Global Automation Rules
Important — For most users, Per-Group Settings is the recommended way to configure automation. Each group has its own auto-approve/decline criteria, welcome messages, and Google Sheets export — configured directly from the Groups page. Global Automation Rules are an advanced feature intended for users who need cross-group rules or more complex logic.
What Are Global Automation Rules?
Global Automation Rules are rules that can be applied across multiple groups simultaneously. Unlike per-group settings (which are scoped to a single group), global rules evaluate every incoming member request across all your enabled groups.
Use cases for global rules:
- Blacklist specific email domains across all groups
- Apply a global spam keyword filter
- Create a rule that fires for all groups before per-group rules
How Rules Work
When a member request is synced, GroupHunter evaluates:
- Global Automation Rules (this section) — applied across all groups
- Per-Group Autoapprove/Autodecline settings — applied for that specific group
If a global rule triggers, it takes precedence over per-group settings.
Creating a Rule
- Go to Automation → Rules in the sidebar
- Click Create Rule
- Configure:
- Name — descriptive name for the rule
- Action — Auto-Approve, Auto-Decline, or Flag for Review
- Priority — lower number = higher priority (evaluated first)
- Conditions — what triggers this rule
Available Conditions
| Condition | Description |
|---|---|
| Require email | Trigger if member provided/did not provide an email |
| Require all answers | Trigger if all questions were/weren't answered |
| Keyword match | Trigger if answers contain specific keywords |
| Answer min length | Trigger based on answer character count |
Actions
| Action | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Auto-Approve | Member is immediately approved; welcome message sent if configured |
| Auto-Decline | Member is declined; decline message sent if configured |
| Flag for Review | Member is marked for manual review in the Pending page |
Rule Priority
Rules are evaluated in priority order (lowest number first). The first matching rule's action is applied. If no global rule matches, per-group settings are applied.
Rule Status
Rules can be active or inactive. Toggle a rule off to disable it without deleting it.
When to Use Global Rules vs. Per-Group Settings
| Use Case | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Auto-approve members who give email | Per-Group Settings (Autoapprove tab) |
| Send welcome message on approval | Per-Group Settings (Autoresponder tab) |
| Export to Google Sheets | Per-Group Settings (Setup tab) |
| Block a spam domain across ALL groups | Global Rule |
| Different criteria per group | Per-Group Settings (separate config per group) |
For most GroupHunter users, Per-Group Settings covers everything needed without requiring global rules.