Automatically Move Trello Cards to Done When Their Due Date Is Marked Complete

Desired outcome

When a member marks a card’s due date as complete, Trello Butler automatically moves that card to the board’s Done list. The card’s comments, attachments, labels, and full activity history remain intact, eliminating manual cleanup while preserving an audit trail.

Prerequisites

• You must be a board member with permission to edit Butler automation (typically any member on a Business Class or Enterprise board, or an admin on a free board).
• Identify the exact name of the list that serves as your Done list (e.g., "Done" or "Completed").
• Confirm that the cards you want to affect use Trello’s native due‑date field, not a date typed only into the title or description.

Focused procedure

1. Open the board, click the Automation button in the top‑right menu, then select Butler.
2. In the Butler interface, choose Rules and click Create Rule.
3. Set the trigger: when the due date is marked complete in a card.
4. (Optional but recommended) Add a condition to limit the rule’s scope, such as if the card has label “AutoMove” or if the card is in list “In Progress”. This prevents unintended moves on personal or archived cards.
5. Add the action: move the card to list “Done” (replace “Done” with your actual list name).
6. Give the rule a clear name, e.g., "Move to Done on due‑date complete", and click Save.

Expected checks

1. Create a test card outside the Done list (e.g., title "Test Butler Automation"). Assign a due date set to tomorrow and, if you used a condition, add the required label.
2. Open the card and click the due date, then select Mark as complete.
3. Observe whether the card disappears from its current list and appears in the Done list.
4. Open the card’s activity feed (right‑side pane) and verify that the move is recorded as a Butler action, with all prior comments, attachments, and labels still present.
5. Open Butler’s Activity log (accessible from the Automation page) and confirm an entry shows the rule you created ran successfully.

Recovery options

• If the rule moves cards you did not intend, disable it temporarily: in the Butler Rules list, toggle the switch off for that rule.
• Manually drag any incorrectly moved cards back to their original list.
• To prevent future mistakes, edit the rule to tighten its conditions (add a specific list, label, or board constraint) and save.
• Use the Butler log and each card’s activity feed to trace which automation caused a particular move.

Limitations and practical verification

Butler automation quotas differ by Trello plan; high‑volume boards may hit monthly command limits. A due date is not equivalent to a card‑completion status unless your workflow treats marking the due date complete as the signal for completion. If other rules also act on the same card, review the rule order to avoid conflicts.

To verify the rule works as expected, repeat the test with a negative case: mark the due date complete on a card that lacks the required label or resides in a list excluded by the condition. The card should stay in place, confirming the condition prevents unwanted moves.