Overview
Sometimes an automation needs to walk something back. Archive a finished project, undo an accidental task completion, or unassign a teammate who has rolled off. These four actions cover the lifecycle moves the rest of the action library leaves to the UI.
TL;DR: Four automation actions cover project and task lifecycle. Archive Project, Unarchive Project, Unassign Task, Uncomplete Task. Use them for sprint resets, cleanup, and rollback patterns inside any automation. Pair with Filter Data to make the move conditional. Available on all paid plans.
Every action has a partner
Each lifecycle move pairs with its inverse, so any automated state change is one action away from being undone.
If a sprint reset goes wrong, the partner action puts the workspace back. No support ticket. No restore from backup.
The four lifecycle actions
| Action | What it does | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| Archive Project | Moves a project into the archive (hidden from the sidebar, recoverable) | Auto-tidy at the end of a sprint |
| Unarchive Project | Pulls an archived project back into the live workspace | Re-activate a paused engagement |
| Unassign Task | Removes the current assignee from a task | Reset assignments when a teammate rolls off |
| Uncomplete Task | Marks a completed task back to open | Undo an accidental check, restart a recurring task |
Every action is reversible. Archive does not delete. Unassign does not lose history. Uncomplete keeps the completion timestamp visible in the activity feed.
How to add a lifecycle action
The flow is the same for all four. Pick the project or task with an @ reference from an earlier step.
- Open the automation in the flow editor.
- Click Add Action.
- Search for the action name (for example, Archive Project).
- Pick the project or task. Use
@to pull the value from a trigger or earlier step. - Save and toggle the automation on.
That is the whole shape. Most useful when wired into a conditional Branch so the move only happens when it should.
Pattern: end-of-sprint cleanup
Run on a Schedule every Friday at 5pm. For each project tagged "sprint-done", archive it. Two steps. Done in under a minute.
- Trigger: Schedule, weekly Friday 5pm
- Filter: project tag includes "sprint-done"
- Action: Archive Project
Pair with a Slack message action if you want the team to see what got swept.
Pattern: rollback on accident
Cover the case where a teammate completes a task by mistake. Run on a Comment trigger so the rollback fires on a chat phrase.
- Trigger: New Comment contains "@taskade undo"
- Action: Uncomplete Task (with
@trigger.taskas the target) - Action: Unassign Task (optional, if the comment also wants to free the assignee)
A one-message undo for the team channel.
Pattern: re-activate an archived engagement
For client work that wakes back up. Wire a Mailhook trigger to a "Restart project" email.
- Trigger: Mailhook receives email with subject "Restart project"
- Action: Unarchive Project
The archived project reappears in the sidebar the moment the email lands.
Tips
- Reversible by design. Every action here can be undone by the matching action. Archive can be Unarchive. Uncomplete is just one click away from a fresh check.
- Filter before you act. A bare scheduled archive is a footgun. Always pair with a Filter or Branch step that confirms the project is actually done.
- Audit trail stays intact. Archive and Unassign do not erase history. Open the project's version history any time to see what happened and when.
Related guides
- Automation Actions Reference. Every action available in Taskade automations.
- Branch Action. Route based on a condition before triggering a lifecycle move.
- Filter Data. Gate the lifecycle action so it only fires when it should.
- Schedule. Run cleanup on a weekly or monthly cadence.
- Restore from the Trash Tab. Recover anything deleted by mistake.