Add Automations feature documentation by malhotra5 · Pull Request #439 · OpenHands/docs

malhotra5 · 2026-04-06T19:26:11Z

I have read and reviewed the documentation changes to the best of my ability.
If the change is significant, I have run the documentation site locally and confirmed it renders as expected.

Summary of changes

This PR adds documentation for the new Automations feature, which allows users to create scheduled tasks that run automatically in OpenHands Cloud and Enterprise.

New Pages

Overview (/openhands/usage/automations/overview) - Introduction to automations, what they can do, and getting started steps
Creating Automations (/openhands/usage/automations/creating-automations) - Guide on creating automations via the Automation Skill with prompt writing tips
Managing Automations (/openhands/usage/automations/managing-automations) - How to list, enable/disable, update, and delete automations
Examples (/openhands/usage/automations/examples) - Practical copy-paste examples for common use cases (reporting, monitoring, maintenance, data sync, code quality)

Key Features Documented

Beta banner: All pages indicate this is a beta feature for OpenHands Cloud and Enterprise only
Setup steps: Clear 3-step setup process (create API key → save as secret → start conversation)
Skill-based usage: Documentation focuses on conversational interaction rather than raw API endpoints
Prompt guidance: Tips for writing effective automation prompts with good/bad examples

Navigation Update

Added new "Automations" group with clock icon under Product Guides in docs.json.

Fixes PRD-87

This PR was created by an AI assistant (OpenHands) on behalf of the user.

@malhotra5 can click here to continue refining the PR

- Add new Automations section under Product Guides - Include overview, creating, managing, and examples pages - Document setup steps (API key creation, secret storage) - Provide practical examples for common use cases - Mark feature as Beta for OpenHands Cloud/Enterprise only Co-authored-by: openhands <openhands@all-hands.dev>

mintlify · 2026-04-06T19:33:42Z

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Co-authored-by: openhands <openhands@all-hands.dev>

- Add notes explaining that posting to Slack requires Slack MCP - Add notes explaining that GitHub actions require connected account - Link to integrations and MCP settings pages for setup Co-authored-by: openhands <openhands@all-hands.dev>

- Note that GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket tokens from Cloud login are automatic - Update notes to distinguish between automatic git access vs MCP-required services - Add git provider access to the list of automation capabilities Co-authored-by: openhands <openhands@all-hands.dev>

- Automations are user-scoped (runs belong to the user) - Conversations from automations appear in user's conversation list - Add tip about finding automation runs in conversations Co-authored-by: openhands <openhands@all-hands.dev>

- Add 'Two Types of Automations' section to overview page - Add tabbed examples for prompt vs plugin in creating-automations - Include plugin example in overview's 'Creating Your First Automation' - Remove redundant 'Using Plugins' section (now covered upfront) - Add plugins to 'What to Include in Your Request' list Co-authored-by: openhands <openhands@all-hands.dev>

jpelletier1 · 2026-04-06T20:15:34Z

@OpenHands Change the nav item to say "Automations (BETA)" under Documentation > Product Guides > Automation

openhands-ai · 2026-04-06T20:15:59Z

I'm on it! jpelletier1 can track my progress at all-hands.dev

Co-authored-by: openhands <openhands@all-hands.dev>

jpelletier1 · 2026-04-06T20:16:41Z

✅ Done! Updated the navigation item from 'Automations' to 'Automations (BETA)' in docs.json.

Commit: 6d7abf6

openhands-ai · 2026-04-06T20:17:34Z

Summary of Work Completed

I successfully addressed the PR comment requesting a navigation update for the Automations feature documentation.

✅ Request Completion Checklist

Located the Automations navigation group in docs.json
Updated the group name from "Automations" to "Automations (BETA)"
Committed the change with a descriptive message
Pushed the update to the PR branch (docs/automations-feature)
Commented on PR Add Automations feature documentation #439 to confirm the change

Change Summary

Single file modified: docs.json (line 66)

Changed: "group": "Automations" → "group": "Automations (BETA)"

The change is concise and targeted - only the specific navigation label was updated as requested, with no extraneous modifications. The navigation sidebar will now display "Automations (BETA)" under Documentation > Product Guides, making it clear to users that this is a beta feature.

