Path (Zapier)

Zapier paths split a Zap into branches. Each branch has its own rules and its own actions, so one trigger can handle different cases in one Zap. A large payment can go down one branch and a refund down another.

How Zapier paths work

You add a path group to the Zap, then set rules for each branch with the same AND and OR logic as a filter. Each branch uses one of three rule types:

• Custom rules run the branch only when its conditions match.
• Always run runs the branch every time.
• Fallback runs the branch only when no other branch's rules matched.

Zapier evaluates branches one by one, left to right in the editor, and runs each branch whose rules match. More than one branch can run on the same trigger event.

Zapier paths limits

• A path group can have up to 10 branches. The fallback branch counts as one of them, and a group can have only one fallback.
• You can nest path groups up to 3 levels deep.
• A Zap can have up to 100 steps, counting every step inside its paths.
• A path group must be the last step in the Zap. You can't add a shared step after the branches, so you repeat it in each branch or move it into a sub-Zap.

Paths are on the Professional, Team, and Enterprise plans, not the Free plan.

Do paths use tasks?

No. The Paths step itself doesn't count toward task usage. Only the actions inside a branch that runs use tasks. If a run takes the "large payment" branch, only that branch's actions count.

Paths vs filters

A filter lets the run continue or stops it. A path decides which set of actions runs. Use a path when the same event needs different responses. One Zap with three branches replaces three near-identical Zaps, and you have one Zap to update.

Zapier paths for Stripe Slack alerts

Paths often route Stripe events to different Slack channels, for example payments to #sales and failed payments to #billing. Each new event type means another branch and more field mapping. ChargeBell routes Stripe alerts by type to the Slack channel you pick for each one, with no branches to build. It only does Stripe alerts, so paths that update other apps stay in Zapier. The ChargeBell vs Zapier comparison and when to replace a Zapier Stripe alert workflow cover which setup fits.