How to Report on HubSpot Active List Usage in Workflows

We’ve all been there: staring at a massive library of Active Lists and wondering which ones are actually powering your automation and which are just taking up space. HubSpot’s "Used in" tab is a helpful start, but it doesn't give you the high-level reporting you need to prove what’s working across your entire portal. This guide shows you how to build a data bridge between your lists and your workflow analytics for total visibility.

Why do you need this hack?

HubSpot is great at telling you that a list is being used, but it’s difficult to see how those lists are performing across multiple workflows in a single view. This hack is essential for:

• Audit readiness: Quickly seeing which lists are actually driving automation before you delete them.
• Performance tracking: Comparing which lead-gen lists are converting better through specific workflow sequences.
• Data hygiene: Identifying "zombie" lists that are technically active in a workflow but haven't enrolled anyone in months.

Steps to Set it Up

Requirement: You will need HubSpot Professional or Enterprise to access the Custom Report Builder and automated property updates.

Step 1: Create your "Reporting Bridge" property

Since we can't report on "List Name" directly inside a Workflow report, we need to "stamp" the information onto the record (Contact, Company, or Deal).

• Go to Settings > Objects > Properties.
• Create a new dropdown select property called Active Source List.
• Add the names of the key lists you want to track as the dropdown options.

Step 2:  Update your Workflows to "Stamp" data

You need to ensure that every time a record enters a workflow via a list, it carries that information with it.

• Open the Workflow that is triggered by your Active List.
• Immediately after the trigger, add the action "Set property value".
• Select your new Active Source List property and choose the corresponding list name.
• Tip: Ensure re-enrolment is turned on if you want to track every time they enter a new workflow via a different list.

Step 3: Build the Custom Report

Now that the data is living on the Contact or Deal record, you can actually see it in a chart.

• Navigate to Reporting > Reports > Create report > Custom report.
• Select Contacts (or your primary object) and Workflows as your data sources.
• For your X-axis, use your new Active Source List property.
• For your Y-axis, use Count of Contacts or Workflow Enrolment Date.

Step 4: Filter for accuracy

To keep the report clean, add a filter where Active Source List is known. This removes any records that entered workflows through manual enrolment or other triggers, leaving you with a clean view of your list-driven performance.

Wrapping Up

You’ve effectively turned a manual check into a dynamic dashboard. You can now see at a glance which lists are feeding your workflows and which ones are just taking up space. It’s cleaner data, better visibility, and significantly less clicking around. 

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