# Auto Item

Auto Item adds something to the order for you. You choose what gets added, when it happens and to which order types, and the Register does it on every matching sale.

- Price: $0.99 / month
- Platform: Clover POS (United States and Canada)
- Install: https://www.clover.com/appmarket/apps/7MYE0BH6KQKR8
- Manual: https://howto.payplaxe.com/en/auto-item.html

## How it works

1. **You describe the trigger once** — What should be added and when. The Register applies it to every matching order.
2. **Four tabs** — **Automations** are the rules for the Register. **Extensions** raise or lower the amount to be paid in the Clover Sale app; the payment-screen alert is set under their `Configs` screen. **Statistics** counts, per action type, how often actions were applied on paid orders. **Settings** holds the rest.
3. **Three ways to apply** — **Prompt me** asks the cashier. **Trigger automatically** applies silently. **Apply manually** (BETA) does nothing on its own — the cashier runs it from the Auto Item tender button.
4. **Four moments** — The first item in the cart, going to pay, or, in BETA, while the subtotal is above an amount you set or while a chosen item is in the cart. The two BETA moments are re-checked while the order is open, and what they applied is taken off again as soon as the basket stops matching.
5. **It writes to the Clover order** — Items, custom items, service charges, notes and order discounts go onto the order. Taxes and payment stay with Clover.

## What it does

- **Ten actions** — Add Item, Add Service Charge, Set Order Note, Add Custom Item, Add Custom Item as a percentage of the subtotal, Add Order Discount by percentage or amount, Show Reminder, Remove Item, Remove Service Charges.
- **Three apply modes** — **Prompt me** asks the cashier first, **Trigger automatically** applies on its own, and **Apply manually** (BETA) is run by the cashier from the Auto Item tender button.
- **Four trigger moments** — First item in the cart, going to pay, or, in BETA, while the subtotal is above an amount or while a chosen item is in the cart.
- **Order type filter** — A trigger can be limited to one Clover order type.
- **Statistics** — A BETA tab counts, per action type, how often that action was applied on paid orders — with an export you can email; the link is valid for 24 hours. Percentage order discounts, Remove Item and Remove Service Charges are not reported yet.
- **Payment-screen alert** — Show a message of up to 250 characters on this device. It appears when an order is created and when payment starts, on Register orders as well as in the Clover Sale app.
- **Your wording on the prompt** — Rename the apply and cancel buttons and set their colours.
- **Set it up from a browser** — [autoitem.payplaxe.com](https://autoitem.payplaxe.com) opens the same triggers, Extensions and Statistics on a computer. It is not a separate product: this is the setup side of the app you already have, with nothing extra to buy. Sign in with `Login via Clover`. Everything that happens during a sale stays on the Clover device.

## First setup

1. Open **Auto Item**. The `Automations` tab lists your triggers with their When and Do lines.
2. On first launch grant the Android `draw over other apps` permission the app asks for. Without it the `Apply trigger` prompt cannot appear.
3. Create the service charge in Clover first if you plan to use one: **Setup** → `Additional Charges`.
4. Tap `+` and fill the steps of the trigger editor (six, or four for **Apply manually**).
5. Step 4 — tap the red `Tap here to set` bar and enter the object: item, amount, note or discount value.
6. Save and tap `OPEN REGISTER` in the top bar to test the trigger on a real order right away.
7. **Ring up an order that matches the trigger.**A **Prompt me** trigger shows `Apply trigger 'Name'` with your two buttons; tap `Apply` and check the result on the order.
8. Open `Settings`. Leave `2. Turn on the app` on — no trigger runs on this device while it is off — and turn on `3. Restrict access` so staff cannot edit the configuration. Both switches need a Manager or Admin login.

> Statistics needs a few days of data before it becomes useful.

## Setup scenarios

### Bag fee on every order

A small charge that must never be forgotten and never be argued about.

1. Open **Auto Item** → `Automations` and tap `+`.
2. Step 1 — name it `Bag fee`.
3. Step 2 — `Trigger Should`: **Trigger automatically**.
4. Step 3 — `To`: **Add Custom Item**.
5. Step 4 — set the item name and amount, ticking `Taxable` if required.
6. Step 5 — `When?`: **When you put the first item in the cart**, then save.

### Service charge only on large orders

A charge that should appear once the basket passes a threshold.