Commit: 6d7abf6 - Successfully pushed to GitHub and visible in PR #439

jpelletier1 · 2026-04-06T20:23:04Z

@OpenHands can you move the "Automations (BETA)" page and it's sub-pages to the "Enterprise" tab instead? Please put it in it's own grouping of "Product Guides" there

openhands-ai · 2026-04-06T20:23:34Z

I'm on it! jpelletier1 can track my progress at all-hands.dev

jpelletier1 · 2026-04-06T20:24:17Z

✅ Done! Moved the "Automations (BETA)" section to the Enterprise tab under Product Guides.

Changes:

Removed Automations group from Documentation > Product Guides
Added Automations group to Enterprise > Product Guides with clock icon

Commit: f88f643

openhands-ai · 2026-04-06T20:25:24Z

Final Summary

I successfully completed your request to move the "Automations (BETA)" section to the Enterprise tab.

Request Completion Checklist

✅ Moved "Automations (BETA)" to Enterprise tab - Section removed from Documentation > Product Guides and added to Enterprise tab
✅ Created "Product Guides" grouping in Enterprise - New grouping created to contain the Automations section
✅ Preserved all sub-pages - All 4 documentation pages maintained:

Overview
Creating Automations
Managing Automations
Examples
✅ Maintained visual elements - Clock icon preserved on Automations group
✅ Validated changes - JSON structure verified as valid
✅ Committed and pushed - Changes pushed to docs/automations-feature branch (commit f88f643)
✅ Confirmed on PR - Comment posted on PR Add Automations feature documentation #439 confirming completion

Change Conciseness

The changes were minimal and precise - only the navigation structure in docs.json was modified. No extraneous changes were made.

The Automations documentation is now accessible under Enterprise > Product Guides > Automations (BETA) instead of Documentation > Product Guides > Automations (BETA), which correctly reflects that this is an Enterprise-only feature.

all-hands-bot

Taste Rating: 🟡 Acceptable — Documentation is clear and well-structured, but has some critical gaps around error handling and navigation consistency.

Key Insight: The docs describe a purely conversational interface that completely depends on the Automation Skill being loaded and functional, but provide zero guidance for when that fails or how to verify it's available. This creates a single point of failure with no documented escape hatch.

all-hands-bot · 2026-04-07T15:20:56Z

docs.json

          "enterprise/index",
-          "enterprise/quick-start"
+          "enterprise/quick-start",
+          {


🟠 Important: Navigation inconsistency.

The docs are only in the Enterprise tab, but overview.mdx says this feature is available for "OpenHands Cloud and OpenHands Enterprise users only."

If Cloud users can access this, it should also appear in the Cloud tab navigation. If it's truly Enterprise-only, fix the messaging in all MDX files to remove "Cloud".

all-hands-bot · 2026-04-07T15:20:56Z

openhands/usage/automations/overview.mdx

+## Prerequisites
+
+- **OpenHands Cloud or Enterprise account** (not available in open-source)
+- **Configured LLM** in your [settings](https://app.all-hands.dev/settings)


🟠 Important: Contradictory prerequisites.

You list "Stored secrets (optional)" as a prerequisite, but the setup section (lines 78-84) requires users to store OPENHANDS_API_KEY as a secret. This isn't optional—it's mandatory for the feature to work.

Fix: Either remove "(optional)" or clarify that the API key secret is required, while additional secrets for third-party services are optional.

all-hands-bot · 2026-04-07T15:20:56Z

openhands/usage/automations/overview.mdx

+1. Naming your automation
+2. Setting the schedule
+3. Choosing a timezone
+4. Confirming the task description (and plugins, if any)


🟡 Suggestion: Add verification step.

The entire user flow depends on the Automation Skill being loaded in their conversation. What happens if it's not available? Add a note about:

How to verify the skill is loaded (e.g., "If OpenHands doesn't recognize your automation request...")

