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Ironclad Zapier integrationAutomate Ironclad with Zapier.

Ironclad Zapier integration, read this before you build. Ironclad exposes 3 triggers, 8 actions and 2 searches in Zapier. Here is what each one does, what it costs in tasks, which permissions it expects, and where a contract Zap tends to break.

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Overview

What the Ironclad Zapier integration does for your contracts

The Ironclad Zapier integration links your Ironclad account to Zapier, a tool that runs small automations called Zaps: an event in one app starts them, then they carry out steps for you. On the Ironclad side, that means reacting to workflow, approval and document events, and writing records, workflows and comments back.

Three outcomes come up most often. First, a contract log that fills itself: New Workflow Event fires when a workflow moves, and Create Workflow Comment leaves a trace right on it. Second, contracts launched from outside Ironclad: Launch New Workflow opens a workflow from the schema you pick, so a request captured in a form or a CRM becomes a real contract process. Third, a records repository that stays in step with your other tools, through Create Record, Update Record and Find a Record.

What Zapier does not do here matters just as much. No trigger watches records, so a new or edited record never starts a Zap. Both searches work by ID only, never by name. No operation deletes or cancels a workflow, and none uploads a contract file. If your plan depends on one of those, read the n8n vs Zapier comparison before committing.

The good news: all 3 Ironclad triggers are instant. Ironclad warns Zapier itself, so the checking interval of your plan never slows these Zaps down, free plan included.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Eight words come back on every Zapier page. Here they are in plain English, once, so the rest of this page reads fast.

Zap
The automation you build in Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run every time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is switched on, Zapier sits and waits for that event.
Action
What the Zap does once it has started: the step that creates, updates or deletes something for you, like an Ironclad record.
Task
The unit Zapier bills. One task is one action your Zap completes successfully, and your plan counts those every month.
Polling vs instant
Polling: Zapier checks the app on a timer. Instant: the app calls Zapier the moment the event happens. Every Ironclad trigger is instant.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap continue only when the incoming data meets your condition, and quietly stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something that already exists, such as an Ironclad workflow, so the later steps can reuse what it found.
Connection
Your Ironclad account linked to Zapier once, then reused by every step that talks to Ironclad, in every Zap you build.
Cost

What an Ironclad Zap really costs

Zapier bills tasks, not Zaps. The trigger is free: the Ironclad event that starts your Zap costs nothing. Each action that succeeds counts as one task, and one that fails costs nothing.

  • Trigger0 tasks
  • Successful action1 task each (a few actions take more)
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps
  • Ironclad on the free planYes, it is not a premium app

Ironclad is not a premium app, so it runs on the free plan: 100 tasks a month, but only two-step Zaps (one trigger, one action). Add a second action, a filter or a search and the Zap turns multi-step, which takes a paid plan instead. A three-action Zap burns three tasks per run. The interval grid below only concerns polling triggers. Ironclad has none, so its Zaps start straight away, on every plan.

Connect

Connect Ironclad to Zapier in 3 steps

  1. 01

    Open your Zapier apps

    In your Zapier account, open the Apps page and click + Add connection. You need an Ironclad account first, plus read or write access to any workflow or record you do not own and want the Zap to touch.

  2. 02

    Pick Ironclad in the dialog

    Type Ironclad in the search box, select it, then click Add connection. A new browser tab opens on the Ironclad side, which is where the sign-in really happens. Leave the Zapier tab open behind it.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Log in to Ironclad in that tab and grant Zapier access to the account. The connection then appears in your apps list, and every Ironclad step of every Zap reuses it without asking you to sign in again.

First Zap

Your first Ironclad Zap: comment on the workflows that matter

GoalEach time a contract workflow changes, leave a comment on it, but only for the workflows that pass your rule.

  1. 01

    Pick the trigger

    Start a new Zap, choose Ironclad as the app that starts it, then New Workflow Event as the event. Select your Ironclad connection and the workflow event you want to react to.

  2. 02

    Test it on real data

    Run the trigger test. Zapier brings back the three most recent workflow events of your account, so you can pick a real one and map its fields later instead of guessing.

