# What is a forced progression?
A forced-progression link advances the reader to the target step automatically, with no click. The link is never shown to the reader: it is a mandatory transition that fires once they have spent a minimum dwell time on the parent step.
# The minimum delay
You set a minimum delay in minutes (10 by default, minimum 1). It guarantees the reader has time to read the parent step before being moved on. Forcing happens on the worker's next pass (about every 60 seconds) once the delay has elapsed.
Conditions are optional
Unlike a substituted choice, a forced link no longer requires a condition: the minimum delay plays that protective role. If you add conditions, they apply ON TOP of the delay — forcing only happens once the delay has elapsed AND all conditions are met.
# Works even while offline
Forcing and the target step's events (variable mutations, emails, notifications) fire server-side even when the reader is not connected. A reader who left hours or days ago is advanced in the background; they discover the new step when they return.
# Anti-chain rule
A step that is the target of a forced progression cannot itself carry an outgoing forced link: this prevents a reader from skipping several steps at once. Both the editor and the server reject the save if the rule is violated.
Forced vs substituted
Substituted choice = the link becomes the ONLY visible choice, the reader still clicks (requires a condition). Forced progression = no click, hidden link, triggered by the minimum delay (conditions optional).