New Action: Apply List/Folder/Space template
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Brittny Borgeson
Currently it looks like we can only apply a task template, we'd like to have a folder template created when a task status changes
July 7, 2023 EDIT: Original title was just looking to have folder templates added. List and Space were added as well as they are related asks.
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Pat Dunn
Was stoked to see this released, but locking it behind a paywall...seriously Zach - ClickUp? Seems like a basic feature to be able to have a template applied to a list- shouldn't be a paid feature. Kind of feels like a slap in the face.
Jackson James
Zach - ClickUp Please prioritise the Folder template automation!!
So many businesses structure their CU hierarchy to have a folder for each client.
Therefore, this would make client onboarding far more streamlined.
@everyone, please add your vote for the Folder template automation! 👇
Zach - ClickUp
marked this post as
completed
Hey everyone, this is finally out the door!
You can now apply a list template directly in the "Create List" automation action. Here's what's included:
- Select any list template from the Template Center right inside the automation builder
- Date remapping (remap to a specific date, or pull dates dynamically from trigger fields, including custom date fields)
- Skip weekends option
- Dynamic list naming using trigger field variables
- All the same import settings you're used to from manual template application
We built this with performance and reliability in mind, so there are guardrails to make sure templates apply cleanly every time at scale. We may adjust this in the future.
Marking this one as complete, but for Folder and Space template support in automations, this is something we want to do too. It's a bigger lift with more complexity under the hood, so we're tracking it separately. If that's important to your workflow, drop your vote here so we can prioritize it properly.
Thank you all for pushing for this and please let us know if you encounter anything unintended!
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JMartinez
Zach - ClickUp really needs Business+ ????? �
Jackson James
Zach - ClickUp yes please prioritise the Folder template automation!!
So many businesses structure their CU hierarchy to have a folder for each client.
Therefore, this would make client onboarding far more streamlined.
Franziska Tryzna
JMartinez it's actually locked behind Enterprise if you want to use the remap dates part of it...
Franziska Tryzna
Zach - ClickUp Hey Zach, I was so excited to see this update. Sadly, this new feature is locked behind the Enterprise plan - otherwise the remap dates option can't be used. It's a pity, this way this great addition is useless of a whole bunch of users....
Pierre Becher
Zach - ClickUp Really?
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Matt Nelson
Zach - ClickUp without field mapping it's not useful ATM. For example:
For example, I am imaging to use this via an automation on a roadmap list, where an action on a task triggers creation of a list (currently manual). We have a custom field for single assignment as Owner, and when we create an associated list I'd like to automate:
- assign that user as the list owner
- use that user and the triggering task in automations we have in the template
- add that list on the triggering task (we have a custom field URL for that)
If any mapping from the triggering task can be done then it would be useful otherwise it risks creating untracked lists that aren't connected/referenced
Lesford “LJ” McKenzie
Zach - ClickUp this being locked behind enterprise is no bueno.
Kara Shepard
Zach - ClickUp Hi! Was super excited to see this released as it would be a HUGE help to myself and several clients... but we aren't enterprise level users. Most of my clients don't even require Biz+ to function day to day because they are small teams/solopreneurs.
This would be a huge asset to small biz service providers generating new projects for clients though—would love to see this accessible to other payment tiers/types of businesses!
Natalie Williams
Zach - ClickUp templates are so far below what other platforms offer. Space, folder, and list descriptions should be included in templates. Custom field descriptions should be included. Automation names and descriptions should be included. Automations should RELIABLY import. And these should NOT be locked behind a paywall beyond "unlimited."
Luděk
When applying a task template via automation, tasks should be automatically remapped according to the task due date (if set).
Zach - ClickUp
Merged in a post:
Lists created by Automation to apply List Template
Kolton White
Currently when you set up an automation to create a list, the list it creates is completely blank. There's not a way to have the automation creating the list to have a list template apply to the list it's creating.
This makes automatically created lists very pointless because you'd have to manually apply a template to it if you were wanting it to have any formatting.
If there was an option to select a list template for it to create when setting up the automation, the problem would be fixed
Zach - ClickUp
You're not alone on this one — there's already a very popular request tracking exactly this. Merging your post in so all the votes combine. And the genuinely good news: we're actively building it right now 🚀
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Adam Cooper
@Zach - ClickUp - I know you said this was going to be for lists only to start with... but really really need this for folders pretty soon after, if you can. Not sure if that's a massively larger ask... but template folders being created for a client list is extremely painful when done manually, one at a time. I can't even import a list of them and have that create the folders for me via automation. I literally have to create every single client we have (1,000s) one at a time. This is a huge hurdle for us being able to roll out ClickUp as our PM solution.
