I’ve been using monday CRM for a while now, and connected boards are central to my workflow. However, I just realized that it isn’t possible to use data from Connected Items/Mirror columns in automations or integrations.
For example, if I want to send an email or create a new item via automation using info stored in a connected board, the fields aren’t available to map. This feels like a huge gap!
Has anyone found a reliable workaround for this—perhaps using specific third-party apps or a ‘bridge’ automation strategy?
It allows you to add the same item on multiple boards with full live syncing. You can then use regular columns instead of using mirror columns which would allow you to setup automations.
I’ve been known to use the workflow center to pull the email from the connected item to it’s own ‘email’ column on the second board. Then use that to create automations.
Hello @shirozayas You’re not missing anything. This is a current limitation. Mirror and Connected Items columns are read only, so their values can’t be used in automations or integrations.
Common workarounds the community uses:
The most reliable option is a bridge setup. Create matching columns on the main board and use an automation on the connected board to push values over. Once the data exists as a regular column, it’s available for automations and email mapping.
For more advanced needs, tools like Make or Zapier can pull connected board data via the monday.com API and use it to send emails or create items.
Another option is triggering automations from the board where the data actually lives, instead of relying on Mirror columns.
Dr. Tanvi Sachar
Monday Certified Partner, Tuesday Wizard
Totally understand your frustration — connected boards and mirror columns are incredibly useful for organising related data, but right now their values aren’t directly available as automatable fields, and that’s a known limitation of monday.com’s native automation and integration builder. Mirror and connected items columns are essentially read-only, so you can’t map their data straight into automations or integration actions like sending emails or creating new items based on that info. This means you won’t see those fields available when trying to set up automations.
A common workaround is to bring that connected data into regular columns on the board where the automation runs — for example, create a matching column on your main board and use a simple automation to copy the connected board values into it. Once that data exists in a regular column, you can use it in automations and integration mappings. Alternatively, third-party tools like Make or Zapier can access connected board data through the API and trigger automations externally.
Would be great to see native support for this in future releases!
the fact that data from Connected Items/Mirror columns isn’t available for use in automations or integrations feels like a pretty big shortfall in the workflow. Essentially, if you want to trigger an action like sending an email or creating a new item based on information stored in a connected board, you can’t map those mirrored fields directly in the automation builder. Because of that, what seems like a simple cross-board automation ends up being impossible without some kind of workaround.
You can actually do this natively within monday using Workflows!
Unlike classic automations, Workflows can reference data from connected items, mirror, and formula columns, which lets you build more complex, multi-step automations (including emails and item creation) without third-party tools.
Mirror and Connected Items columns are read only, so their values can’t be used in automations or integrations. That’s why they don’t show up as mappable fields when sending emails or creating items.
Common workarounds:
Use a push approach. Trigger automations on the source board to write values into regular columns on the target board. Standard columns can be used in automations.
Duplicate key fields. If data is needed for workflows, store it in Text, Status, or People columns instead of relying on Mirror columns.
Use external tools. Tools like Make or Zapier can read connected board data via the API and trigger actions outside monday.
Dr. Tanvi Sachar
Monday Certified Partner, Tuesday Wizard
If you’re looking to do more with connected boards than the native features allow, you might find “Same Item Multiple Boards” useful.
It builds on the connected boards concept but adds full two-way sync of column data, subitems, and updates between boards. It also has automation triggers for when items are shared or synced. Depending on what you’re trying to achieve with connected board data in your automations, this might fill the gap
We use Vlookup instead of the same item. This works super easy. You map via a unique identifier and this can be a two way sync. The only caveat is whenever you build this out it does add an emoji to the column name but that is easily removed and it will still work: monday.com: Where Teams Get Work Done . But once you create the local column (that keeps the same information as another board) you can use it however needed for automations or integrations.
hi @shirozayas ! If your goal is reporting or understanding what’s happening across connected boards, an app like Time in Status for monday.com can be useful. It works independently of mirror-column automation limits and helps track how items move through stages, even when those stages depend on connected boards.
There’s a 14-day trial, and you can also book a free consultation if you want to see how it could fit into a CRM setup.
It depends on how your items in the second board are being created. Are they being created as a ‘create and connect’ automation or are you simply creating a new item elsewhere?
Hi @shirozayas Monday.com doesn’t let you directly use data from connected or mirrored columns in automations. The workaround is to use Make.com, which is a tool that connects apps and automates workflows.
Here’s how it works in simple terms:
When something happens on your board (like a new item is added), Make can see it.
Make can then go to the connected board and grab the information you need.
Finally, Make can use that information to do things automatically—like send an email, create a new item, or update another board.
Hello @AAcosta3810
If you’d like hands-on help or want us to walk through this live, you can book a 1:1 paid 60-minute strategy session with our team here: Calendly