1. Create a trigger and set `To` = **Add Service Charge** (create the charge itself in the Clover Setup app first).
2. Set `Trigger Should` = **Prompt me** so the cashier can still decline.
3. In `When?` choose **[BETA] While subtotal is more than** and enter the amount.
4. Open `Customizations` and rename the buttons so the prompt is unambiguous.
5. Save and test with a basket above and below the threshold.

> The two BETA moments are re-checked while the order is open: if the subtotal drops back below the amount, the charge this trigger added is taken off the order again.

### Automatic discount for one order type

Pick-up orders get a standing discount; dine-in does not.

1. Create a trigger with `To` = **Add Order Discount (percentage)**.
2. Set the discount name and percentage in `Set trigger object`.
3. Choose **Trigger automatically** and the moment **When you go to pay**.
4. In step 6 select your pick-up order type.
5. Save and test on a pick-up order. (Statistics does not yet report percentage order discounts — its tile shows `Soon..`.)

> Turn on `Restrict access` in Settings so staff cannot switch triggers off. You have to be signed in as a Manager or Admin to change that switch.

## Automations tab

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Status dot | Green — active, red — stopped. Tap the dot and confirm to stop or start the trigger. |
| When / Do | The trigger moment and the action, in plain text. |
| Pencil / bin | Edit or delete the trigger. |
| OPEN REGISTER | Opens the Clover Register for an immediate test. |
| Bottom tabs | Automations, Extensions (Sale app), Statistics, Settings. |

## Trigger editor

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| 1. Trigger Name | Your own label, not shown to customers. |
| 2. Trigger Should | Prompt me · Trigger automatically · Apply manually (BETA). |
| 3. To | Add Item, Add Service Charge, Set Order Note, Add Custom Item, Add Custom Item (% of subtotal), Add Order Discount (percentage / amount), Show Reminder, Remove Item, Remove Service Charges. |
| 4. Set trigger object | The concrete item, charge, note text, amount or percentage. |
| 5. When? | First item in the cart · When you go to pay · [BETA] While subtotal is more than X · [BETA] When item in the cart. The last one adds a `Select item` button next to the dropdown — pick the item to watch. Both BETA moments are re-checked while the order is open, and what they applied is removed again if the basket stops matching. Hidden when step 2 is **Apply manually (BETA)** — a manual trigger has no moment and no order-type filter. |
| 6. Order type should be | Restricts the trigger to one Clover order type. |
| CUSTOMIZATIONS | Apply and cancel button titles and colours. |

## The Prompt me dialog

A trigger set to Prompt me stops in the Clover Register and asks first. This is the whole dialog the cashier sees.

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Title | `Apply trigger 'Name'` — the name you gave the trigger, so the cashier knows what is about to happen. A **Show Reminder** trigger is titled `Reminder: 'Name'` and shows the reminder text below the title. |
| `Apply` | Runs the action: adds the item, the charge, the note or the discount to the open order. |
| `Cancel` | Skips it. The order is left alone. The skip is recorded only so the same trigger is not asked again on this order — `Statistics` counts what was actually applied to a paid order, not declines. |
| Button names and colours | Both buttons are yours — rename and recolour them in the trigger editor (`Apply button title`, `Cancel button title` and the two colour settings). |
| Note triggers | A trigger that sets an order note opens a text field in the same dialog: type up to 100 characters, then tap Apply. |
| No way past it | The dialog does not close on Back or on a tap outside — the cashier has to pick one of the two buttons. |

## The Auto Item tender button

On the Clover Register payment screen the tender button named **Auto Item** opens `Select trigger`. This is where a cashier runs an **Apply manually** trigger, and where anything the triggers already added is taken back off.

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| `Select trigger` | Lists every active trigger with an `APPLY` button. The list ignores the trigger's own moment and order-type filter, so any trigger in it can be put on the open order — read the name before you tap. |
| `APPLY` | Runs that trigger on the current order at once, with no prompt. It changes the amount the customer pays, so check the order after tapping it. |
| `Revert applied triggers (N)` | At the bottom. N is how many triggers are on this order; the button opens the list and takes the items, charges, notes or discounts back off. Greyed out when N is 0. |
| From the Sale app | The same tender button opened from the Clover Sale app does not show this list — it opens the Extensions amount screen instead. |

## Settings

The three switches can only be changed by an employee logged in as Manager or Admin; anyone else gets `You need to be a manager or admin to change it`.

