Sub-Zaps and Code steps

Sub-Zaps let several Zaps share one set of steps, like a recipe you refer to instead of copying. If five Zaps all "look up the customer in the CRM and the billing app and combine the details", build that once as a Sub-Zap.

A Sub-Zap has three parts:

• Start a Sub-Zap trigger: lists the inputs it expects, for example email. Write "required" in a name to make that input mandatory.
• Any actions you like.
• Return from Sub-Zap action: chooses the outputs to send back, such as customer_id and plan.

In a main Zap, the Call a Sub-Zap action picks the Sub-Zap, maps data into its inputs, and receives its outputs for later steps. Fix a bug in the Sub-Zap and every caller benefits. Sub-Zaps are still labelled beta.

Code by Zapier runs a short program written in JavaScript or Python (two programming languages) inside a Zap. Use it sparingly, for things built-in steps make awkward, such as complex text parsing or calculations. Data from earlier steps comes in through an Input Data list of named values, and whatever the code returns becomes fields for later steps. Copilot or an AI assistant can draft the code for you, but you need someone who can read it.

Limits: Code steps have short time limits, can't safely store secrets such as API keys in the code, and use UTC (the world standard clock, not your local time zone). The separate Zapier Functions product was retired in September 2026; Zapier points users to Code steps instead.