  3. 03

    Add a filter

    Click the plus icon and add a Filter. Set the field to look at, the rule, and the value to compare with. Use a text rule on text and a number rule on numbers, or it never passes.

  4. 04

    Add the comment

    Add Ironclad again, this time with Create Workflow Comment. Map the Workflow ID from the trigger, then write the comment, mixing fixed words with fields from the event.

  5. 05

    Test, then publish

    Test each step and read what came back. Then click Publish to switch the Zap on. Because of the filter, this is a multi-step Zap, so it runs on a paid plan.

Triggers

Ironclad triggers: 3 instant events

3 events start a Zap when something happens in Ironclad, and 3 of them are instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

New Approval Event

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new approval event is created that matches the selected event and will make that event payload as well as the workflow data available for future actions. Requires that the connection has the 'public.webhooks.createWebhooks', 'public.webhooks.deleteWebhooks', 'public.workflows.readWorkflows', and 'public.workflows.readDocuments' scopes.”

Starts your Zap when an approval event happens on an Ironclad workflow and matches the event you selected while setting the step up. The Zap receives the details of that approval plus the data of the workflow it belongs to, ready to map into later steps.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a sales director wants to hear about each approval on a deal contract without keeping Ironclad open all day.
Watch out
the connection must be allowed to create and delete webhooks and to read workflows and documents, or the trigger cannot be set up.
2

New Workflow Document Event

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new workflow document event is created and will make that event payload as well as the workflow data available for future actions. Requires that the connection has the 'public.webhooks.createWebhooks', 'public.webhooks.deleteWebhooks', 'public.workflows.readWorkflows', and 'public.workflows.readDocuments' scopes.”

Reacts to document activity inside an Ironclad workflow and hands the Zap the event along with the workflow data, so later steps know which contract the document belongs to.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a legal ops manager wants every document change on a contract noted somewhere the whole team reads.
Watch out
each event that starts the Zap spends the tasks of the actions behind it; a filter keeps only the documents that matter.
3

New Workflow Event

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new workflow event is created that matches the selected event and will make that event payload as well as the workflow data available for future actions. Requires that the connection has the 'public.webhooks.createWebhooks', 'public.webhooks.deleteWebhooks', 'public.workflows.readWorkflows', and 'public.workflows.readDocuments' scopes.”

Fires when something new happens on an Ironclad workflow and it matches the event type you picked, then passes the workflow's data down the Zap. It is the natural starting point for any Zap that follows a contract from request to signature.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
procurement wants each new supplier contract workflow logged in a shared tracker the day it moves.
Watch out
a Zap that comments on or updates the very workflow that started it can set itself off again, so test that loop before you publish.
Actions

Ironclad actions: create, update, delete, read

Ironclad gives you 8 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Delete Record

Action

In Zapier“Deletes an existing record by ID. Requires that the connection has the 'public.records.deleteRecords' scope.”

Removes the Ironclad record whose Record ID you pass in. Nothing else is asked, which is exactly why the ID deserves care.

When to use it
a deal cancelled in your CRM should not leave an orphan record behind in Ironclad.
Watch out
a wrong ID deletes the wrong record, so fetch it with Find a Record rather than typing it.
2

Launch New Workflow

Action

In Zapier“Launches a new workflow. Requires that the connection has the 'public.workflows.createWorkflows', 'public.workflows.readSchemas', and 'public.records.readSchemas' scopes.”

Opens a fresh Ironclad workflow based on the workflow schema you select in the step, the template Ironclad uses for that kind of contract.

When to use it
an NDA request submitted through a form should turn into a real Ironclad workflow at once.
Watch out
the schema list stays empty unless the connection can read both workflow and record schemas.
3

Get Workflow Approvals

Action

In Zapier“Gets workflow approvals for a workflow. Requires that the connection has the 'public.workflows.readApprovals' scope.”

Reads the approvals of one workflow and passes them to the following steps, so a later action can react to where sign-off stands.

When to use it
before chasing anyone, a Zap checks which approvals on the contract are still open.
Watch out
it sits among the actions, so each successful run counts as a task even though it only reads.
4

Create Record

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new record. Requires that the connection has the 'public.records.createRecords' and 'public.records.readSchemas' scopes.”