Zach - ClickUp
Adam Cooper: Hey! Totally hear you on this... manually creating folders one at a time for thousands of clients sounds like an absolute nightmare, and I completely understand why this is a blocker for your rollout.
The good news is that adding folder support isn't a completely different beast from what we're building for lists. The challenge, though, is that folders carry a lot more complexity under the hood. A single folder template could contain dozens of lists, each with hundreds of tasks, custom fields, automations, and more, so when you apply that at scale, there are a lot of cascading effects we need to think through very carefully to make sure nothing breaks or behaves unexpectedly.
It's not that it's hard to add, it's that we want to make sure we do it right, so that when you're spinning up thousands of client folders, everything lands exactly as expected every time. A mistake at that scale could cause real headaches.
Folder support is absolutely on our radar as a natural next step after lists, and feedback like yours helps us prioritize it. I'll make sure this use case is front and center when we scope that out.
Thanks for sharing the details on your situation. That kind of context is genuinely helpful 🙏
Jackson James
Totally agree Adam Cooper.
Zach - ClickUp this 👆
Although we don’t have 1,000s like Adam, manually creating duplicating new folders from our folder template is a clunky as F process.
Makes client onboarding a pain in the ass
Franziska Tryzna
Zach - ClickUp do you happen to have any timeline for this? We're currently migrating more and more usecases from monday and this is a feature we're desperately lacking for a smooth workflow.
Zach - ClickUp
marked this post as
building now
This is now officially a work in progress!
I've provided an early design mock of what we're looking to add in (yes, date remapping included).
If you have a second to let me know if this direction is what you were hoping for, we'd really appreciate it.
Thank you all
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Chris Atherton
looks good to me ... I would poss want the option of having some sort of relationship between the original task and the new list.
Chris Ripley-Duggan
Zach - ClickUp Looks great! Will be a big help if we're also able to tie this into an automation - my hope is to have a form that can trigger a new list from a template.
Is it possible to have options for what the template contains (statuses, fields, views, etc...) and be able to include/exclude those? Same for assignees (e.g. include/exclude existing assignees, or assign someone to all tasks).
Zach - ClickUp
Chris Ripley-Duggan: That should already be taken care of when you save the template. When you save it, you get the option to customize what is saved on the list template. Then, in the automation, all we are saying is that if you want to remap dates, skip weekends, or update the status upon the action execution, then we will do that. Let me know if that meets your needs.
Chris Ripley-Duggan
Zach - ClickUp I think so, thanks!
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Urjit Hirani
Zach - ClickUp Looks Great.
Pierre Becher
Zach - ClickUp Awesome! The location should be possible to select fixed and dynamic (e.g. list/folder from which the automation was triggered)
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Simon Pritchard
Chris Ripley-Duggan Zach - ClickUp 100% this. This would save me so much work if completion of a form triggers a new list from a template!
JMartinez
Zach - ClickUp amazing!!!! i can't wait!!. A lot of my customers wish this feature with the open arms, Great solution.
Alex Nascimento
Hi Zach - ClickUp,
The improvements you're planning for Templates sound really interesting.
I'd like to share a method I use in Google Sheets with a Script I created to manage long-term recurring tasks.
Practical Example
I use ClickUp for a TV Station and need to manage 200 episodes of a program. Ideally, I would create a template integrated with automation that, each day/week, would automatically create a new episode with:
- Sequential numbering (based on the previous episode)
- Automatically adjusted dates
- Linked subtasks
Since this isn't natively possible in ClickUp, I created a script where I configure these conditions and generate all 200 tasks at once in Google Sheets. Then I import them into ClickUp, and users simply update the Status following the workflow.
What Would Be Ideal to Have in ClickUp
An automation that could be triggered by events (date, previous task completion, etc.) with the following features:
1. Dynamic Naming with Variables:
- Standard title + automatic sequential number
- Automatic date insertion in task name
- Example: Program X - Ep. 025 - 03/15/2026
2. Subtasks with the Same Variables:
- Automatically inherit information from the parent task
- Example: Edit Ep. 025as a subtask ofProgram X - Ep. 025
3. Smart Date Remapping:
- Dates relative to task creation (same day, X days before, X days after)
- Start and end dates calculated automatically
4. Controlled Sequential Generation:
- Create tasks only on specific weekdays (Mon/Wed/Fri, for example)
- Automatic numbering increment
I know you're already working on template improvements, and I believe these features would perfectly complete the system for use cases like mine.
