FAQ
A bunch of frequently asked questions arranged according to topic.
Getting Started
Q: What apps does Plumber integrate with?
A: For the most up-to-date list of integrations, log into Plumber and browse the available connectors when creating a new pipe. You can also view them in the guide.
Q: How do I get the latest announcements from Plumber?
A: Simply log into Plumber at least once - we send announcements to everyone in our database.
Q: What's the difference between Power Automate and Plumber?
Developer
Microsoft
Open Government Products (OGP)
Main Advantage
Microsoft ecosystem integration
OGP products integration
Key Integrations
Excel, SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, OneDrive
FormSG, LetterSG, Email by Postman, Tiles
Best For
Microsoft-centric workflows
Singapore Government workflows with OGP tools
Use Cases
Connect Excel with SharePoint lists, automate Office 365 tasks
Automate form submissions, generate letters, send notifications
Collaboration & Access
Q: Can I share my pipe with colleagues like FormSG collaborator mode?
A: Yes. Check out Collaborators section for more info.
Q: Can I use a group email (e.g. team@agency.gov.sg) to access Plumber?
A: Yes. If you're unable to receive emails from Plumber, contact your ITD as your group email might not be configured to receive emails from external providers.
Q: Will I be notified if a CC recipient is blacklisted?
A: Not currently. Postman does not check for blacklisted addresses in the CC field, so if a CC recipient is blacklisted, the email will still be sent to other recipients and you won't receive a notification about it.
We're working on a fix for this. Expected by end of Q3 or start of Q4 2026.
Pipe Management
Q: I disabled my pipe. Will it stop steps that are already running?
A: No. Disabling a pipe only prevents new submissions from triggering it. Any steps already in progress will continue until they complete.
If you need to stop a running execution immediately, you'll need to delete the pipe. Note that this removes the pipe configuration as well.
Q: Can I use a group email (e.g. team@agency.gov.sg) to access Plumber?
A: Yes. If you're unable to receive emails from Plumber, contact your ITD as your group email might not be configured to receive emails from external providers.
Q: My pipe isn't triggering. What should I check?
A: Run through this checklist:
FormSG webhook - is the webhook URL correctly pasted into your FormSG form settings?
Pipe status - is the pipe published and active?
Scheduler time - if using a Scheduler trigger, double-check the time and day settings
Connected apps - do you still have access to all connected apps (FormSG, Postman, Excel)?
Previous step failure - check your pipe's execution history. If an earlier step failed, subsequent steps won't run
Q: My if-then or "only continue if" condition isn't working as expected. What should I check?
A: A few common causes:
Date comparisons - use the Formatter to standardise dates to YYYY/MM/DD first, then compare as text
Extra spaces - text comparisons are exact and case-sensitive. A trailing space or different capitalisation will cause a mismatch.
Data type mismatch - make sure you're comparing the right types (text vs number)
Empty values - check if the field might be empty for some submissions. Empty values behave differently across conditions
Use "Check step" in Plumber to test your conditions with sample data before publishing.
If none of these help, send us your pipe name and a screenshot of the execution history at https://go.gov.sg/plumber-support.
Data Classification & Security
Q: What is the data classification for Plumber?
A: Plumber is cleared for Confidential (Cloud-Eligible) and Sensitive (High).
Note: individual actions may have their own limits. For example, PAIR is only cleared for Restricted and Sensitive (Normal).
FormSG Integration
Q: What types of forms can be integrated with Plumber?
A: Plumber supports FormSG Storage Mode forms and Multi-Respondent Forms (MRF). You can connect either type as a trigger for your pipe.
Q: Can I connect multiple forms to a single pipe?
A: No, you can only connect one form to one pipe.
Q: Can Plumber extract data from an attached Excel file submitted via FormSG?
A: No, Plumber does not read or process files submitted via FormSG.
Q: I've added new fields to my form, but they're not showing up when I test my pipe. What's going on?
A: Go to your pipe, go to Form action, re-trigger "check step" to pull the new fields. Then re-check all the actions to use the new fields in your automation.
