diff --git a/apps/client/src/features/app-settings/panel/automations-panel/OntimeActionForm.tsx b/apps/client/src/features/app-settings/panel/automations-panel/OntimeActionForm.tsx
index ab874a965..6eac2eb7c 100644
--- a/apps/client/src/features/app-settings/panel/automations-panel/OntimeActionForm.tsx
+++ b/apps/client/src/features/app-settings/panel/automations-panel/OntimeActionForm.tsx
@@ -120,31 +120,38 @@ export default function OntimeActionForm({
       )}
 
       {selectedAction === 'message-secondary' && (
-        <label>
-          Timer secondary source
-          <Select<SecondarySource | 'null' | null>
-            onValueChange={(value) => {
-              // null -> no selection
-              if (value === null) return;
-              // 'null' -> clear the secondary source
-              if (value === 'null') {
-                setValue(`outputs.${index}.secondarySource`, null, { shouldDirty: true });
-                return;
-              }
-              setValue(`outputs.${index}.secondarySource`, value, { shouldDirty: true });
-            }}
-            value={watch(`outputs.${index}.secondarySource`)}
-            options={[
-              { value: null, label: 'Select secondary source' },
-              { value: 'aux1', label: 'Auxiliary timer 1' },
-              { value: 'aux2', label: 'Auxiliary timer 2' },
-              { value: 'aux3', label: 'Auxiliary timer 3' },
-              { value: 'secondary', label: 'Secondary' },
-              { value: 'null', label: 'None' }, // allow the user to clear the secondary source
-            ]}
-          />
-          <Panel.Error>{rowErrors?.secondarySource?.message}</Panel.Error>
-        </label>
+        <>
+          <label>
+            Text (leave empty for no change)
+            <Input {...register(`outputs.${index}.text`)} fluid placeholder='eg: Next up: keynote' />
+            <Panel.Error>{rowErrors?.text?.message}</Panel.Error>
+          </label>
+          <label>
+            Timer secondary source
+            <Select<SecondarySource | 'null' | null>
+              onValueChange={(value) => {
+                // null -> no selection
+                if (value === null) return;
+                // 'null' -> clear the secondary source
+                if (value === 'null') {
+                  setValue(`outputs.${index}.secondarySource`, null, { shouldDirty: true });
+                  return;
+                }
+                setValue(`outputs.${index}.secondarySource`, value, { shouldDirty: true });
+              }}
+              value={watch(`outputs.${index}.secondarySource`)}
+              options={[
+                { value: null, label: 'Select secondary source' },
+                { value: 'aux1', label: 'Auxiliary timer 1' },
+                { value: 'aux2', label: 'Auxiliary timer 2' },
+                { value: 'aux3', label: 'Auxiliary timer 3' },
+                { value: 'secondary', label: 'Secondary' },
+                { value: 'null', label: 'None' }, // allow the user to clear the secondary source
+              ]}
+            />
+            <Panel.Error>{rowErrors?.secondarySource?.message}</Panel.Error>
+          </label>
+        </>
       )}
 
       <div className={style.test}>{children}</div>
diff --git a/apps/client/src/features/app-settings/panel/automations-panel/template-input/templateInput.utils.ts b/apps/client/src/features/app-settings/panel/automations-panel/template-input/templateInput.utils.ts
index 9404f15fb..51fa7a7b4 100644
--- a/apps/client/src/features/app-settings/panel/automations-panel/template-input/templateInput.utils.ts
+++ b/apps/client/src/features/app-settings/panel/automations-panel/template-input/templateInput.utils.ts
@@ -54,6 +54,16 @@ const eventStaticPropertiesNext = [
   '{{eventNext.delay}}',
 ];
 