I'm attaching a screenshot of my Google Sheets script
so you can see how I'm currently handling this. If you need more information or details about the workflow, I'm happy to share.Photo Viewer
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Claire Clausing
Zach - ClickUp YES this is a huge step and will be so nice for my agency! Thanks so much!
Zach - ClickUp
Simon Pritchard: that's a key use case we're looking to unlock :)
Nicky Salido
Zach - ClickUp It would be cool to have an option where we can set who gets the access to the list, folder, or space once it's created. you can set who gets the full access, edit, view, or comment only, and you can set individual users or teams. it will also be great to have all the automations, custom fields (including formula fields) to be included in template.
Nathan Robertson
Alex Nascimento oh my days... That spreadsheet looks epic! Can I ask if you have tried using ClickUp's import spreadsheet function to generate lists/tasks based off of your spreadsheet and—if so—does that work well for you?
I also work in broadcast media so we have have hundreds of individual episodes that need to go to dozens of networks. So we would love to get more from ClickUp in terms of task/list templates and best ways to use automations to ease that burden
Zach - ClickUp
Nicky Salido: Won't be a part of the first iteration we do, but noted!
Zach - ClickUp
marked this post as
planned
Last updated on January 16, 2026
Thank you to everyone for your feedback here.
We do have plans to build out apply list templates within automations, and that work will hopefully start relatively soon. However, to be clear, we will not be doing folder or space templates at first to make sure everything performs nicely.
By a show of votes, would that still be helpful? Or are folder and space templates the main ask here?
— The ClickUp Product Team 🚀
JMartinez
Zach - ClickUp AMAZING NEWS!!!! apply list templates from an automations is an amazing good new!
Taylor Whitney
Zach - ClickUp The ability to apply a list template via automation is what I'm looking for.
Reed Holland
Zach - ClickUp, an automation to apply a template to a list would be really helpful. Especially if it works when you create a list from a task.
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Dustin Miller
Zach - ClickUp that’s a step in the right direction but we use folders and need templates there. We have to do an ungodly amount of workarounds to do the simple action of having a folder automatically created from a template which just seems like it would be live by now. Folders are what we need.
Chris Atherton
Zach - ClickUp automated list creation from a list template is what we would like. Not interested in folders / spaces at the moment. Might be different when we finally get more sub folders
Jackson James
Zach - ClickUp List templates is a great start. Folder templates with be an equally huge help (for onboarding new clients)
Pierre Becher
Zach - ClickUp In terms of priority it would be like this for us:
- List (for projects, high template usage)
- Folder (for clients, medium to high template usage)
- Space (for departments, rarely template usage)
Kristen Clements
Zach - ClickUp Great news! My primary request is to apply a list template.
Hannah Keyes
Zach - ClickUp Lists will definitely be helpful. Folders will be the bigger solve to so many onboarding headaches.
Daniel Urbano
Zach - ClickUp Will be really helpful as an initial Stage. We currently do that through the API but would be lot easier without it.
Zach - ClickUp
Wonderful. Thanks, everyone, for the feedback, and noted on folders being the next biggest one!
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Sonia Dabi
Zach - ClickUp apply template at folder level is the main ask
Rakesh Rathore
Zach - ClickUp Folder level template automation is the key requirement for us. This will be tirgger from the google form
Sarah Tumbers
Zach - ClickUp List template automations are what we're looking for too!!
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Joseph Plaizier
Zach - ClickUp that's great go hear! Our big road block right now is lists. Folders and Spaces would be nice to have in the future, but lists is our main focus and priority. Thanks for the update! Can't wait for this feature!
Michael Rosenberg
Zach - ClickUp List template automations would be HUGE for us.
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Brandon Fitch
Zach - ClickUp Great news! List templates via automation is my main priority, so this would be a huge help to me.
Summer Aims
Zach - ClickUp, in my case, folder-level templates is the ask.
I spend a lot of time in agency-type environments with high onboarding numbers (vendors, contractors, new customers, etc.). An automation that creates all of these would save a significant number of hours every year. Huge scalability flex.
Saskia Mardi
Zach - ClickUp highly helpful!
Zach - ClickUp
Thank you very much everyone for the feedback!
Jackson James
Zach - ClickUp I saw you updated your comment. Thought I’d comment again to say that starting with Apply List template action is helpful, but we need the Apply Folder template action as well.
This will save a huge amount of onboarding time for clients and team members
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Amy Makiewicz
Zach - ClickUp an automation that allows us to apply a list template would be great - what is the updated timing for this?
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