> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.outpost.pub/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Advanced Autoresponder
> Build custom multi-step email flows with flexible triggers, audience targeting, and stop conditions for scenarios the pre-built actions don't cover.
The Advanced Autoresponder lets you create **custom email flows**: multi-step sequences with flexible triggers, audience targeting, and stop conditions.
Use it when the pre-built [Basic Autoresponder](/features/basic-autoresponder) actions don't cover your needs — for example, a tailored welcome sequence for a list of members signed up in person at an event, or a one-off win-back series for a specific tier.
Go to **Autoresponder → Advanced** to manage custom flows.
## The Big Off/On Button
The Advanced Autoresponder has its own independent master toggle called **"The Big Off/On Button."** This is separate from the Basic Autoresponder toggle — turning off one does not affect the other.
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## Turning flows off with active members
When you switch off **The Big Off/On Button** — or disable an individual flow — and there are members **currently moving through** that flow, Outpost asks how to handle them with a **"Members are in active flows"** prompt. You get three choices:
* **Keep Running** — Cancel the change and leave the flow on.
* **Finish Active Members, No New Ones** — Turn the flow off so no new members enter it, but let everyone already in it finish the remaining steps.
* **Stop All Immediately** — Turn the flow off and stop every active member right away. They receive no further emails from that flow.
If no members are mid-flow, the toggle switches off without asking.
When you use **The Big Off/On Button** rather than a single flow's toggle, this prompt covers **every** advanced flow at once — Outpost tells you how many members are active across all your flows, and **Stop All Immediately** ends them in every flow in one step.
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## Creating a flow
Click **"Add Flow"** at the bottom of the page.
Each flow has:
### Flow name
A descriptive name for your reference (e.g., "30-Day Win-Back Sequence" or "VIP Member Welcome").
### Start condition
What triggers the flow. Choose from:
| Condition | Description |
| ----------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Days After Registration** | Starts N days after the member first signed up |
| **Days After Subscription** | Starts N days after the member's paid subscription began |
| **Days Before Renewal** | Starts N days before the subscription renews |
| **Member Label Added** | Starts when a specific label is applied to the member |
| **Member Label Removed** | Starts when a specific label is removed |
| **Member Email Like** | Starts when the member's email address matches a pattern |
| **Offer Clicked No Checkout** | Starts when a **free** member clicks an offer link but doesn't complete checkout. This condition only targets free members — paid subscribers who click an offer without checking out will not enter the flow. |
Timing options for day-based conditions: Immediately, 1–6 days, 1–10 weeks, or 1 month. (There's no 7-, 8-, or 9-day option — the dropdown jumps from 6 days to 1 week, then 10 days, then 2 weeks and up.)
### End condition
What stops the flow early (before all steps are sent):
| Condition | Description |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| **No Condition** | Flow runs until all steps complete |
| **Member Renews** | Stop if the member renews their subscription |
| **Member Upgrades to Paid** | Stop if the member upgrades from free to paid |
| **Member Downgrades to Free** | Stop if the member cancels and returns to free |
### Marketing email toggle
Toggle this on for marketing flows. Members who have opted out of marketing won't receive emails from flows marked this way:
### Audience targeting
Choose which member types receive this flow:
* **Free** — Free subscribers
* **Paid** — Paid subscribers (with optional tier filtering)
* **Complimentary** — Members with complimentary subscriptions
* **Group Subscriber** — Members with group subscriptions
* **Institutional Subscriber** — Members with institutional subscriptions
When **Paid** or **Complimentary** is selected, you can further filter by specific **Tiers**.
### Autoresponder exclusions
Optionally exclude members who would go into a Basic Autoresponder sequence:
* Exclude from basic Welcome Free member flow
* Exclude from Welcome Paid member flow (e.g. thank you emails)
* Exclude from Welcome Complimentary flow
### Label filters
* **Only Include Members Labeled** — Only send to members with specific labels
* **Exclude Members Labeled** — Skip members with specific labels
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## Flow actions (steps)
Each flow contains one or more action steps. Click **"Add Action"** to add a step.
| Field | Description |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Timing** | Delay before sending: a number plus a unit — hours (0–24), days (0–31), weeks (0–4), or months (0–12). |
| **Email Template** | Which template to send |
| **Offer** | Optional offer to include. Choose from Ghost Offers or Outpost Offers — see below. |
Steps execute in order, with each step's timing counting from the previous step.
### Attaching offers to flow steps
Click the offer selector on any step to open the offer drawer. It has two tabs:
**Ghost Offers** — Select any existing Ghost Offer from the dropdown, or create a new one on the spot. Routes members through Ghost Portal checkout.
**Outpost Offers** — Select any existing Outpost Offer from the dropdown, organized by product, or create a new one on the spot. Routes members through a direct Stripe checkout and also supports trial periods and subscription schedules.
Outpost automatically ensures any offer shown to a member is one they can use — you don't need to worry about choosing the wrong type. See [Ghost Offers vs Outpost Promotions](/features/offers-and-discounts#ghost-offers-vs-outpost-promotions) for a full comparison.
Reusing an existing offer — rather than creating a new one every time — keeps your Ghost and Outpost offer lists clean and makes performance reporting easier. If you already have a "20% off annual" Ghost Offer for retention, select it directly instead of creating a duplicate.
Advanced flows prevent duplicate emails: each email template is only sent **once per member per flow**. If a member re-enters a flow or the flow is re-processed, templates that were already sent to that member will be skipped.
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## Example flows
Here are some common Advanced Autoresponder flows:
* **30-Day Win-Back** — Start 30 days after cancellation, send 3 escalating offers to encourage resubscription. End condition: Member Upgrades to Paid.
* **VIP Welcome** — Start when the "VIP" label is added, send a personalized welcome with exclusive content links.
* **Pre-Renewal Upsell** — Start 14 days before renewal, offer an annual upgrade at a discount. End condition: Member Renews.
* **Institutional Onboarding** — Start when email matches your institutional pattern, send a multi-step guide to getting the most from the subscription.
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## Related features
66 pre-built email actions for common member lifecycle events.
Create and customize the templates used by autoresponder flows
Create the discount offers used in retention and upsell emails
One-time email sends to targeted member segments