Targeting overview | Zenstep Help

How targeting works

Every flow in Zenstep has a set of targeting rules. When the Zenstep snippet loads on a page, it evaluates these rules against the current user and URL. If all rules match, the flow is eligible to show.

Targeting rules are evaluated client-side by the snippet — no server round-trip required. Rules are downloaded with the flow definition and cached in the browser.

Rule types

There are four categories of targeting rules:

1. URL rules

Show a flow only on specific pages.

URL path  starts with  /dashboard
URL path  equals       /settings/billing
URL path  matches      /users/*/profile   (glob pattern)

See URL rules for the full reference.

2. User attribute rules

Show a flow based on properties you send via identify().

plan      equals    grow
role      equals    admin
createdAt before    7 days ago

Attributes are whatever you pass in the second argument to window.zenstep.identify(). See user attributes for supported operators.

3. Segment rules

Show a flow to users in a predefined segment (e.g., "Free plan users", "Enterprise trial"). Segments are reusable groups of attribute rules. See segments.

4. GA4 audience rules

Show a flow to users who are members of a Google Analytics 4 audience. Requires GA4 sync setup. See GA4 integration.

Rule logic

Within a flow, all rules are combined with AND logic by default — every rule must match for the flow to show.

Example:

URL path starts with /dashboard AND
user attribute plan equals grow AND
user attribute createdAt within last 7 days

All three conditions must be true.

ℹ️

OR logic across rule groups is supported via Segments — create a segment with OR conditions, then reference it in your flow's targeting rules.

Frequency controls

In addition to targeting rules, each flow has a frequency setting:

| Frequency | Behaviour | | ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Once | Shows once per user. After completion or dismissal, never shown again. | | Every session | Shows on every page load where rules match. | | Until completed | Shows until the user completes the flow (not just dismisses it). |

Frequency state is stored server-side (keyed to the user hash from identify()). It persists across devices and sessions.

Testing your targeting

Use the Preview function in the Chrome extension to test a flow on your live site. In preview mode, targeting rules and frequency controls are bypassed — you always see the flow.

For production verification, open your site in an incognito window (which has no stored state) and navigate to the target URL with a user who matches your rules.

💡

The most common targeting mistake is a URL rule that doesn't match the actual path. Double-check whether your path has a trailing slash — /dashboard/ and /dashboard are different values.