Why can't I use timeline columns directly in date-based automations?

monday.com's 'when date arrives' automations only work with Date columns, not Timeline columns. By extracting the start and end dates into real Date columns, you unlock deadline reminders, overdue notifications, and date-based status changes.

Do the date columns update when the timeline changes?

Yes. Whenever the timeline column is adjusted — dragged in Gantt view, manually edited, or changed by another automation — the extracted Date columns update automatically.

Can I extract just the start date, just the end date, or both?

You can configure it to extract either or both. Most users extract both so they can trigger automations on project start dates and deadline dates separately.

Action

Extract Timeline Dates to Date Columns

“Split a timeline column into separate start date and end date columns”

Automatically extract the start and end dates from a timeline column and write them to individual Date columns for use in automations, formulas, and calendar views.

Demo

Use Cases

Extract project start dates from timelines so 'when date arrives' automations can trigger kickoff workflows

Pull end dates into a Date column for deadline reminders that timeline columns can't trigger

Feed timeline dates into formula columns to calculate durations, buffer days, or SLA windows

Real-World Example

Your project board uses timeline columns for Gantt charts, but you need 'when date arrives' reminders for deadlines. Timeline columns can't trigger date-based automations. This action extracts the end date into a real Date column, so you can set up 'when date arrives, notify the project owner' automations that actually fire.

Ready to use this recipe?

Get Community Cookbook from the monday.com marketplace and unlock every custom trigger and action. Always £9.99/month — the recipe list keeps growing but the price never goes up.

Get the App Get monday Help