Step-by-Step Guide: Extract the First Value from Any Comma-Separated Field in Make.com

This guide shows you how to extract only the first value from any field that contains multiple comma-separated entries (like emails, phone numbers, tags, etc.) using Make.com. This is perfect for sending just the primary value to tools like Instantly, Google Sheets, Airtable, or Slack.

✅ Use Case Examples

Emails:

BUSINESS_EMAIL = "john@example.com, support@brand.com, info@brand.com"
→ Extracted: john@example.com

Phone Numbers:

MOBILE = "1234567890, 9876543210"
→ Extracted: 1234567890

Tags:

TAGS = "sales, marketing, enterprise"
→ Extracted: sales

🔧 Step-by-Step Setup in Make.com

STEP 1: Webhook (or Any Input Source)

Start with a module that receives data, typically:

Webhook > Custom Webhook

Make sure the field (like BUSINESS_EMAIL or MOBILE) contains values separated by commas.

STEP 2: Add an Iterator (if your data is bundled)

If your webhook sends data in an array (e.g. result[]):

Add: Tools > Iterator

Set array to: {{1.payload.result}}

This will process each row (lead/user) one by one.

STEP 3: Set Variable – Extract the First Value

Add: Tools > Set Variable

Create a variable for each field where you want only the first value:

🟩 First Email

Variable Name: FirstEmail
Value: {{trim(get(split(2.BUSINESS_EMAIL; ","); 1))}}

🟦 First Phone

Variable Name: FirstMobile
Value: {{trim(get(split(2.MOBILE; ","); 1))}}

🟨 First Tag

Variable Name: FirstTag
Value: {{trim(get(split(2.TAGS; ","); 1))}}

Update the 2. reference depending on your scenario (it refers to the previous module number).

STEP 4: Send to Any App

You can now use these variables in:

Instantly → Email: {{3.FirstEmail}}

Google Sheets → Email column: {{3.FirstEmail}}

Webhook > Make a Request → Map in JSON body

Airtable → Insert as field value

🧠 Tips

Always use trim(...) to remove extra spaces

You can safely apply this pattern to any text field

Works even without an Iterator if you're processing one record at a time

📦 Universal Formula Template

Copy-paste this into any Set Variable value field:

{{trim(get(split(YOUR_FIELD; ","); 1))}}

Replace YOUR_FIELD with whatever field you need.

✅ Summary

This method gives you a clean, consistent way to always pull just the first value from any multi-entry string. It’s reusable across:

Emails

Phone numbers

Tags

Names

Lists of any kind

Set it once, and confidently send only the data you actually want to downstream tools.

AudienceLab Help Bot

Extracting First Values (Make.com)