Quick reconnaissance — 20 minutes
Start with a focused look at recent activity. Open the Contacts list, sort by "Most recent activity" and scan for repeated identical events (same event type, same timestamp window) — those are the usual culprits.
Also check integration logs and recent imports in HubSpot (Settings → Integrations / Import history). Note any obvious sources: test emails, bulk imports, an API client you don’t recognise, or internal system notes being logged as contact activity.
Silence the usual suspects — 30–45 minutes
- Test and internal records: create a static list for known test emails/domains (example, @test, @example, internal company domains) and set a contact property like "automation_allowed" = No for that list.
- API spam or bots: inspect the source_app or external_id fields on noisy contacts; ask the team which integration is creating these records and add a simple rule at the integration end (restrict API keys or set a flag) so HubSpot receives a clear marker to ignore.
- System logs and app notes: identify activity types that are noise (internal notes, system-generated calls). In workflows, add a condition to exclude activity types or a property set by the sending app.
- Duplicate events from imports: remove the import job or update job settings to not trigger workflows; add import-specific property values (e.g. imported_via = csv) and exclude those in workflow triggers.
Tighten triggers and add a lightweight quarantine — 15–25 minutes
Change workflow enrollment from a broad "contact property changed" to a narrow set of conditions: require a meaningful property change AND automation_allowed = Yes, or require a particular lifecycle stage. Add a short enrollment delay (30–120 minutes) inside the workflow so rapid duplicated events collapse into one enrolment.
Add a simple quarantine path: a short workflow that moves excluded or suspicious contacts into an "Awaiting review" static list and sets a review property. Only when someone reviews and clears the contact should automation_allowed be set to Yes. Create a small dashboard card for daily workflow enrolments so you spot a spike quickly.
If you'd like a practical session to run this checklist with your team and make the changes in HubSpot, Optira can do a short, hands‑on workshop to get you to a stable state.