topic Re: Detecting deal stage transition vs changes in a stage in APIs & Integrations

Detecting deal stage transition vs changes in a stage

darveesh — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 22:26:50 GMT

I have a broader objective to detect any changes to a deal's associated line items while in the closed stage. As I understand it, currently there is no way to trigger on this for a workflow.... so in looking for workarounds, I came across the idea of monitoring for the Last Modified Date as a proxy for any line items changes. This works on its own, but we already have a workflow that triggers on transiton to the closed stage (which I think implicitly also updates the Last Modified Date). And I need to be able to do different task in the two scenarios. I can't find a branching mechanism in a single flow that reliably distinuishes between the two. And if I use two different workflows - one for transitioning in and the other for updates - I am worried about both firing when a transition occurs. JSo the dilemma is how to accomplish? Is there a way to know the previous stage value or track it myself? Is there an alternate workaround that you can suggest?

Ps: We do have the Operations Hub Pro and can do custom code actions.

Re: Detecting deal stage transition vs changes in a stage

GiantFocal — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 10:30:38 GMT

Hi @darveesh,

Since you have Operations Hub Pro, you could definitely solve this with a custom code action. However, there might be a simpler way to achieve this using two separate workflows with a control property. Here's an idea:

Workflow 1: To Handle the Initial Stage Transition

Trigger: Set this workflow to trigger when a deal's stage is updated to "Closed."
Actions:
- Perform all necessary tasks when the deal initially closes.
- As the very last step, create a custom property (let's call it a checkbox property named "Initial Close Actions Complete"), and have this workflow set that property to true.

Workflow 2: To Handle Subsequent Updates in the Closed Stage

Trigger: Use your idea of triggering the workflow when the "Last Modified Date" is updated.
Enrollment Criteria: Add an "AND" condition so that this workflow only enrolls deals where the "Initial Close Actions Complete" property is true.

How This Works:

When a deal first moves to the "Closed" stage, only Workflow 1 will run. The "Initial Close Actions Complete" property won't be true yet, so Workflow 2 won't be triggered. The last thing Workflow 1 does is check that box.

Now, any future change to the deal (like a line item modification) will update the "Last Modified Date." Since the deal is already in the closed stage, Workflow 1 won't re-trigger. However, since the "Initial Close Actions Complete" box is now checked, Workflow 2 will proceed.

Hope this helps you find a solution! Let me know if you have any questions.

Re: Detecting deal stage transition vs changes in a stage

darveesh — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 21:41:48 GMT

Thank you! I have run into a subsequent issue, which I think is a bug: Editing a deal line item, where only the billing start date is changed does NOT seem to change the last modified date on the deal 😞 I tried changing from "At Payment" to Custom Date, as well as changing the Custom Date value from one date to another, and the modified date property does not change. Not sure if you have an ideas in this regard.

Re: Detecting deal stage transition vs changes in a stage

BérangèreL — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 14:47:31 GMT

Hi @darveesh, thanks for your reply!

If you think this is a bug, I would recommend connecting with HubSpot Technical Support, as Support is included in your subscription and they will be able to provide real-time assistance for this matter, including hopping on a screenshare if necessary.

Thank you and have a great day!
Bérangère

Re: Detecting deal stage transition vs changes in a stage

darveesh — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 17:47:42 GMT

Hi Bérangère. Thank you for the reply. It turns out it's not a "bug" rather a "feature". 🙂 You see, only certain line item property changes will result in the deal being updated. Namely, things like Total Contract Value, and # of associated line items are properties on the deal that get updated if the line item changes call for it. If the change is just a line item start date, there isn't a property on the deal that's affected. So Lasts Modified Date fails as an approach - if the intent is to be able to know of ANY line items changes (adds/updates/deletes). For now, the only viable solution that I can see is using a webhook subscription. One can subscribe to line item create/propery change/association change events in an external webhook (AWS lambda for instance) and then using the Hubspot API is the lambda turn around and update a custom datetime property on the deal. The need for relying on deal Last Modified Date is removed - which was clunky as non line item changes would also trigger and needed complex filtering to manage (even the partial) line item changes. The silver lining is that this "event go around the world" approach Hubspot is forcing on us is working for us but it has introduced complexity in the overall solution and its maintenance.

Re: Detecting deal stage transition vs changes in a stage

BérangèreL — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 17:45:42 GMT

Hi @darveesh and thanks so much for sharing the outcome!

Also, thank you for adding your voice to this Idea: "Track Changes Made to Line Items on Deals".

Have a lovely day and I look forward to seeing you around the Community!
Bérangère