What to do if it fails (restart conversation, contact support, etc.)

Right now there's a hidden assumption that the skill always works.

all-hands-bot · 2026-04-07T15:20:56Z

openhands/usage/automations/creating-automations.mdx

+
+The agent will:
+1. Confirm the automation name and what it does
+2. Set up the schedule you requested


🟡 Suggestion: Clarify confirmation behavior.

You say "The agent will: 1. Confirm the automation name..." but this implies guaranteed interactive behavior. What if the agent interprets the prompt differently? What if it creates the automation without asking?

Either:

Remove the numbered list if the behavior varies

Add "typically" or "may" to set correct expectations

Explain what users should do if the agent doesn't follow this flow

all-hands-bot · 2026-04-07T15:20:56Z

openhands/usage/automations/examples.mdx

+It should:
+1. Summarize PRs opened, merged, and reviewed in the last 24 hours
+2. List any PRs that have been open for more than 3 days
+3. Format as a clean markdown summary


🟡 Suggestion: Add explicit customization note.

All these examples contain placeholders like https://api.example.com/health, #engineering, api.example.com, etc.

Add a clear note at the top: "Note: Replace placeholder URLs, channel names, and domain names with your actual values."

Users will copy-paste these and wonder why they don't work.

all-hands-bot · 2026-04-07T15:20:56Z

openhands/usage/automations/managing-automations.mdx

+
+- **Pending**: Scheduled, waiting to start
+- **Running**: Currently executing
+- **Completed**: Finished successfully


🟠 Important: Missing error handling guidance.

You list run statuses but provide zero guidance on what to do when a run fails. Users need to know:

Where to find error details ("check the run details" is vague)

How to debug failed runs (conversation logs? Terminal output? Error messages?)

Whether failed runs retry automatically

How to fix and re-run

This is critical operational knowledge that's completely missing.

all-hands-bot · 2026-04-07T15:20:56Z

openhands/usage/automations/creating-automations.mdx

+
+    ```
+    Create an automation using the code-review plugin that runs every weekday 
+    at 9 AM. It should review any Python files changed in the last 24 hours.


🟡 Suggestion: Add plugin discovery guidance.

You reference the "OpenHands extensions repository" but don't explain:

How to browse available plugins

How to know which plugin to use for a given task

What capabilities different plugins provide

How to specify plugin versions

Add a direct link to the extensions repo and maybe a sentence about how to explore it: Browse available plugins at https://github.com/OpenHands/extensions/tree/main/plugins

mintlify bot deployed to staging April 6, 2026 19:34 View deployment

Remove icon from Automations sidebar group

b8a7060

Co-authored-by: openhands <openhands@all-hands.dev>

mintlify bot deployed to staging April 6, 2026 19:36 View deployment

mintlify bot deployed to staging April 6, 2026 19:38 View deployment

mintlify bot deployed to staging April 6, 2026 19:44 View deployment

mintlify bot deployed to staging April 6, 2026 19:47 View deployment

mintlify bot deployed to staging April 6, 2026 19:52 View deployment

Update navigation: Change 'Automations' to 'Automations (BETA)'

6d7abf6

Co-authored-by: openhands <openhands@all-hands.dev>

mintlify bot deployed to staging April 6, 2026 20:17 View deployment

Move Automations (BETA) to Enterprise tab under Product Guides

f88f643

mintlify bot deployed to staging April 6, 2026 20:24 View deployment

malhotra5 marked this pull request as ready for review April 7, 2026 15:18

malhotra5 requested a review from mamoodi as a code owner April 7, 2026 15:18

jpelletier1 self-requested a review April 7, 2026 15:20

all-hands-bot reviewed Apr 7, 2026

View reviewed changes

jpelletier1 approved these changes Apr 7, 2026

View reviewed changes

jpelletier1 merged commit 9a48e80 into main Apr 7, 2026
8 checks passed

jpelletier1 deleted the docs/automations-feature branch April 7, 2026 15:21

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Key Features Documented

Navigation Update

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malhotra5 commented Apr 6, 2026 •

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