Add custom buttons to SmartSuite using the Ply extension

Executive overview

SmartSuite lacks native support for custom buttons and cross-tool automations. Ply is a free Chrome extension that embeds buttons directly into the SmartSuite interface and triggers multi-step automated sequences from a single click.

Connect SmartSuite and Ply via API token, build a feature in Ply's workflow editor, and publish it — the button appears seamlessly inside any SmartSuite record.

Ply turns manual data-entry workflows into one-click automations without leaving SmartSuite.

What Ply can do inside SmartSuite

• Embeds custom buttons or icons directly into SmartSuite records, blending with the native UI
• Each button triggers a sequence: pull contextual record data, run logic, send output to other tools
• Sequences can call OpenAI to draft emails from record content
• Sequences can write to Google Calendar from SmartSuite time-off data
• Published features run the same sequence on every record in a solution — no repeated setup
• Features can be shared with other team members or external users who have Ply access

Setup: connecting SmartSuite and Ply

• Create a free SmartSuite account and a free Ply account (both currently free while Ply is in beta)
• Install the Ply Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store
• In Ply, create a new feature and choose the Add-ons type, then select SmartSuite
• Connect accounts by providing your SmartSuite API token (generated in SmartSuite personal settings) and workspace ID (found in the SmartSuite URL between the two forward slashes)
• Choose which SmartSuite solution and app the button should appear in
• Ply prompts you to navigate to that SmartSuite area, where a pulsing icon shows placement options

Building a feature in the workflow editor

• Open the feature editor via right-click on the button → Edit feature
• The editor shows a linear sequence of steps: display button → get contextual record → additional steps
• Get contextual record pulls all field data from the currently open SmartSuite record automatically — leave this step untouched
• Add steps using the plus icon: choose an action (OpenAI, Google Calendar, formula, etc.) and connect the relevant account once
• Map SmartSuite field values into each step's inputs using the dynamic field picker
• Use a Format a date formula step to clean raw ISO date strings before passing them to Google Calendar
• Click Test to run the sequence live and verify output before publishing
• Click Publish to make the button active across all records in the solution

Button design options

• Choose from icon styles, colors, background fills, and optional label text
• Buttons can be subtle (white icon, no background) to blend with SmartSuite's UI
• Tooltips can replace text labels for a cleaner look
• Accessible via right-click → Edit button design → More design options