Q: How does "Check step" work in Plumber?
A: We generate fake data to simulate actual submission. You may use the fake data to continue with building the pipe.
Q: How can I better handle Table responses when using Plumber?
A: There are two methods to handle table responses:
Method 1: Fixed Method (Recommended for most users)
This method handles up to 5 maximum rows consistently. Always set a maximum number of rows in your form. This allows you to configure the automation for the highest possible number of rows. If a submission has fewer rows than the maximum, the automation will still function correctly.
For example, if your form's table allows 5 rows:
Set up your pipe with all 5 rows filled by doing a test form submission with all 5 rows completed
Go to your pipe's Form action and re-trigger "check step" to pull the new fields
Re-check all actions to use the new fields in your automation
Method 2: Dynamic Method
This method uses the for-each action and works well with the Tile action. It accepts any number of rows and populates Tiles accordingly. For example, if a respondent submits 3 rows, it will create 3 separate tiles with duplicate responses (except for the table data). Note: If you use for-each with table responses followed by an email action, you'll send multiple emails based on the number of table rows.
Which method should I choose?
Since these methods can be confusing to understand from reading alone, we recommend trying both to see which works better for your use case. For simplicity, use Method 1. However, if you need to handle an unknown, dynamic number of table rows, use Method 2.
Data Storage: Tiles vs M365 Excel
Q: What is the difference between Tiles and M365 Excel?
A: Tiles is a feature built into Plumber, whilst M365 Excel is a separate Microsoft application that Plumber can integrate with. Both can store data for your automations, but they serve different purposes depending on your needs.
Feature
Tiles
M365 Excel
Built by
Plumber (OGP)
Microsoft
Availability
All Plumber users
.gov.sg users only
Primary function
Basic data storage and retrieval
Advanced data processing and analysis
Capabilities
Store information, allow automation to read table data
Formulas, computations, dashboards, pivot tables, conditional formatting
Response speed
Faster responses
Slower due to government-wide queuing mechanism
Best for
Pure data storage, time-sensitive multi-user access
Complex calculations, data analysis, reporting
Collaboration
Multiple users can view data quickly
Advanced sharing and collaboration features
When to use Tiles: If your use case is purely storing data or you need multiple users to view data in a time-sensitive manner.
When to use M365 Excel: If you require computations, formulas, dashboards, or advanced data analysis features.
M365 Excel Issues
Q: How come I do not have access to M365 Excel integration?
A: This restriction is in place because the ".gov.sg" email domains share the same system on SG SharePoint, which is the only system integrated with the product. The other domains reside on a separate SharePoint system to which the product does not have access.
Q: Why am I not able to find the Microsoft 365 folder created by Plumber?
A: First, check whether you're able to locate the folder by accessing this link: https://gccprod-my.sharepoint.com/gccprod-my.sharepoint.com
If you're able to access the link but still unable to locate the folder, please try these troubleshooting steps:
Login to Plumber.gov.sg
Open My Apps on the left → M365 Excel → Delete "SG Govt SharePoint" connection
Open OneDrive in your GSIB → Shared → Refresh page
You should now be able to see a folder named after your email address
Q: I'm from a healthcare institution. Why can't I access M365 Excel?
A: M365 Excel in Plumber connects to SG Govt SharePoint (gccprod-my.sharepoint.com), which is not accessible to healthcare cluster institutions (SingHealth, SGH, NHG, NUHS).
Use Tiles instead for data storage. It's built into Plumber and has no access restrictions.
Q: I'm from a school. Why can't I access M365 Excel?
A: M365 Excel is not yet available for @schools.gov.sg accounts. We're working on it.
In the meantime, use Tiles for data storage.
Q: Can I transfer my Plumber Excel folder to another account?
A: No. The Plumber Excel folder is tied to the account that created it and can't be moved or transferred.
If you need a different account to own the workflow, reconnect M365 Excel under that account. Plumber will create a new dedicated folder for it.
