Please note that Script Actions are available exclusively on Enterprise plans
Intro
With the launch of AI Studio in Asana, teams now have access to powerful tools to automate their workflows. But this power comes with a cost: each action consumes AI Studio credits. For growing organizations, it’s worth managing this usage so credits can be directed toward workflows where they bring the most value.
Fortunately, Asana has introduced a revolutionary and often underestimated feature: Script Actions. They allow you to build advanced automations without consuming credits, while also unlocking scenarios that were previously impossible.
In this article, I’ll show you:
-
When a Script Action can directly replace AI.
-
How Script Actions can work in combination with AI Studio to reduce credit usage.
-
The new use cases Script Actions unlock.
-
How-to: Script Actions are accessible to everyone.
-
A decision tree to choose between AI and Script Actions.
-
My personal story: how I saved 2 million credits with a simple script
Example 1: Replacing (some) Smart Conditions
AI Studio let you set Smart Conditions (for example, “If that task meets those requirements, then do X”).
The issue: every trigger consumes AI Studio credits, since the AI engine analyzes the content to check the criteria.
Script Action solution: if the condition is simple, a few lines of code can replicate the AI condition.
Example: Example: if you scan hundreds of tasks each month and AI Studio only acts on a handful, this can consume many credits without much additional value. In such cases, a Script Action might be more efficient, allowing you to reserve credits for scenarios that really require AI’s reasoning power.
Example 2: Sharing the Load With AI Studio
Script Actions don’t always have to replace AI Studio. Sometimes, the most efficient strategy is to let them handle the heavy lifting, while keeping AI Studio focused only on what truly requires intelligence.
Imagine a workflow where hundreds of incoming tasks need to be validated, enriched, and triaged:
-
A Script Action manages all the structural work: parsing formats, checking fields, moving tasks, or applying fields.
-
AI Studio is only triggered where real AI value is needed, for example, interpreting free-text descriptions, prioritizing based on large context, or summarizing a complex request.
The result:
-
Script Actions handle repetitive, deterministic logic.
-
AI Studio provides reasoning and natural language understanding.
-
Credit consumption is mitigated significantly, while the workflow remains just as powerful.
This hybrid model is often the most cost-efficient and scalable approach.
Example 3: Unlocking impossible scenarios
Script Actions are not only about saving credits, they also let you go beyond what Asana rules ever allowed.
Examples include:
-
Automatically copying custom fields from a parent task into all its subtasks.
-
Moving a parent task only if a certain number of approvals is reached.
-
Turning a task into an entire portfolio of projects when an approval is granted.
-
Subtasks workflows not on weekends
-
… and so many more
These scenarios were impossible with standard rules, or would have cost a lot of credits. With Script Actions, they’re suddenly feasible. Exciting times! 
More use cases
Form and Data Validation
-
Validate email addresses using regular expressions
-
Standardize data entry formats
-
Enforce business rules on form submissions
Advanced Task Management
-
Add comments to parent tasks when subtasks are updated
-
Move parent tasks based on approval status
-
Assign owners across related tasks based on custom field values
-
Automatically balance workload by assigning tasks to team members with the least current assignments
Goal and Progress Tracking
-
Update goal metrics based on custom field values when tasks are completed
-
Update custom fields on projects within portfolios based on task completion
Complex Workflow Automation
-
Create new tasks in other projects and link them as subtasks
-
Delete all subtasks when certain field values are selected
-
Inherit custom field values from parent tasks to subtasks
Script Actions are Accessible to Everyone
The real breakthrough of Script Actions is that they’re no longer just for developers.
-
First, Asana hosts the script directly: no need for an external server or complicated integrations.
-
With tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, you can generate a script in seconds, even if you don’t code (like me
) -
An activity log tracks every execution, shows errors, and helps you continuously improve your automations.
The result: even non-technical teams can confidently leverage the power of code.
How to add a script action:
How to access the script action history (and error log)
Decision tree: AI or Script Action?
Key question: Does my automation require advanced reasoning or natural language processing?
This simple tree helps teams choose the right tool at the right time, and keep credit consumption under control.
