Configure a Trello Butler Rule to Move Cards to Done When a Due Date Is Set

Desired Outcome

When a due date is added to any card on a Trello board, the card automatically moves to a list named exactly Done. This gives an immediate visual signal that the task is considered complete without manual dragging.

Prerequisites

• A Trello account with permission to enable Butler on the board (board admin or workspace member with Butler access).
• The board must contain a list whose name is Done (case‑sensitive). No other list should share that exact name.
• Butler must be enabled for the workspace; it is available on both free and paid Trello tiers.

Focused Procedure

1. Open the target board in Trello.
2. Show the menu (☰) and click Butler. If you don’t see the button, ensure Butler is enabled for the workspace via Workspace Settings → Power‑Ups.
3. In the Butler sidebar, select the Rules tab.
4. Click Create a rule.
5. Set the trigger: choose when a due date is set on a card.
6. Add the action: click + Add action, choose move the card to list, then select the list named Done from the dropdown.
7. Optionally give the rule a descriptive name (e.g., "Auto‑move to Done on due date") in the rule title field.
8. Press Save. The rule now appears under My Rules.
9. Test the rule: open any card, set a due date (click the due date field, pick a date, and save). Within a few seconds the card should disappear from its current list and appear in the Done list.

Expected Checks

After saving the rule, verify it works by:

• Observing the board view: the test card moves to Done automatically.
• Checking the Butler activity log: open Butler → Activity, filter by the rule name, and confirm each trigger event shows a corresponding action entry with a success status.

Limitations and Practical Verification

Butler on free accounts is subject to a monthly limit on rule runs (approximately 250 runs, subject to change). If the limit is exceeded, the rule will stop firing until the next billing cycle. You can view current usage in Butler → Account quota.

If the rule does not move a card:

1. Confirm the trigger spelling exactly matches when a due date is set on a card (no extra spaces).
2. Verify a list named Done exists on the board; renaming or deleting it after rule creation will cause silent failure.
3. Open Butler → Activity and look for error messages associated with the rule.

Recovery / Rollback

Adding a Butler rule changes the board’s automation state. To revert to the previous behavior:

1. Open Butler → Rules.
2. Locate the rule you created.
3. Click the three‑dot menu on the rule and choose Disable to stop it temporarily, or Delete to remove it permanently.
4. After disabling or deleting, the board will no longer auto‑move cards on due‑date changes.