Google Workspace Studio now lets you build automations that connect to outside apps, run custom code, and trigger actions across your entire software stack—all without leaving Workspace. If your team's been stuck copying data between systems or manually kicking off processes that should just happen automatically, these new features change what's possible.

Blue Chip Technologies Ltd. helps organisations get more from their Google Workspace investment, and this update to Workspace Studio is worth understanding properly. Let's break down what's actually new and how it applies to real business workflows.

What are custom starters and steps in Workspace Studio?

Custom starters let you trigger a Workspace Studio flow from an external application. Think of it as opening a door: when something happens in another system (a new order, a support ticket, a form submission), that event can now automatically kick off your Workspace automation.

Custom steps work the other direction. They let you run your own logic—typically Google Apps Script—inside a flow. Need to format data in a specific way, perform a calculation, or apply business rules that don't fit the standard options? Write a custom step.

Both features are off by default. Your admin enables them in the Workspace Admin Console, and there are approval settings to control who can use them and when human sign-off is required.

Which third-party apps can you connect?

The new integrations (currently in Beta) support:

Asana
Confluence
HubSpot
Jira
Mailchimp
QuickBooks
Salesforce
Slack

So if your sales team closes a deal in Salesforce, that can automatically create a project in Asana and notify the delivery team in Slack. Or a new contact in HubSpot could trigger a welcome sequence in Mailchimp while logging the activity in a Google Sheet for reporting.

These aren't just one-way connections. Data flows between Workspace and these tools, which means fewer tabs open, less copy-pasting, and fewer "I forgot to update the spreadsheet" moments.

How do webhooks fit in?

Webhooks let your flows send HTTP requests to external endpoints. In plain terms: your Workspace automation can tell another system to do something.

This is useful when you're working with apps that aren't on the pre-built integration list yet, or when you've got internal tools and APIs that need to receive data from Workspace.

For Business Plus, Enterprise Standard/Plus, and Education Standard/Plus editions, admins can set a URL allowlist—so you control exactly which external endpoints your organisation's flows can contact.

What does this mean for your business?

Here's where it gets practical. Consider these scenarios:

Finance team: When an invoice is approved in Google Sheets, automatically create the corresponding record in QuickBooks and notify the accounts payable contact via Gmail.

Project management: A new row in a tracking sheet triggers a Jira ticket, assigns it based on custom logic in your Apps Script step, and posts a summary to the relevant Slack channel.

Marketing: Form responses in Google Forms feed into HubSpot as new contacts, trigger a Mailchimp campaign, and update your campaign tracking sheet—all without anyone manually moving data.

The real benefit isn't any single automation. It's removing the friction between systems that currently costs your team hours every week.

How do I enable these features?

Open the Google Workspace Admin Console
Navigate to Apps > Google Workspace > Workspace Studio
Enable the specific features you want: Custom steps, Integrations, or Webhooks
Configure approval requirements under Approvals (webhooks follow the Sensitive Steps settings)
Set your URL allowlist for webhooks if you're on a supported edition

End users can then access the new features directly in Workspace Studio.

If you're already using Google Workspace and want help designing automations that actually fit your processes, that's something we do regularly for clients. You can learn more about our Google Workspace solutions and how we approach setup and support.

Frequently asked questions

Is this available on all Google Workspace plans?
Yes, these features are available across Business (Starter, Standard, Plus), Enterprise (Standard, Plus), and Education editions. The webhook URL allowlist is limited to Business Plus and Enterprise/Education Standard and Plus.

Do I need coding skills to use custom steps?
Custom steps typically use Google Apps Script, so some scripting knowledge helps. However, the third-party integrations and standard webhooks work without code.

Are these features secure for enterprise use?
Google has built granular admin controls around each feature. Admins can enable or disable them, set approval requirements, and restrict webhook destinations to an allowlist.

When will this be available?
Admin console settings began rolling out September 17, 2026. End-user features started September 21 for Rapid Release domains and September 30 for Scheduled Release domains.

Ready to put Workspace Studio to work?

If you're looking at these features and thinking "this could fix that process we've been complaining about for months"—let's talk. We help organisations design, build, and support Workspace automations that actually stick.

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