---
source_url: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/admin-api/create-decision
title: Create decision
---

# Create decision

> For AI agents: documentation index at https://www.pubnub.com/llms-full.txt

Creates a new decision for configuring rules, conditions, and actions based on events, metrics, or queries.

> **Warning:** The `rules` array **must be empty []** on POST. The server rejects decisions that include populated rules during creation. Rules are added in a subsequent PUT request.

> **Warning:** The decision **must be created with enabled: false**. You cannot set `enabled: true` until rules are configured via PUT.

### Creation workflow

Decisions require a multi-step creation process:

1. **POST /v2/decisions** — Create the decision with `inputFields`, `outputFields`, `actions`, and `rules: []`. Omit `id` on all sub-objects — the API auto-generates them.
2. **Read the POST response** — Extract the auto-generated IDs: `inputFields[].id`, `outputFields[].id`, and `actions[].id`.
3. **PUT /v2/decisions/{id}** — Send the full decision body including `rules` that reference those IDs via `inputValues[].inputFieldId`, `outputValues[].outputFieldId`, and `actionValues[].actionId`.
4. **PUT /v2/decisions/{id}** — Set `enabled: true` to activate (optionally set `activeFrom`/`activeUntil` for scheduled activation).

### Source type behavior

| `sourceType` | `inputFields` | `executionFrequency` |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `BUSINESSOBJECT` | Required — define manually with `sourceType: "FIELD"` | Not used |
| `METRIC` | Auto-populated from the metric — do **not** include | Required |
| `QUERY` | Auto-populated from the query — do **not** include | Required |

### Action template schemas

The `template` object shape depends on `actionType`:

| `actionType` | Template fields |
| --- | --- |
| `PUBNUB_PUBLISH` | `pubkey`, `subkey`, `channel`, `body`, `meta` |
| `WEBHOOK_EXECUTION` | `webhookUrl`, `headers`, `payload` |
| `APPCONTEXT_SET_USER_METADATA` | `userId`, `custom` |
| `APPCONTEXT_SET_CHANNEL_METADATA` | `channelId`, `custom` |
| `APPCONTEXT_SET_MEMBERSHIP_METADATA` | `userId`, `channelId`, `custom` |

Template values support `${variable}` interpolation using output field variable names or input field IDs.

### Common errors

| Code | Condition |
| --- | --- |
| 400 | Non-empty `rules` array on POST |
| 400 | `enabled: true` on POST |
| 400 | `inputFields` included when `sourceType` is `METRIC` or `QUERY` |
| 400 | Missing `executionFrequency` when `sourceType` is `METRIC` or `QUERY` |

## Request

Example

```
{
  "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "updatedAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "createdBy": "string",
  "updatedBy": "string",
  "id": "string",
  "name": "string",
  "description": "string",
  "accountId": "string",
  "businessObjectId": "string",
  "sourceType": "BUSINESSOBJECT",
  "sourceId": "string",
  "hitType": "SINGLE",
  "enabled": false,
  "activeFrom": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "activeUntil": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "executeOnce": false,
  "executionFrequency": 0,
  "inputFields": [
    {
      "id": "string",
      "sourceType": {},
      "sourceId": "string",
      "name": "string"
    }
  ],
  "outputFields": [
    {
      "id": "string",
      "name": "string",
      "variable": "string"
    }
  ],
  "rules": [
    {
      "id": "string",
      "inputValues": [
        {}
      ],
      "outputValues": [
        {}
      ],
      "actionValues": [
        {}
      ]
    }
  ],
  "actions": [
    {
      "id": "string",
      "actionType": "WEBHOOK_EXECUTION",
      "description": "string",
      "name": "string",
      "template": {},
      "note": "string"
    }
  ],
  "businessObject": {
    "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
    "updatedAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
    "createdBy": "string",
    "updatedBy": "string",
    "id": "string",
    "name": "string",
    "isActive": false,
    "description": "string",
    "fields": [
      {
        "id": "string",
        "name": "string",
        "jsonPath": "string",
        "jsonFieldType": "TEXT",
        "isKeyset": false,
        "source": "JSONPATH",
        "derivation": {}
      }
    ],
    "accountId": "string",
    "subkeys": [
      "string"
    ],
    "metrics": [
      {
        "id": "string",
        "name": "string",
        "measureId": "string",
        "businessObjectId": "string",
        "evaluationWindow": 0,
        "function": "string",
        "dimensionIds": [],
        "dimensions": [],
        "filters": []
      }
    ],
    "decisions": [],
    "dashboards": [
      {
        "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
        "updatedAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
        "createdBy": "string",
        "updatedBy": "string",
        "id": "string",
        "name": "string",
        "accountId": "string",
        "dateRange": "30 minutes",
        "startDate": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
        "endDate": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
        "charts": [],
        "customer": {}
      }
    ],
    "queries": [
      {
        "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
        "updatedAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
        "createdBy": "string",
        "updatedBy": "string",
        "decisions": [],
        "customer": {},
        "businessObjects": [],
        "id": "string",
        "name": "string",
        "description": "string",
        "definition": {},
        "template": "string",
        "accountId": "string"
      }
    ],
    "customers": [
      {
        "id": "string",
        "name": "string"
      }
    ]
  },
  "metric": {
    "id": "string",
    "name": "string",
    "measureId": "string",
    "businessObjectId": "string",
    "evaluationWindow": 0,
    "function": "string",
    "dimensionIds": [
      "string"
    ],
    "dimensions": [
      {
        "id": "string",
        "name": "string",
        "jsonPath": "string",
        "jsonFieldType": "TEXT",
        "isKeyset": false,
        "source": "JSONPATH",
        "derivation": {}
      }
    ],
    "filters": [
      {
        "id": "string",
        "sourceType": "MEASURE",
        "sourceId": "string",
        "operation": "NUMERIC_GREATER_THAN",
        "arguments": []
      }
    ],
    "businessObject": {
      "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
      "updatedAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
      "createdBy": "string",
      "updatedBy": "string",
      "id": "string",
      "name": "string",
      "isActive": false,
      "description": "string",
      "fields": [
        {}
      ],
      "accountId": "string",
      "subkeys": [
        "string"
      ],
      "metrics": [],
      "decisions": [],
      "dashboards": [
        {}
      ],
      "queries": [
        {}
      ],
      "customers": [
        {}
      ]
    }
  },
  "query": {
    "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
    "updatedAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
    "createdBy": "string",
    "updatedBy": "string",
    "decisions": [],
    "customer": {
      "id": "string",
      "name": "string"
    },
    "businessObjects": [
      {
        "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
        "updatedAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
        "createdBy": "string",
        "updatedBy": "string",
        "id": "string",
        "name": "string",
        "isActive": false,
        "description": "string",
        "fields": [],
        "accountId": "string",
        "subkeys": [],
        "metrics": [],
        "decisions": [],
        "dashboards": [],
        "queries": [],
        "customers": []
      }
    ],
    "id": "string",
    "name": "string",
    "description": "string",
    "definition": {
      "version": "2.0",
      "pipeline": {
        "sources": [],
        "transforms": [],
        "output": {}
      },
      "meta": {}
    },
    "template": "string",
    "accountId": "string"
  },
  "customer": {
    "id": "string",
    "name": "string"
  }
}
```