Adds a new record to Ironclad. The one field it insists on is the name you give that record, the rest depends on what you map.

When to use it
a deal marked won in your CRM should leave a record in Ironclad without anyone retyping it.
Watch out
the connection needs the rights to create records and to read record schemas.
5

Update Record

Action

In Zapier“Updates an existing record. Requires that the connection has the 'public.records.updateRecords' and 'public.records.readSchemas' scopes.”

Edits a record you point to by its Record ID, which has to arrive from an earlier step of the Zap rather than be typed by hand.

When to use it
a customer's details change in your billing tool and the matching Ironclad record should follow.
Watch out
pair it with Find a Record so the ID is checked before anything gets overwritten.
6

Update Workflow

Action

In Zapier“Updates the workflow metadata. Requires that the connection has the 'public.workflows.updateWorkflows', 'public.workflows.readSchemas', and 'public.records.readSchemas' scopes.”

Changes the metadata of a running workflow. Three fields are mandatory: the Workflow ID, the Workflow Schema, and a comment that explains what you changed and why.

When to use it
a contract value is renegotiated upstream and the workflow under review should carry the new figure.
Watch out
only a workflow in the Review step accepts it, with the schema already assigned to it.
7

Update Workflow Approval

Action

In Zapier“Updates a workflow approval. Requires that the connection has the 'public.workflows.updateApprovals' and 'public.workflows.readWorkflows' scopes.”

Sets the status of an approval on a workflow for a given role. You choose the workflow first, the Role ID list fills in after that, then you pick the status.

When to use it
an approver signs off in another tool and Ironclad should record the same decision.
Watch out
map the Workflow ID before anything else, or the Role ID field has nothing to offer.
8

Create Workflow Comment

Action

In Zapier“Adds a workflow comment to an existing workflow. Requires that the connection has the 'public.workflows.createComments' scope.”

Posts a comment on a workflow that already exists. It asks for two things only: the Workflow ID and the text of the comment.

When to use it
finance sends the first invoice from its billing tool and wants that noted on the contract it came from.
Watch out
the Workflow ID must come from an earlier step, and the field itself recommends a search step to fetch it.
Searches

Ironclad searches: find a record or a workflow by ID

2 search steps look for data that already exists in Ironclad, so a later step can use it.

Most Ironclad actions want an ID mapped from an earlier step, and that is what these two searches deliver. They sit at the bottom of the Action event list, under SEARCH. Some fields also offer + Add search step, which inserts one just before and wires the result in for you.

1

Find a Record

Search

In Zapier“Finds a record by ID. Requires that the connection has the 'public.records.readRecords' scope.”

Looks up an Ironclad record from its Record ID and hands it to the next steps. There is no lookup by name: the ID has to come from somewhere earlier in the Zap.

When to use it
right before Update Record or Delete Record, to confirm the record exists before you touch it.
Watch out
the connection needs the right to read records.
2

Find a Workflow

Search

In Zapier“Finds a workflow based on the ID. Requires that the connection has the 'public.workflows.readWorkflows' scope.”

Retrieves a workflow from its Workflow ID so later steps can use its data. Several actions depend on that ID, which makes this search the usual first step of an update Zap.

When to use it
feeding Create Workflow Comment, Update Workflow or Update Workflow Approval with a verified ID.
Watch out
it requires read access to workflows on the connection.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that comes back empty stops the Zap there and skips the steps that needed it. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    This box turns a search into a find-or-create. Ironclad offers no such variant on Zapier, so neither of its searches can create the missing item.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out when several items match: keep the first one, which is the default, stop the Zap, or hand all of them on at once.
When it breaks

When an Ironclad Zap breaks

Zapier links no help article to Ironclad. What follows comes from how Zapier behaves in general and from the requirements printed on each Ironclad operation.

Most failures fall into two families: something the Zap was never built to see, and a permission or a workflow state that Ironclad refuses. If a case resists, the Zapier troubleshooting guide walks through the usual suspects, and the Zapier agency team can take the build off your hands.

