Set up automatic updates from a connector
Last updated: September 4, 2026
You can connect a Key Result or Initiative to an app your team already works in (Jira, Linear, Google Sheets, Salesforce, PowerBI and others) so Rhythms reads the current value on a schedule instead of someone typing it in. Setup is a short chat: open the Key Result, choose Update mode › Set up auto update, tell Rhythms what to track, and confirm. Auto-updates work for Key Results and Initiatives; Objectives take their progress from their children instead.
Before you set up a connector
- The connector is enabled for your workspace. A Rhythms Admin manages this under Settings › Workspace › Connectors. If a connector is missing or shows Disabled, ask an admin — see Enable Connectors for Your Workspace.
- Your account is connected. Open My connectors in the left sidebar, find the tool and click Connect, then sign in to the app. If you skip this, Rhythms shows a Connect to <Tool> card in the setup chat and you can connect there. A connection that a teammate or admin has shared with you also works — see Shared Connectors.
- You can check in on the Key Result. The auto-update controls appear only for people who are allowed to check in on that Key Result or Initiative.
- The Key Result measures something the tool holds — a count, a sum, a percentage, a cell value. Rhythms only ever sees data your own account can see in the tool.
Set up an auto-update
- Open the Key Result or Initiative.
- Click the Update mode chip. It currently reads Manual update or Update from children.
- Click Set up auto update. A chat opens with the message "Help me setup auto-updates for <your Key Result>". The same option is in the check-in panel, under the More options (⋯) menu, and you can simply ask Rhythms in chat: "Set up auto-updates for <Key Result> from Jira".
- Rhythms suggests a connector based on the Key Result's title, or you name one. If your account is not connected yet, click Connect on the card that appears and sign in.
- Describe what to track in plain language — the project, sheet, board, report or object, and how to turn it into a number (count of done issues, sum of a column, a single cell). Rhythms searches the tool, may ask a clarifying question, and then shows the current value, your target, the resulting progress, and the exact data source it will read.
- Check the value against the tool and confirm. Rhythms records a first check-in with that value and switches the Update mode to Update from <Tool>.
The Update mode chip now shows the tool's icon. Open it to see a short summary of what the auto-update reads (for example the project and query), plus the Edit and Remove Connection controls described below.
What an auto-update changes, and what it does not
On each run, Rhythms reads the value from the tool, recalculates progress and records an automatic check-in with the value and a short note about what changed. Your check-in history, target and description are untouched.
An auto-update does not replace your own check-ins: you still add the context, blockers and next steps that a number cannot carry — see Effective Check-ins to Track OKR Progress in Rhythms. It only reads from the tool; Rhythms never writes progress back. And it does not give anyone access they do not already have: teammates see the synced value and the connection summary, not your credentials.
How often auto-updates run
Auto-updates run weekly. The first run happens the day after you connect, in the early morning UTC (around 3 AM, staggered over the following few hours so not every workspace syncs at once), and then at the same time each week. To run more or less often, ask Rhythms in the same chat, for example "Run the auto-update for this Key Result every day".
Runs are skipped while the Key Result is Closed or Postponed, and while its Update mode is set to anything other than Update from <Tool> (switching back resumes the original cadence). After the Key Result's end date passes, plus a grace period of a quarter of its duration, auto-updates pause and the chip shows Auto-updates paused; extend the end date to resume.
Edit a connection
Open the Update mode chip and click Edit under the connection summary. Rhythms opens a chat ("Help me modify the auto-update configuration for <Key Result> connected to <Tool>") where you can change the query or filters, change how the value is calculated, switch to a different source, or change the schedule. The connection is updated in place — no need to remove and recreate it, and your progress history stays.
The Edit link is hidden while the connection has an error or the connector has been disabled by an admin; fix the connection first (see the FAQ).
Remove a connection
Open the Update mode chip, click Remove Connection, and confirm. Progress stops updating from the tool; every check-in recorded so far stays in the Key Result's history. You can then check in manually or set up a new connection. Removing your account under My connectors also stops every Key Result that used that account.
Connectors that need extra setup
Most of the roughly 200 connectors in the catalogue need nothing beyond clicking Connect and signing in. A few need an administrator on the tool's side to enable something first, or use a personal access token instead of a sign-in. Those have their own guide:
- Connect Atlassian (Jira) for auto-updates — an Atlassian admin adds Rhythms to the Rovo MCP allowed domains; also covers common Jira use cases.
- Connect Microsoft Planner for auto-updates — a Microsoft 365 admin grants consent once for the workspace.
- Connect PowerBI for auto-updates — a Power BI admin enables two settings in the admin portal; needs a Pro or Premium licence.
- Connect Monday.com for auto-updates — a Monday.com admin installs the Monday MCP app first.
- Connect Tableau Cloud for auto-updates — uses a personal access token; a site admin must allow PATs.
- Connect Azure DevOps for auto-updates — uses a personal access token with specific read scopes.
- Connect Salesforce for auto-updates — plain sign-in, kept as a guide for the revenue and pipeline use cases (reports, custom objects).
Connectors that only need Connect
For these, the flow on this page is the whole story. Sign in once under My connectors, then set up the auto-update from the Key Result. What each one can feed a Key Result:
| Connector | What a Key Result can track | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Linear | Issue and project completion, counts by state, label, team or cycle, story points | Filters are described in plain language during setup. |
| Google Sheets | A cell, a range total, or a computed value in a sheet you pick | You choose the file in the Google picker; Rhythms can only see files you select. |
| HubSpot | Deal counts and pipeline value by stage, contacts, company properties | Custom properties work if your account exposes them. |
| Smartsheet | Row counts, filtered sums, completion percentages across a sheet | The connector requests write scopes because the same connection powers chat actions; auto-updates only read. |
| Asana | Task and project completion, counts by section, assignee or tag | Setup is chat-guided; there is no separate configuration form. |
| Excel | A cell or range in a workbook stored in OneDrive or SharePoint | .xlsx, .xlsm and .xlsb files only. |
Any other connector in the catalogue that exposes numbers, counts or completion states works the same way. If the Key Result needs data the connector cannot reach, Rhythms tells you during setup rather than guessing.
Frequently asked questions
Can an Objective auto-update? No. Objectives take their progress from their Key Results and Initiatives — see Understanding OKR Automatic Rollup. Connect the Key Results underneath instead.
Can I connect two tools to one Key Result? No. Each Key Result or Initiative has at most one connection. Track each source on its own Key Result and let the parent roll them up, or combine the numbers in the source tool first.
What happens if I lose access to the tool? The next run fails and the Update mode chip shows a warning with the message "Connection needs to be reconnected". The Key Result keeps its last value. Go to My connectors and click Reconnect, or remove the connection and set up a new one with an account that has access.
Can several people connect the same sheet or project? Yes. Each person connects their own account and each Key Result's connection is independent, so the same source can feed several Key Results with different filters.
The value in Rhythms does not match the tool. First check when the last automatic check-in ran — updates are weekly unless you changed the schedule. Then open Update mode › Edit and ask Rhythms to show exactly what it is counting; a filter that is narrower or wider than you expected is the usual cause.
Does Rhythms change anything in the connected tool? Not as part of an auto-update; it only reads. Some connectors also let you ask Rhythms in chat to create or update items in the tool, but those are actions you request explicitly, never part of a scheduled sync.