Documentation Index

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The contact update step modifies a contact’s fields as part of an Automation. You can update a contact’s name, subscription status, or custom properties. Common use cases:

• Enrich profiles — Copy event data into the contact record.
• Set flags — Mark contacts as VIP, or churned based on their activity.
• Sync properties — Keep custom properties up to date as events flow in.

[​

](#how-it-works)

How it works

Using the dashboard

Add an Update contact step and update the fields you want to change.

Using the API

Add a contact_update step to your Automation’s steps array.

[​

](#dynamic-variables)

Dynamic variables

Each field value can be a hardcoded value (string, number, boolean) or a dynamic variable reference using the { "var": "..." } syntax. Variable references use dot-notation with one of these scopes:

• event.* — references a field from the triggering event payload.
• contact.* — references a field from the current contact record.

For more help working with variables in templates, see the Send Email step documentation.

{
  "key": "update",
  "type": "contact_update",
  "config": {
    "first_name": { "var": "event.firstName" },
    "last_name": { "var": "event.lastName" },
    "properties": {
      "company": { "var": "event.company" },
      "vip": true
    }
  }
}

[​

](#configuration)

Configuration

[​

](#param-config-first-name)

config.first_name

string | object

The contact’s first name. Accepts a hardcoded string or a variable reference.

[​

](#param-config-last-name)

config.last_name

string | object

The contact’s last name. Accepts a hardcoded string or a variable reference.

[​

](#param-config-unsubscribed)

config.unsubscribed

boolean | object

The contact’s unsubscribed status. Accepts a boolean or a variable reference.

[​

](#param-config-properties)

config.properties

object

A map of custom contact properties to update. Keys correspond to your Contact Custom Properties. Each value can be a hardcoded value (string, number, boolean) or a variable reference.

Example

{
  "key": "update_contact",
  "type": "contact_update",
  "config": {
    "properties": {
      "company": { "var": "event.company" },
      "vip": true
    }
  }
}