Tiles
Q: Can I restrict what different users see in a Tile?
A: No. Tiles doesn't support filtered or role-based views. Anyone with access to a Tile can see all the data in it.
If you need data isolation (for example, each school seeing only their own submissions), create a separate Tile for each group and share only the relevant link with each group.
Q: Can I use Tiles to trigger automated reminders or checks?
A: Yes. Tiles has a native "Read from Tiles" action, so your pipe can pull data directly from a Tile. A common pattern is:
Scheduler → Read from Tiles → For Each → action (e.g. Email by Postman)
This lets you run automated checks or reminders based on data in your Tile, without needing a form submission to trigger the pipe. If you need to filter rows before acting on them, add an "Only continue if" step inside the For Each loop.
Email & Attachments
Q: Can I change the email address that Plumber uses to send emails?
A: No, Plumber uses a fixed system email address (info@plumber.gov.sg) for all outgoing emails. This cannot be modified by users.
Q: Can I send attachments to SharePoint folders, Excel files, Tiles, or custom APIs?
A: No, attachments can only be forwarded through email by Postman.
Q: Why do some email addresses get blacklisted?
A: There could be several reasons why email addresses get blacklisted. For instance, the recipient may have left the organisation and rejoined, or the recipient may have unsubscribed to emails sent out by Postman. You may contact us at Plumber Support for assistance with this.
Current Limitations
Q: Are there OR functions in if-then conditions?
A: We don't have OR functions, so you will have to build the if-then conditions accordingly.
Q: Can Plumber generate calendar invites?
A: No. Plumber doesn't support calendar invites. CalSG is also not integrated and it's currently in maintenance mode with no integration planned.
Q: Is there any integration with any AI product?
A: Yes. Plumber has a PAIR action that lets you send text and files to an AI model as part of your pipe. PAIR supports images (PNG, JPG) and PDFs. For details, see the PAIR guide.
Q: Can I use the Scheduler to monitor if a system or API is down?
A: No. The Scheduler is designed for workflow automation, not uptime or health monitoring. It only supports hourly intervals at its most frequent, and it doesn't have the alerting reliability that monitoring requires.
For monitoring, use a dedicated tool like Datadog or Better Uptime instead.
Q: Can I schedule a pipe to run every 15 minutes, or once a quarter?
A: Plumber doesn't have native sub-hourly, quarterly, or yearly frequencies. The most frequent option is every hour.
For quarterly runs, you can use a monthly Scheduler combined with an "Only continue if" step that checks whether the current month is 3, 6, 9, or 12. It's a workaround, but it works. We'll add a step-by-step guide to the Scheduler page.
Q: Can Plumber integrate with CalSG?
A: No. CalSG is currently in maintenance mode and there are no plans to integrate it with Plumber as of now.
If you need to send automated reminders based on CalSG bookings, here's a workaround:
Export your CalSG bookings manually
Upload them to a Tile
Build a pipe using Scheduler → Read from Tiles → For Each → Email by Postman
Let us know more about your use case and we can help you set this up.
Q: Can Plumber integrate with AIBots?
A: AIBots is a GovTech product currently going into maintenance mode. We'd recommend using PAIR instead, which is Plumber's built-in AI action.
PAIR lets you send text prompts and extract information from images or PDFs as part of your pipe. If you'd like to be whitelisted for PAIR beta, let us know.
Need More Help?
Have questions not answered here? Reach out to us at https://go.gov.sg/plumber-support
Plumber specifications
Q: Where does Plumber reside?
A: Plumber resides on GCC (OGP).
Q: Who can view the data and pipes?
A: Data and pipes can be viewed by:
Users you explicitly grant access to
The Plumber team for troubleshooting purposes
Q: What are the access controls for Plumber?
A: Access is controlled through user permissions. You determine who can view or edit your pipes and associated data. The Plumber team maintains access solely for technical support and troubleshooting when needed.
Q: Where can I find Plumber's GitHub repository?
A: You can find Plumber's GitHub repository at: https://github.com/opengovsg/plumber
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