I’m working with Zapier and noticed that most steps require you to pick a specific account in the setup process. The flow usually goes like this: pick your app and trigger, then choose which connected account to use, configure the action, and test it.
My question is: can you change which account gets used based on data from previous steps? I want to pick the account automatically depending on values that come from earlier parts of the workflow.
Right now I have to manually choose one account from my connected accounts list. There doesn’t seem to be a way to make this choice happen automatically during the workflow execution.
This creates a big problem for me. Every time I add a new account to manage, I need to duplicate the entire workflow just to switch which account it uses. So I end up with tons of identical workflows that only differ by the selected account. When I need to make changes, I have to update each workflow separately.
Here’s my situation: my business handles many social media accounts (think Instagram profiles as an example). I use Zapier to post content to these accounts based on certain triggers and rules. Managing hundreds of accounts this way becomes impossible.
Before you suggest it - I know about the Paths feature, but that’s not practical either. You can only have 3 paths by default (10 maximum), which doesn’t solve the scale problem.
I’m also aware Zapier limits you to 2,000 connected accounts total, but I’ll worry about that later.
Alternative approach: I’m thinking about using an external service to handle the actual posting, so I’m open to suggestions. As a backup plan, I might build a simple API that can post to any account I specify, and have Zapier call that API instead of connecting directly to each account.
Yeah, zapier’s account switching sucks. Had the same problem with client shopify stores and switched to n8n. It’s self-hosted but way better at handling dynamic credentials - you can actually change accounts mid-workflow based on your data. Bit more setup work but beats dealing with hundreds of duplicate workflows that constantly break.
You’re absolutely right about Zapier’s limitations. I hit this same wall managing multiple client accounts for automated reporting. The duplication is a nightmare.
Your API idea makes sense, but I can save you some dev time. I ditched Zapier for Latenode and solved this exact problem.
Latenode nails dynamic account selection. Store all your credentials as variables and switch between them based on incoming data. No duplicating workflows or managing hundreds of separate flows.
Here’s the setup: put your social media credentials in environment variables, then use conditional logic to pick the right account from your trigger data. One workflow handles everything dynamically.
I moved a similar setup from Zapier last year. What needed 50+ duplicate workflows in Zapier became one flow in Latenode. Updates happen once instead of across dozens of workflows.
Best part? You’re not stuck with pre-connected accounts like Zapier. You can authenticate with any account on the fly using whatever credentials you specify.
Skip building a custom API and try Latenode. It handles exactly what you need without the account switching headaches: https://latenode.com
This drove me absolutely nuts when I was automating workflows for multiple e-commerce stores. Zapier’s static account selection is a nightmare at scale. I ditched it for Pipedream and built a custom API instead. Pipedream handles dynamic auth and lets you store multiple credential sets as environment variables. You can pick which credentials to use based on your workflow data - no more duplicating workflows. Migration took about a week, but now I’m running 40+ store accounts through one workflow. New stores? Just add their creds to the environment variables instead of cloning everything. Pipedream’s code-first approach looks scary at first, but the visual editor makes it doable. Plus their debugging tools crush Zapier’s when stuff breaks. For social media, try Airtable Automations with scripting blocks. Store your account creds in records and pull them dynamically. Not as powerful as Pipedream but way easier if you want to stick with no-code.
Unfortunately, Zapier does not allow for dynamic account switching during workflows. You must select the account during setup, which leads to the need for duplicating workflows for different accounts. I encountered similar issues managing multiple client email accounts, which prompted me to adopt the API route you mentioned. I developed a middleware solution that accepts the account ID as a parameter, enhancing my posting process. For social media management, consider using Buffer or Hootsuite, as they have APIs tailored for handling multiple accounts. Additionally, Make.com (formerly Integromat) might better support dynamic configurations, but it’s not without limitations. Ultimately, the API approach provides greater control; just ensure that security measures are in place when dealing with authentication tokens for different accounts.