# New rules, applied to the queue you already have.

Run a new or changed procedure on the open conversations already waiting. Aide shows what will match and what it will skip before anything changes.

In Aide, turn a procedure on, save it and choose Run on existing conversations. Aide previews how many open conversations match and what it will skip, then applies the tags, assignment, closing, internal comments, field readings and macros to up to 5,000, without replying to any customer.

Source: https://aide.app/helpdesk/apply-rules-to-existing-tickets · Updated 2026-11-03 · By Ziyad Basheer

| | |
|---|---|
| Which conversations | Open ones, filtered by status, channel, topic and date. Never closed or spam. |
| What runs | Tags, assignment, closing, internal comments, field readings and macros that don't reply. |
| What never runs | Replies, drafts, pre-written replies and questions to the customer. |
| Helpdesks | Changes reach Zendesk, Gorgias and Front tickets as they would live. |
| Who | Owners and admins, on every plan. One run per workspace at a time. |
| AI replies | None. A run writes no replies or drafts. |

## Preview first, then run

Nothing changes until you press Run.

- Turn it on and save: Switch the procedure on, save it and choose Run on existing conversations.
- Filter and preview: Filter by status, channel, topic and creation date. Preview counts matches, skips for earlier runs, and actions that won't run.
- Run and follow it: Aide works through a couple of conversations a second. Follow it on the procedure, or stop it.

## A worked example

Say you add a Damaged item topic and a procedure for broken or damaged items whose steps tag `damaged-item` and assign the Claims team. Run it on open conversations with that topic, and the ones already waiting get the tag and the team, while no customer gets a surprise email.

Conditions are checked again as each conversation is processed, so the final count can differ from the preview, which stays valid for an hour. Delays don't apply: a procedure set to wait acts at once, since these conversations are already older than any delay. Afterwards the procedure shows when it last ran on existing conversations and how many it changed, and each conversation's timeline marks the run.

## Bulk actions for a hand-picked set

To pick conversations yourself, select up to 200 in the inbox and close, assign, snooze, set priority, mark as spam, trash or return them to Aide in one step. Any that couldn't be changed are listed. To tag a set picked by filters, run a procedure on existing conversations. For receipts and newsletters, [sender rules](https://aide.app/helpdesk/filter-automated-email) file them before anyone has to.

## Good to know

- Each run considers up to 5,000 open conversations, oldest first. Narrow by date, then rerun.
- Inboxes in Watch only keep the run's changes in Aide.
- In Front, assigning to a group stays in Aide.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I apply a new trigger or rule to tickets that already exist?

Yes. Build the rule as a procedure in Aide, turn it on and save it, then choose Run on existing conversations. Filter the open conversations, choose Preview to see the matches and the skips, and run it.

### How do I retroactively tag old tickets in Zendesk, Gorgias or Front?

Add a tag step to a procedure and run it on existing conversations. The tag reaches the ticket in your helpdesk as it would live, and a tag the helpdesk doesn't have yet is created first.

### Will customers get an email when I run a rule on old tickets?

No. Only safe actions run on existing conversations, which are tags, assignment, closing, internal comments, reading fields and macros. Replies and drafts never run, a helpdesk macro that would answer the customer is skipped, and Aide never asks a customer a question in an old conversation.

### What happens to tickets the rule already ran on?

They are left alone. A procedure's actions run once per conversation, so conversations it already ran on, live or in an earlier run, are counted in the preview and skipped.

### Which conversations can a run include?

Open conversations, up to 5,000 per run, oldest first. Closed and spam conversations are never included, and one run per workspace can go at a time.

### Does running a procedure on old conversations use AI replies?

No, because an AI reply is a reply or draft Aide writes. Reading fields from what the customer wrote does use AI, and the preview says how many readings the run will take.

## Related
- [Aide Helpdesk](https://aide.app/helpdesk)
- [Macros that fill in the order.](https://aide.app/helpdesk/macros)
- [Every ticket tagged with the real contact reason.](https://aide.app/helpdesk/ai-ticket-tagging)

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