+const groupStaticPropertiesNow = [
+  '{{groupNow.id}}',
+  '{{groupNow.title}}',
+  '{{groupNow.note}}',
+  '{{groupNow.colour}}',
+  '{{groupNow.timeStart}}',
+  '{{groupNow.timeEnd}}',
+  '{{groupNow.duration}}',
+];
+
 const staticAuxProperties = (index: 1 | 2 | 3) => [
   `{{auxtimer${index}.current}}`,
   `{{auxtimer${index}.duration}}`,
@@ -75,6 +85,8 @@ export function makeAutoCompleteList(customFields: CustomFields): string[] {
     ...Object.entries(customFields).map(([key]) => `{{eventNow.custom.${key}}}`),
     ...eventStaticPropertiesNext,
     ...Object.entries(customFields).map(([key]) => `{{eventNext.custom.${key}}}`),
+    ...groupStaticPropertiesNow,
+    ...Object.entries(customFields).map(([key]) => `{{groupNow.custom.${key}}}`),
     ...staticAuxProperties(1),
     ...staticAuxProperties(2),
     ...staticAuxProperties(3),
diff --git a/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/__tests__/automation.validation.test.ts b/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/__tests__/automation.validation.test.ts
index 0ec82b633..6519cf548 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/__tests__/automation.validation.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/__tests__/automation.validation.test.ts
@@ -163,5 +163,51 @@ describe('parseOutput', () => {
         secondarySource: 'secondary',
       });
     });
+
+    it('parses message-secondary with a text value', () => {
+      expect(
+        parseOutput({
+          type: 'ontime',
+          action: 'message-secondary',
+          secondarySource: 'secondary',
+          text: 'hello',
+        }),
+      ).toMatchObject({
+        secondarySource: 'secondary',
+        text: 'hello',
+      });
+      // an empty text is treated as no change
+      expect(
+        parseOutput({
+          type: 'ontime',
+          action: 'message-secondary',
+          secondarySource: 'secondary',
+          text: '',
+        }),
+      ).toMatchObject({
+        secondarySource: 'secondary',
+        text: undefined,
+      });
+      // text can be set while clearing the secondary source
+      expect(
+        parseOutput({
+          type: 'ontime',
+          action: 'message-secondary',
+          secondarySource: null,
+          text: 'hello',
+        }),
+      ).toMatchObject({
+        secondarySource: null,
+        text: 'hello',
+      });
+      expect(() =>
+        parseOutput({
+          type: 'ontime',
+          action: 'message-secondary',
+          secondarySource: 'secondary',
+          text: 123,
+        }),
+      ).toThrow('Unexpected payload type:');
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/automation.validation.ts b/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/automation.validation.ts
index 98d2af828..26f03252a 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/automation.validation.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/automation.validation.ts
@@ -226,12 +226,21 @@ function parseOntimeAction(maybeOntimeAction: object): OntimeAction {
 
   if (maybeOntimeAction.action === 'message-secondary') {
     assert.hasKeys(maybeOntimeAction, ['secondarySource']);
+
+    // the secondary text is optional, an empty string is treated as no change
+    let text: string | undefined = undefined;
+    if ('text' in maybeOntimeAction) {
+      assert.isString(maybeOntimeAction.text);
+      text = indeterminateText(maybeOntimeAction.text);
+    }
+
     // null is used to clear the secondary source
     if (maybeOntimeAction.secondarySource === null) {
       return {
         type: 'ontime',
         action: 'message-secondary',
         secondarySource: null,
+        text,
       };
     }
 
@@ -240,6 +249,7 @@ function parseOntimeAction(maybeOntimeAction: object): OntimeAction {
       type: 'ontime',
       action: 'message-secondary',
       secondarySource: chooseSecondarySource(maybeOntimeAction.secondarySource),
+      text,
     };
   }
 
diff --git a/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/clients/ontime.client.ts b/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/clients/ontime.client.ts
index 537b31931..4c706cb46 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/clients/ontime.client.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/api-data/automation/clients/ontime.client.ts
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ export function toOntimeAction(action: OntimeAction) {
         timer: {
           secondarySource: action.secondarySource,
         },
+        secondary: action.text,
       });
       break;
     }
diff --git a/packages/types/src/definitions/core/Automation.type.ts b/packages/types/src/definitions/core/Automation.type.ts
index 93f25e538..7e3382697 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/definitions/core/Automation.type.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/definitions/core/Automation.type.ts
@@ -111,9 +111,9 @@ export type OntimeAction =
       text?: string;
       visible?: boolean;
     }
-  // TODO: when setting a secondary source of type secondary we could specify a value to it
   | {
       type: 'ontime';
       action: OntimeMessageSecondary;
       secondarySource: SecondarySource;
+      text?: string;
     };