  • Older contracts are never picked up

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after it is switched on. Workflows and approvals that already existed are ignored, and moving that backlog is a separate job.

  • A permission is missing on the connection

    Each Ironclad operation lists the rights it needs, from webhooks for the triggers to records or workflows for the actions. A connection that lacks one fails on that step only.

  • Update Workflow refuses the workflow

    The workflow must sit in the Review step, and the schema you pick must be the one already assigned to it. Anything else and the update does not go through.

  • The Zap sets itself off in a loop

    A Zap that writes into the very place its trigger watches can start itself again and again, burning tasks fast. Watch any Zap that comments on or updates its own workflow.

  • A bulk import gets held back

    When a trigger suddenly returns a huge batch, after a migration for instance, Zapier's flood protection can hold those runs back instead of firing them all at once.

  • A search comes back empty and the Zap stops

    With the default setting, Find a Record or Find a Workflow returning nothing stops the Zap there, and every step that needed the ID is skipped.
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FAQ

Ironclad and Zapier: frequent questions

01Is the Ironclad Zapier integration free?
On the Zapier side, yes. Ironclad is not a premium app, so it works on Zapier's free plan, which gives you 100 tasks a month and as many Zaps as you like. The catch is the shape of the Zap: on the free plan a Zap has two steps, one trigger and one action. As soon as you add a filter, a search such as Find a Workflow, or a second action, the Zap becomes multi-step and needs a paid plan. You also need your own Ironclad account, which Zapier does not provide.
02How many tasks does an Ironclad Zap use?
One task for each action that succeeds, on every run. The Ironclad trigger costs nothing, and neither does an action that fails. A Zap made of New Workflow Event and Create Workflow Comment uses one task each time a workflow event arrives. Add Update Workflow behind it and every run costs two. Keep in mind that Get Workflow Approvals is filed as an action even though it only reads data, so it counts as well. A few actions on Zapier take more than one task, so glance at the task history after the first runs.
03Do Ironclad Zaps run in real time?
Yes, as close as Zapier gets. All 3 Ironclad triggers are instant: Ironclad tells Zapier the moment an approval, workflow or document event happens, and the Zap starts at once. The checking interval of your plan, 15 minutes on the free plan, only applies to polling triggers, and Ironclad has none. In the editor, a Zap built on an instant trigger shows a lightning bolt. The type comes from Ironclad's own setup and cannot be switched from the editor, so there is nothing to tune on your side.
04What does it take to connect Ironclad to Zapier?
An Ironclad account, plus read or write access to any workflow or record you do not own and want the Zap to touch. In Zapier, open the Apps page, click + Add connection, pick Ironclad, sign in in the tab that opens and grant access. The less visible part is permissions: each operation requires its own. The triggers need the right to create and delete webhooks and to read workflows and documents, while Update Workflow needs the rights to update workflows and read schemas.
05Why does Update Workflow fail on some Ironclad workflows?
Because it only works on a workflow sitting in the Review step. A workflow at any other stage is refused. Two more conditions apply: the Workflow Schema you select must be the same schema template already assigned to that workflow, and the comment field is mandatory, since Ironclad wants to know why the metadata changed. The safest setup is a Find a Workflow step before the update, so the Workflow ID is verified, and a filter that lets the Zap continue only for workflows in the right state.
06What if the Ironclad operation you need is not on the list?
Then Zapier cannot do it directly, because the list of operations is fixed by Ironclad's integration. The gaps show up quickly: no trigger watches records, both searches work by ID only, and nothing deletes a workflow or uploads a file. Often the job can still be done by chaining what exists, for example Find a Workflow followed by Update Workflow or Create Workflow Comment. If the missing piece is central to the process, compare what other automation tools offer for Ironclad before building around the gap.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Ironclad?
It depends on criteria, not on a winner. First, coverage: check that the 13 operations listed here cover your scenario, since Zapier offers nothing beyond them. Second, timing: Ironclad's triggers are instant on Zapier, so speed is not an issue on any plan. Third, cost: Zapier counts one task per successful action, and any Zap with a filter or a search needs a paid plan. Weigh the same three criteria on the other tools for your volume and your team's comfort with building before choosing.
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