaries or weekly reports on team progress.

3. Format your digest

Formatting your digest depends on the action app you’ll be sending the Digest content to. Here are some tips for popular apps:

• Formatting emails using HTML
• Formatting content on Slack
• Using Zapier Formatter to format your content

To apply formatting:

• In the Entry field, add your desired formatting.
• Click Continue.
• Click Test step. The Zap will create a new item in your digest and display the result.

4. Release the content of the digest

Automatic release Manual release

Automatic release

If you selected a Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Threshold frequency, you’ll need to add another action to the Zap to release the digest's content. This is typically an email or messaging step.

• In the Zap outline, click the Action step or the plus sign + to add a new action. A dialog box will open.
• Search for and select the app you want to send the digest to.
• Click the Event dropdown menu and select an event.
• Click Continue.
• To include the digest content, from your Digest step, map the field Current Digest.
• Complete the rest of the remaining fields.

Next, you can either add another action or turn your Zap on by clicking Publish.

Manual release 

If you chose a manual frequency, you'll need to trigger a separate Zap to release your digest. This option also allows you to incorporate content from multiple sources into a single digest.

In the current Zap you've created, which complies your data into a digest, turn the Zap on by clicking Publish. Next, you'll need to set up a new Zap to release the content:

1. Add a Schedule by Zapier trigger

Schedule by Zapier allows you to release the digest at a set interval when paired with the Release Digest action from Digest by Zapier.

• Create a new Zap.
• In the trigger step, click Schedule.
• Click the Event dropdown menu and select how often you want to receive the digest.
• Click Continue.
• Fill out the details related to the selected frequency.
• Click Continue.
• Click Test step. The Zap will display the results of the test.

Note

The test result will always display the current date and time, not the next time the Zap will trigger.

2. Add a Release Existing Digest action

• In the Zap outline, click the Action step or the plus sign + to add a new action. A dialog box will open.
• Search for and select Digest.
• Click the Event dropdown menu and select Release Existing Digest.
• Click Continue.
• Click the Digest dropdown menu and select the digest to release.
• In the Delete Digest on Release field:
  • Select Yes to delete the digest records after its release. This helps prevent exceeding the 1000 record limit per digest.
  • Select No to keep the digest records after its release.
• Click Continue.
• Click Test step. The Zap will display the current digest content.

3. Add an app to receive the digest

Add another action step to receive the digest content:

• In the Zap outline, click the Action step or the plus sign + to add a new action. A dialog box will open.
• Search for and select the app you want to send the digest to.
• Click the Action event field to open the dropdown menu.
  • Select the event that you want the Zap to perform.
• Click Continue.
• To include the digest content, from your Digest step, map the field Final Digest.
• Complete the rest of the remaining fields.

Next, you can either add another action or turn your Zap on by clicking Publish.

Multiple Zaps and digest releases

If you have multiple Zaps using the same digest it’s recommended to only have one Zap that releases it.

• Threshold-based digests: If multiple Zaps trigger a digest based on a threshold (e.g. 10 entries), only the first Zap run will include entries. Subsequent Zap runs will release empty entries.
• Date-based digests: If multiple Zaps trigger a digest based on a date (e.g. Weekly), only the first Zap run will release a digest. Subsequent Zaps will not release any digests. 

Limitations of digests

• The title of a digest can have up to 32 characters.
• A digest can have a maximum of 25,000 characters.
• You can store up to 1000 records across all digests in your Zapier account. For Teams and Enterprise plans, this limit applies to each individual user.

If these limits are exceeded, you'll see an error message: Secrets can only be 36 chars in length, keys can only be 32 chars in length, value must be smaller than 250000 bytes.

How digests appear in the Zap history

In your Zap history, you’ll see individual Zap runs for each time the Zap was triggered, not only for when the digest is released. The first Zap run in the Zap will have a status of Delayed until the digest releases (according to the frequency settings). When the digest is released, the status of the Zap run will change to Success.