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Request for Automated Rolling Purge Based on Template Name (60‑Day Window)

  • March 19, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 23 views

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Hi everyone,

I’m looking for guidance or best practices around implementing an automated rolling purge of completed envelopes in DocuSign—specifically targeting envelopes generated from a particular Template Name, with a 60‑day retention window (possibly longer - they want access to the completed forms for 90 days).

From what I’ve learned so far, the existing targeted purge functionality only supports one‑time, static purges and doesn’t run on a recurring or rolling schedule. Before I explore custom development or professional services using the API, I wanted to ask the community:

  • Has anyone implemented a rolling, automated purge workflow based on template name or other metadata?
  • Are there workarounds, patterns, or automations (e.g., using Connect, ServiceNow, scheduled API jobs, external tooling) that have worked for your organization?
  • Is there an existing Idea/Request for this feature that I can vote on—or should I create a new one for community support?

Any experiences, examples, or architectural suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

1 reply

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  • Community Moderator
  • March 20, 2026

Hello ​@edavis 

Thank you for reaching out, and welcome to the Docusign Community! We appreciate your question and assure you that we are fully committed to providing you with the best service possible. 

There is no native DocuSign feature to automatically purge completed envelopes based on template name (or other metadata) with a recurring schedule (e.g., a 60- or 90-day window). The built-in Document Retention and Purge features are static and one-time only; they do not support recurring, metadata-based purges out of the box.

  • Document Retention can be configured to purge the documents inside envelopes after a set period, but not the envelope record itself. This feature is not template-specific and does not support rolling/recurring purges by template name.
  • Envelope Deletion is a separate process and also does not support automated, template-based rolling purges.
  • There is no mention of a built-in scheduler or filter for purging by template name or other metadata.

Workarounds & Best Practices

  • Custom Automation via API:

The recommended approach is to use the DocuSign eSignature API to:

  1. Search for envelopes completed from a specific template (use the searchEnvelopes endpoint with filters).
  2. Identify envelopes older than your retention window (e.g., 60 or 90 days).
  3. Use the API to delete or purge those envelopes on a scheduled basis (e.g., via a scheduled job, Lambda, or similar automation).
  • External Tooling:

Many organizations use external schedulers (like ServiceNow, custom scripts, or workflow automation tools) to call the DocuSign API on a rolling basis and implement their own retention logic.

  • DocuSign Connect:

DocuSign Connect (webhooks) can notify you when envelopes are completed, which can help you build a tracking system for purging, but does not itself perform purges.

  • Feature Requests:

If this feature is important, you should create or upvote an enhancement request in the DocuSign Community or Idea portal, as there is no evidence of an existing built-in feature for this use case.

For your reference, here are relevant articles you may check.


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Sincerely,

Ma. Cassandra | Docusign Community Moderator
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