Smarter automation filters

Make sure subscribers still match your filters before an automation runs.

Justin Duke
Justin Duke
January 24, 2026

Automations with a delay now have a new option: Re-evaluate filters after delay.

This is a live demo. You can view this page on our live demo site, too.

Let's say you want to send a specific email to everyone tagged "prospects" four days after they sign up. What happens if that tag gets removed on day three—maybe they converted to a customer, or you cleaned up your tags?

Without this option, the automation would still fire on day four. The subscriber matched the filter when they first signed up, and that's all Buttondown checked.

With "Re-evaluate filters after delay" enabled, Buttondown checks your automation filters again right before the action runs. If the subscriber no longer has that "prospects" tag (or no longer matches whatever filters you've set), the automation skips them entirely.

You'll find this toggle in your automation settings whenever you have a delay configured. It's off by default, so your existing automations will keep working exactly as they do today.

If you're using the API, you can set this with the new should_evaluate_filter_after_delay parameter.

Buttondown is the last email platform you’ll switch to.
Smarter automation filters