Structured columns across linked tables

Grist lets a table's columns carry defined types and lets one table reference rows in another, closer to a small database than a flat spreadsheet grid. A Beam agent reading a Grist document works within that structure: when a linked record changes in a connected system, the agent updates the matching row in Grist rather than appending a new one, and it respects the column types the account owner set rather than writing free text into a numeric or date field. Where an incoming value does not fit the expected type, or the linked row cannot be found, the agent leaves the record untouched and notifies a person instead of forcing a mismatched update through.

Document-level access rules

A Grist document can restrict which tables or rows a given user or connection is allowed to see and edit, since not every collaborator on a workspace needs the same access to every table. A Beam agent operates only within whatever access the account has granted it, reading and writing the specific tables it has been connected to rather than the whole document. Where a workflow would require touching a table outside that granted access, the agent stops and asks a person to extend the connection rather than attempting a change it was not given permission for. This keeps the agent's reach limited to what the account owner explicitly approved.

Formula-driven column values

Some columns in a Grist table calculate their own value from a formula rather than holding a value someone typed in directly, similar to a spreadsheet cell that references other cells. A Beam agent reads those calculated values as part of a record rather than trying to overwrite them, since writing directly into a formula column would break the calculation the account owner set up. Where the agent needs to change an outcome that a formula produces, it updates the underlying input columns the formula depends on instead. If it cannot determine which columns feed a given formula, it leaves the row alone and flags it for a person to check.