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| 1. Contact us | Sends a support request. |
| 2. Turn on the app | The master switch for this device. While it is off no trigger runs here — nothing is added to an order and nothing is asked. |
| 3. Restrict access | Protects the configuration from employees. |
| 4. Debug info | Internal processing log; for support only. |
| App version | The installed version. |

## Everyday use

- Automatic triggers need no action from the cashier.
- A **Prompt me** trigger shows `Apply trigger 'Name'` with your two buttons at the trigger moment — confirm or decline.
- An **Apply manually** (BETA) trigger only runs when the cashier picks it: tap the Auto Item tender button, then `APPLY` on the trigger you want.
- Added by mistake? On the payment screen tap the Auto Item tender button and use `Revert applied triggers` while the order is still open.
- Check `Statistics` weekly to see how often each kind of action was applied.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| `You don't have the Clover Register app`. | The trigger targets the Register but the app is missing on this device. Install Clover Register, or build the rule under Extensions for the Sale app instead. |
| The subtotal trigger never fires. | `While subtotal is more than` is BETA and compares against the order subtotal before taxes — check the amount you entered. |
| A charge or item added by a trigger disappeared from the order. | That is one of the two BETA moments. `[BETA] While subtotal is more than` and `[BETA] When item in the cart` are re-checked while the order is open, and what they added is taken back off as soon as the basket no longer matches — after an item is voided and the subtotal falls below the amount, for example. Bring the order back above the threshold, or move the trigger to **When you go to pay**. |
| `Your Clover token is invalid` or Error 23. | Reinstall the app from the App Market so it can get a fresh token. |
| Statistics is empty. | The tile opens on today only — widen the two date fields at the top (history goes back about three months). A trigger is counted only after the order it ran on has been paid. Creating a report is just the export step; the link it produces stays valid for 24 hours. |
| The app's dialog never appears on the payment screen; Clover shows "Customer is choosing payment method". | Open the Clover **Setup** app → `Payments` and uncheck `Automatically take payment on Connected Device`, so payment is taken on the primary device. |
| Settings cannot be opened or changed. | Sign in with an employee whose Clover role is **Manager** or **Admin**. Some apps also have their own `Restrict access` switch that locks the configuration. |
| The app works erratically, or stops reacting after the device has been idle. | Turn off Battery Saver in the device's Android settings and keep the device online. |
| A change made on one device is not visible on another. | Settings sync through the cloud; give it a minute and make sure both devices have a network connection. |

## FAQ

**Where do service charges come from?**

From Clover: open the **Setup** app → `Additional Charges`. Your Clover plan must support Advanced Charges — you may need the Register plan or higher.

**Can I undo what a trigger added?**

Yes. On the Clover Register payment screen tap the Auto Item tender button: `Select trigger` opens, with `Revert applied triggers` at the bottom — it lists what the triggers put on the current order. Do it before the order is paid.

**What is the Extensions tab?**

Extensions are amount adjustments for the Clover Sale app: each one raises or lowers the amount to be paid by a percentage or a fixed amount, and one can be marked `Use by default`. The tab's menu holds two more things: `Configs` → `Set alert`, the payment-screen message of up to 250 characters, and `Open in…`, which offers `Open Sale app` or `Use in app` — the second opens `Sale (BETA)`, a keypad inside Auto Item where you type an amount, apply an Extension and hand the total to Clover payment.

**The trigger does not fire at payment.**

Start on this device: grant the Android `draw over other apps` permission the app asks for at launch — without it the prompt cannot appear — and check that `2. Turn on the app` is on in `Settings`. Then, in the Clover **Setup** app → `Payments`, uncheck `Automatically take payment on Connected Device`, and disable Battery Saver in Android settings.

**Can I set this up from a computer?**

Yes. [autoitem.payplaxe.com](https://autoitem.payplaxe.com) opens **Automations for Register**, **Extensions for Sale**, **Statistics** and **Settings** in a browser: create, edit, stop and delete triggers, set the payment-screen alert, and read or email a report. Sign in with the green `Login via Clover` button — Clover asks for your account, so there is no separate password. Install and open Auto Item on your Clover device first, otherwise the sign-in is refused. Editing in the browser always needs a Manager or Admin Clover login. What happens during a sale is not there: the `Apply trigger` prompt, automatic application, `Revert applied triggers`, the trigger list behind the tender button, `Sale (BETA)` and the three Settings switches are on the Clover device only. Triggers saved in the browser reach the device on their own.

**How much does it cost?**

$0.99 per month, with a 30-day free trial.

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