My true story: 2 million spent credits in a month… 
A real case I recently experienced at i.DO
-
A simple I had set up to automatically classify my tasks ended up consuming 2 million credits in just one month…
-
After our AI Studio features stopped, and we identified the responsible via the Admin Console, I realized a Script Action could achieve the same result.
-
Script created in 5 minutes using ChatGPT
(Prompt: “Writes JavaScript (TypeScript-compatible) scripts for Asana’s “Run script” rule action. Convert the following condition into an Asana Script Action…” ) -
The outcome: no credits consumed, and the workflow remained just as effective
A great example where Script Actions can be game changer, thus you can spend your credits where is the real added value of AI.
Replaced by that simple script:
async function run() {
log("▶️ Triage started (title-only version)");
// 1) Fetch task details (only task name this time)
const taskRes = await tasksApiInstance.getTask(task_gid, {
opt_fields: "name"
});
const task = taskRes.data;
const taskName = task.name || "";
log(`Task: ${taskName}`);
log(`project_gid (from env): ${project_gid}`);
// 2) Resolve section GIDs by name in the current project
log("Fetching sections for the project to resolve GIDs by name…");
const sectionsRes = await sectionsApiInstance.getSectionsForProject(project_gid, {
opt_fields: "name"
});
const sections = sectionsRes.data || [];
const byName = new Map(sections.map(s => [s.name, s.gid]));
log(`Sections found: ${sections.length}`);
const SESSIONS_NAME = "📆 Sessions / clients";
const sessionsGid = byName.get(SESSIONS_NAME);
if (!sessionsGid) {
log(`⚠️ Missing section: "${SESSIONS_NAME}"`);
}
// Helper to place task in a specific section of this project
async function moveToSection(sectionGid, sectionLabel) {
log(`➡️ Moving to "${sectionLabel}" (section_gid: ${sectionGid}) via addProjectForTask`);
// IMPORTANT: body FIRST, then task_gid
await tasksApiInstance.addProjectForTask({
data: { project: project_gid, section: sectionGid }
}, task_gid);
log(`✅ Move completed → "${sectionLabel}"`);
}
// 3) Rule — icons in title → Sessions/clients
const matchesRule =
taskName.includes("📆") || taskName.includes("📅") || taskName.includes("👤");
if (matchesRule) {
if (!sessionsGid) {
log("❌ Rule matched but destination section not found. No move.");
return;
}
log(`✅ Rule matched (based on task title)`);
await moveToSection(sessionsGid, SESSIONS_NAME);
return;
}
// 4) Nothing to do
log("ℹ️ Task did not meet any rule → No move performed.");
}
run();
Conclusions & Recommendations
At i.DO, we currently run more than 30 AI Studio rules and experience their fantastic value every day. This article is not about replacing AI Studio, but about maximizing ROI by using it where it adds the most value. Optimizing credit consumption is simply part of ensuring credits are available for your most valuable workflows.
Key recommendations:
-
Use Script Actions to handle simple or repetitive conditions.
-
Reserve AI Studio for the automations that require real reasoning or natural language understanding.
-
Start small: test Script Actions on a few workflows, then expand gradually.
-
Leverage assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to generate and refine your Script Actions, especially when they’re fed with Asana developer documentation.
-
Keep in mind: Script Actions alone might be a strong reason for some organizations to upgrade to the Enterprise plan, especially since this plan has become more accessible in the past years.
By approaching it this way, you get the best of both worlds: efficient use of credits, smarter workflows, and maximum value from AI in Asana.
References and next steps
-
i.DO Script Action gallery: ready-to-use examples you can try immediately. -
Edit: This link is not live anymore, Asana will launch it later - Asana gallery: library of AI Studio rules and Script Actions.
-
Great how-to (developer page): How to write a Script Action script
-
Unlocking Advanced Automation: How Script Actions Bridge the Gap Between Simple Rules and Complex Workflows - great article from @Jonathan_Milne
Arthur
Asana Expert & Forum Leader @iDO
Helping teams get more from Asana + AI
