API Developer Resource 💡
For API documentation and resources to extend workflow automation, visit the Drata Developer page.
Overview of Control Workflows
Control workflows help you stay proactive by automatically responding to important changes across your controls. Whether a control becomes “Not ready,” evidence is linked, or ownership changes, Drata can notify the right people, assign follow-up tasks, or send data to connected tools.
For a broader introduction to workflows, explore our Workflows article.
Prerequisites
Before creating a workflow, ensure that:
You have the Admin or Workspace Manager role.
You can access Settings > Workflows.
You may also need to:
Identify the Slack channel or Teams group you want to notify.
Prepare any webhook URLs needed to send data from Drata to external applications.
Each control workflow is made up of a trigger and the actions you want Drata to take when that trigger occurs. After choosing the controls you want to monitor, you’ll define what event should activate the workflow and what should happen next. Use the instructions below to configure your workflow.
Step 1: Select the Controls
Start by choosing which controls to monitor.
All controls: All current and future controls in the selected workspace
Selected controls: Specific controls to target
Step 2: Choose a Trigger
Select the event that should activate the workflow. The workflow will run whenever one of the following changes occurs:
Controls details updated
Control readiness changed to "Not ready"
Control readiness changed to "Ready"
Evidence linked
Evidence unlinked
Policy linked
Policy unlinked
Test mapped
Test unmapped
Requirement mapped
Requirement unmapped
Mapped test passing
Mapped test failing
Control owner updated
Control marked in-scope
Control marked out-of-scope
Step 3: Add Steps
Each step defines what should happen when the workflow is triggered. You can add multiple steps, and all steps run in parallel when the workflow activates. If a step fails, the others will still run, and Drata will automatically retry the failed step up to three times.
Workflows support the following step types (availability depends on your connected integrations):
Create task: Assign a follow-up task to a user, role, or owner.
Send email: Available to all users.
Send Slack message: Available when Slack is connected.
Send MS Teams message: Available when Microsoft Teams is connected.
Send webhook: Transmit structured data from Drata to external systems.
Step Type: Create Task
Use the Create task step to assign a follow-up action to a user, role, or the control owner. You can:
Enter a task title and description.
(Optional) Use dynamic variables such as {{control_name}} to automatically insert control-specific information.
Select Insert Variable to browse all available options.
Assign the task to an individual user, a role, or a responsibility group (such as the control owner or control approver).
Set a due date as part of the resolution timeline (for example, 10 days from task creation).
Example:
The following image shows a task automatically created and assigned to the control owner to review newly linked evidence.
Step Type: Send notification
Use the Send notification step to deliver real-time alerts to stakeholders when the workflow is triggered.
Each email/message will contain a link to route to the Control. Notifications can be sent through:
Email (always available)
Slack message (available when Slack is connected)
Microsoft Teams message (available when Microsoft Teams is connected)
You can:
Enter recipients or channel names (such as security-alerts, [email protected]).
Compose a subject line and message, embedding variables such as:
{{control_name}}{{control_code}}{{control_owners}}Select Insert Variable for more options.
Example control notification:
The following image shows a user configuring a Send Slack message step. The message notifies all control owners and Aashima to review the updated details, including the name of the user who made the update.
Example Slack notification:
Below is an example of the Slack message that recipients will view when this workflow is triggered.
Step Type: Send webhook
Use the Send Webhook step to transmit structured data from Drata to external systems through a specified endpoint. This enables real-time integration with tools like Zapier, Torq, or ServiceNow.
How it works
When triggered, Drata sends a POST request to the specified endpoint. You can include:
Authentication (as custom headers)
Custom headers with additional context
Control and trigger properties in the request body
Example Use Case
When evidence is linked to a control, Drata sends webhook data to Zapier. Zapier can then automate actions in other tools.
In Zapier:
Create a new Zap.
Set the trigger to Webhooks by Zapier – Catch Hook.
Copy the generated webhook URL.
In Drata:
Add a Send Webhook step to your custom workflow.
Paste the Zapier URL into the URL field.
(Optional) Add authentication or custom headers.
Choose the properties you want to include in the webhook payload.
Back in Zapier, add an action to process the data.
When the workflow runs in Drata, the webhook delivers data to Zapier, where you can configure it to take further automated actions.
Webhook Implementation Notes
Property Structure
Each webhook payload contains the following components:
Selected Control-specific properties (based on scope type: control, risk, evidence, or personnel)
Selected Trigger-specific properties (unique to the specific trigger that fired)
Data Formats
Object arrays (like owners, categories, etc.) are sent as structured JSON
Dates are sent as strings in ISO format
Boolean values are sent as true/false
Custom Fields
Custom fields vary by organization and are configured through Drata's admin interface. They follow the format:
[{"key": "field_name","value": "field_value"}]
Available webhook properties
Base Properties (Included in ALL Webhook Events)
event_type: The specific trigger event name
timestamp: When the event occurred
organization_id: ID of the organization
workspace: Workspace context object
Base Control Properties
control_name
control_code
control_id
control_owners (name + email list)
control_readiness
control_description
control_approval_status
control_approvers
control_mapped_requirements
control_mapped_tests
control_evidence
control_policies
control_notes
control_custom_fields
control_workspace_name
control_workspace_id
Trigger-Specific Properties
CONTROL_DETAILS_UPDATED
updated_by
CONTROL_READINESS_CHANGED_TO_NOT_READY / CONTROL_READINESS_CHANGED_TO_READY
date_changed
CONTROL_EVIDENCE_LINKED / CONTROL_EVIDENCE_UNLINKED
evidence_artifact
evidence_id
evidence_implementation_guidance
evidence_name
evidence_owner_name
evidence_status
linked_by / unlinked_by
CONTROL_POLICY_LINKED / CONTROL_POLICY_UNLINKED
policy_doc
policy_id
policy_name
policy_owner
policy_status
linked_by / unlinked_by
CONTROL_TEST_MAPPED / CONTROL_TEST_UNMAPPED
test_description
test_name
test_result
test_type
CONTROL_REQUIREMENT_MAPPED / CONTROL_REQUIREMENT_UNMAPPED
requirement_framework
requirement_name
mapped_by / unmapped_by
CONTROL_TEST_CHANGED_TO_PASS / CONTROL_TEST_CHANGED_TO_FAIL
test_description
test_name
test_type
CONTROL_OWNER_UPDATED
new_control_owner
old_control_owner
updated_by
CONTROL_MARKED_IN_SCOPE / CONTROL_MARKED_OUT_OF_SCOPE
changed_by
date_changed
Video Walkthrough
Watch a demonstration of using Drata’s Send Webhook step with Make to open a GitHub issue:
Watch a walkthrough of creating and configuring a custom workflow in Drata: