The monday.com is great at organizing work inside individual boards. But the moment your workflow spans multiple boards—projects linked to clients, orders linked to inventory, tasks linked to resources—you quickly hit a wall.

Teams end up duplicating data, manually updating statuses, or relying on fragile workarounds just to keep boards in sync. Native board connections help with visibility, but they don’t truly sync items, and they don’t scale well when data needs to flow cleanly across boards.

That’s exactly the gap VLOOKUP Auto-link is built to fill.

What is VLOOKUP Auto-Link?

VLOOKUP Auto-link is a popular alternative to using monday.com connected boards and mirrored columns for connecting multiple boards while maintaining the ability to use monday native automations, permissions and reporting. With VLOOKUP Auto-Link one to many and many to one Auto-link builder you can easily build repository boards while keeping data across multiple boards aligned and protected from human error.

Whether you need a live connection between boards or a direct two‑way sync between specific items, getting started with VLOOKUP Auto-link gives you control over how your data moves inside monday.com.

Who is VLOOKUP Auto-link for?

VLOOKUP Auto-link is used by teams that rely on shared data across boards, including:

• Operations teams managing workflows that span projects, requests, and delivery boards
• Sales teams syncing deals, accounts, and fulfillment boards
• Inventory & supply chain teams keeping stock, orders, and vendors aligned
• Finance teams connecting invoices, payments, and project costs
• Customer success & support teams linking tickets to customers, subscriptions, or SLAs
• Product and engineering teams syncing roadmaps, tasks, and release tracking boards

If your workflow depends on the same items or related data existing in more than one board, VLOOKUP Auto-link fits naturally into your setup.

What problems VLOOKUP Auto-link solves?

With VLOOKUP Auto-link, teams use monday.com more like a connected system instead of isolated boards. Common solutions include:

• Inventory management – Sync stock levels, item details, and availability across sales, warehouse, and procurement boards
• Order and fulfillment tracking – Automatically match orders to inventory or shipping boards
• Client and project alignment – Keep client details in sync across CRM, projects, and billing boards
• Multi‑board reporting accuracy – Eliminate mismatched data caused by manual updates
• Scalable workflows – Add new boards without rebuilding connections every time

At its core, VLOOKUP Auto-link replaces manual maintenance with automated, rules‑based syncing.

Two ways to sync with VLOOKUP Auto-link:

VLOOKUP Auto-link offers two distinct and powerful syncing setups, depending on how your workflow is structured.

a. Board‑to‑board syncing using VLOOKUP automation recipes

This is the original VLOOKUP Auto-link setup.

Using automation recipes, VLOOKUP connects entire boards based on matching column values (for example, Order ID, Email, SKU, or Client Name). Once items are matched:

• You can sync one or more columns between the boards
• You decide whether the sync is one‑way or two‑way
• Updates automatically flow whenever matching items change

This setup is ideal when boards represent different stages or functions of the same data—such as Sales → Operations → Finance—and need structured, ongoing synchronization.

b. Item‑level syncing across multiple boards (two‑way sync)

This newer setup focuses on syncing specific items rather than connecting entire boards.

With item‑level syncing:

• Individual items can be synced to multiple boards
• The sync is always two‑way
• Boards themselves are not fully connected—only the selected items are

This approach is ideal when items need to live in multiple boards simultaneously, such as shared inventory items, master records, or reusable entities that multiple teams work with.

In the next step, we’ll walk through how to set up these syncing options inside VLOOKUP Auto-link.

A. Setting up Automation Templates (Sync Selected Columns)

This feature allows you to automatically update specific columns in a target board based on changes in a source board.

1. Access VLOOKUP Auto-link: Navigate to the VLOOKUP Auto-link board view on any board where you have installed the app.
2. Authorize the App: If prompted, authorize the VLOOKUP Auto-link app. You must be a board owner and an admin to do this.
3. Choose Automation Templates: From the VLOOKUP Auto-link dashboard, select the Automation Templates section.

4. Pick a Connection Type:

• One-way connection: Changes in the source board update the target board. Changes in the target board do not update the source.
• Two-way connection: Changes in the source board update the target, and changes in the target board update the source.

Note: Conditions (step 7) are only available for one-way connections.

5. Select Boards and Matching Values:

• Choose your Source Board (e.g., “CRM Contacts”).
• Choose your Target Board (e.g., “Sales Campaigns”).
• Select a Key Source Value column from your source board (e.g., “Item Name”). This value must be unique to ensure accurate syncing.
• Select the corresponding Key Source Value column from your target board (e.g., “Requested By”).

Tip: Ensure both matching columns contain truly unique identifiers to prevent incorrect triggers.

6. Link Columns to Sync:

• Select the specific columns from your source board that you want to sync (e.g., “Phone Number”, “Email”).
• Map them to the corresponding columns in your target board.

Note : Currently, you cannot link Mirror columns using Automation Templates.

7. Add Conditions (One-way only):

• If using a one-way connection, you can add conditions to control when VLOOKUP  Auto-link triggers.
• For example, you might set a condition where the “Priority” (a Status column) in the source board must be “High” for the sync to occur.

8. Configure Triggers: These webhooks determine when VLOOKUP  Auto-link activates.

• Link Value Changes: Triggers VLOOKUP  Auto-link whenever a selected linked column’s value changes in the source board.
• When an item is created: Triggers VLOOKUP Auto-link when a new item is created in the target board (if a matching value exists in the source board).
• When an item is moved: Triggers when an item is moved between groups in the source board.
• When an item value changes: This is a legacy option, primarily useful with formulas.
• For two-way connections, you will need to install triggers on both the source and target boards.

9. Save the Recipe: Once your configuration is complete, click Save. You’ll see the VLOOKUP  Auto-link automations appear in your board’s automation center.

10. Test the Automation: Create a new item in your target board (e.g., a “Sales Campaign”) with a matching value (e.g., “Emmanuel” in “Requested By”). Adjust the condition (e.g., set “Priority” to “High”) and observe the linked columns (e.g., “Phone Number”, “Email”) automatically populate.

And, that’s all you need to setup automation recipes. Now let’s see how we can setup Sync Items to Multiple Boards

B. Setting up Sync Items to Multiple Boards (Duplicate Entire Item)

This feature allows you to manually duplicate an entire item, along with its column data, to another board.

1. Go to the Source Board: Navigate to the monday.com board containing the item you wish to sync.
2. Select the Item: Hover over the item you want to copy.
3. Access VLOOKUP  Auto-link App: Click the “Apps” button (usually represented by a puzzle piece icon) next to the item.
4. Choose Sync Item: Select Sync Item to Multiple Boards from the app menu.

5. Select Target Board and Columns:

• Choose the Target Board where you want to duplicate the item (e.g., “CRM Contacts”).
• The entire item will be duplicated. You can also specify certain columns (e.g., “Priority”, “Phone”, “Email”) to explicitly manage or track within this sync if needed.

6. Configure Additional Options:

• Include Sub-items: Check this if you want to also sync any sub-items associated with the main item.
• Delete Connection Later: Allows you to remove the sync connection at a later time.
• Delete Item from Other Board: If the connection is removed, this option will delete the item from the target board as well.

7. Save and Copy: Click Save and Copy to duplicate the item.

8. Manage Sync Items: You can view and manage all synced items by going to the VLOOKUP  Auto-link board view and selecting Manage Sync Items.

9. Test the Sync: Go to the target board to confirm the new item has been created with all its data. Make a change to a synced column in either board (e.g., change “Priority” from “High” to “Low”) and observe the change reflected in the other synced item.

Tips and best practices:

• Unique Matching Values: Always use truly unique identifiers for your matching columns in Automation Templates. Duplicates will lead to unpredictable behavior and can prevent VLOOKUP  Auto-link from triggering correctly.
• App Permissions: Ensure you have board owner and admin permissions to authorize and configure the VLOOKUP  Auto-link app successfully.
• Mirror Column Limitation: Mirror columns cannot currently be used as linked columns within Automation Templates.
• One-way vs. Two-way Connections: Carefully consider your workflow needs when choosing between one-way and two-way connections. Remember that conditions are only available for one-way syncs.
• Trigger Selection: Select only the necessary triggers for Automation Templates to optimize performance and prevent unintended updates.
• Understand Functionality Differences: Clearly differentiate between VLOOKUP’s two main features: Automation Templates for automated, selected column syncing, and Sync Items to Multiple Boards for on-demand, full item duplication.

What you’ve unlocked with VLOOKUP Auto-link?

With VLOOKUP  Auto-link configured, your team can finally move beyond manual data entry and inconsistent information. You’ll enjoy:

• Automated Data Flow: Critical contact details, project statuses, or client information automatically update across all relevant monday.com boards.
• Enhanced Data Integrity: Ensure that all team members are always working with the most current and accurate data.
• Streamlined Workflows: Reduce the time spent on administrative tasks, allowing your team to focus on core responsibilities.
• Increased Productivity: Eliminate errors and inefficiencies caused by manual data management, leading to a more productive and reliable work environment.

Start syncing your boards today for Free:

The fastest way to see results is to try one simple workflow:

1. Pick two boards
2. Match them using Email, SKU, or Order ID
3. Sync one column
4. Watch updates flow automatically

Install VLOOKUP Auto-link now and build your first connected workflow in minutes.