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

# Activating & Editing Automations

> Turn automations on, and edit them safely even while people are moving through.

## Activation

* An automation must have at least **one email step** or **one Church Center notification step** to be enabled.
* Its [trigger](/automations/triggers/overview) must be fully set up (the required list/form and category).
* Once active, Flowforth monitors your chosen trigger and enrolls people automatically.

<Note>
  People are only enrolled when they meet the trigger **while the automation is active**. If it was inactive when they joined a list or submitted a form, they aren't added retroactively.
</Note>

[Manual](/automations/triggers/manual) automations are the exception — they have no enable/disable state and are always run on demand with **Run now**.

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## Editing an Active Automation

You can edit an automation at any time, even while people are moving through it:

* Anyone currently in progress **continues running** using the **previous steps**. When saving your changes, you also have the option to cancel in-progress runs.
* New people who enter after you save use your **updated** steps.
* Email template content is fetched at **send time**, so if you edit a [template](/emails/email-templates) used in an active automation, people receive the **updated content** when they reach that step.

***

## Pausing and Canceling

* **Disable** an automation to stop it from enrolling new people. In-progress runs are unaffected unless you cancel them.
* You can **cancel all active runs** for an automation without disabling it, or cancel an individual person's run. See [Monitoring Progress](/automations/managing/monitoring) for how.