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Triggers determine when your workflows run. Choose the right trigger to automate at exactly the right moment.

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Understanding Triggers

Triggers are events that start workflow execution:
  • Database events - Record created, updated, or deleted
  • Field changes - Specific field value changes
  • Scheduled times - Run on a schedule
  • Manual triggers - Start workflows on demand
  • Webhooks - External systems trigger workflows
Each trigger type suits different automation scenarios.

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Trigger Types

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Record Created

Runs when a new record is created. Configuration: 
Trigger: Record Created
Object: Opportunities
Conditions: (optional filters)
Use cases:
  • Assign new leads to sales reps
  • Send welcome emails to new customers
  • Create default tasks for new projects
  • Notify team of new support tickets
Example: 
Trigger: New lead created
Object: Leads

Actions:
  - Set Owner based on territory
  - Calculate initial lead score
  - Add to nurture campaign
  - Send notification to sales team
Use conditions to filter which new records trigger the workflow. For example, only leads from specific sources.

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Record Updated

Runs when any field on a record changes. Configuration: 
Trigger: Record Updated
Object: Projects
Conditions:
  - Only when specific fields change (optional)
  - Other filter conditions
Use cases:
  • Update related records when parent changes
  • Recalculate scores based on new data
  • Log changes to audit trail
  • Sync data to external systems
Example: 
Trigger: Project updated
Object: Projects
Conditions:
  - Any field except "Last Modified" changed

Actions:
  - Update "Last Modified" field
  - Log change in timeline
  - Notify project manager if budget changed
Be careful with update triggers. If your workflow updates the same record, it can create an infinite loop.

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Field Changed

Runs when a specific field’s value changes. Configuration: 
Trigger: Field Changed
Object: Opportunities
Field: Stage
From: Any (or specific value)
To: Any (or specific value)
Use cases:
  • React to status changes
  • Trigger actions when deals progress
  • Automate when tasks complete
  • Handle stage-specific logic
Example: 
Trigger: Opportunity stage changed
Object: Opportunities
Field: Stage
From: "Proposal"
To: "Negotiation"

Actions:
  - Create task: "Prepare contract"
  - Set Close Date: 14 days from now
  - Notify sales manager
  - Update Company.Status = "Negotiating"
Advanced field change detection:
Trigger when field changes to any new value:
Field: Status
From: Any
To: Any

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Record Deleted

Runs when a record is deleted. Configuration: 
Trigger: Record Deleted
Object: Projects
Use cases:
  • Clean up related records
  • Archive data before deletion
  • Notify stakeholders
  • Update counters and summaries
Example: 
Trigger: Project deleted
Object: Projects

Actions:
  - Delete all related tasks
  - Archive project files
  - Notify project team
  - Update company project count
Deleted record data is available to the workflow, so you can access field values in actions.

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Scheduled Trigger

Runs at specified times, regardless of record changes. Configuration: 
Trigger: Scheduled
Frequency:
  - Daily at specific time
  - Weekly on specific day
  - Monthly on specific date
  - Custom cron expression
Use cases:
  • Daily summary emails
  • Weekly status reports
  • Monthly cleanups
  • Reminder notifications
  • Recurring task creation
Example: 
Trigger: Scheduled
Frequency: Daily at 9:00 AM

Actions:
  Find all tasks where:
    - Due Date = Today
    - Status ≠ "Completed"
  
  For each task:
    - Send reminder email to assignee
    - Create notification
Schedule options:
Run every hour or every N hours:
Every 1 hour
Every 4 hours
Every 12 hours
Run once per day at specific time:
Every day at 9:00 AM
Every day at 6:00 PM
Weekdays at 8:00 AM
Run on specific days:
Every Monday at 9:00 AM
Every Friday at 5:00 PM
Mondays and Thursdays at 10:00 AM
Run on specific dates:
1st of every month at 9:00 AM
15th of every month at 12:00 PM
Last day of month at 11:59 PM
Scheduled workflows run in your workspace’s timezone. Set timezone in workspace settings.

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Manual Trigger

Runs when you explicitly start it. Configuration: 
Trigger: Manual
Available on: (Select which objects/views)
Use cases:
  • Bulk operations on selected records
  • On-demand data exports
  • Manual quality checks
  • Ad-hoc notifications
Example: 
Trigger: Manual (Button in Opportunities view)
Name: "Generate Proposal"

Actions:
  - Create proposal document
  - Populate with opportunity data
  - Generate PDF
  - Send email with attachment
  - Update Stage = "Proposal Sent"
Running manual workflows:
  1. Select records in a view
  2. Click Workflows in action bar
  3. Choose workflow to run
  4. Confirm execution

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Webhook Trigger

Runs when an external system sends a webhook. Configuration: 
Trigger: Webhook
Webhook URL: (generated automatically)
Authentication: API key or HMAC
Use cases:
  • Integrate with external services
  • React to form submissions
  • Handle payment events
  • Process third-party notifications
Example: 
Trigger: Webhook from Stripe
Event: payment.succeeded

Actions:
  - Find opportunity by customer ID
  - Update Stage = "Closed Won"
  - Set Amount = [webhook.amount]
  - Send confirmation email
  - Create onboarding task

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Trigger Conditions

Add filters to control when triggers fire:

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Basic Conditions

Trigger: Opportunity created
Conditions:
  - Amount > 50000
  - Stage = "Qualification"
  - Owner is not empty
Workflow only runs for records meeting ALL conditions.

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Advanced Conditions

Use AND/OR logic:
Conditions:
  (Priority = "High" OR Amount > 100000)
  AND Status = "Active"
  AND Owner is not empty

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Combining Multiple Triggers

Some workflows need multiple trigger types: Option 1: Separate workflows Create distinct workflows for each trigger: 
Workflow 1: "Update Score on Create"
Trigger: Record created

Workflow 2: "Update Score on Change"
Trigger: Field changed (any scoring field)
Option 2: Shared logic Use one workflow with multiple entry points (coming soon): 
Workflow: "Maintain Lead Score"
Triggers:
  - Record created
  - Field changed: Company Size
  - Field changed: Industry
  - Field changed: Job Title

Actions:
  - Calculate score (shared logic)
  - Update lead record

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Trigger Best Practices

More specific = better performance:✅ Good:
Trigger: Stage field changed
From: Any
To: "Closed Won"
❌ Less efficient:
Trigger: Record updated
Condition: Stage = "Closed Won"
Both work, but field change is more efficient.
Filter early to avoid unnecessary runs:
Trigger: Lead created
Conditions:
  - Lead Source is not empty
  - Email is not empty
  - Country in supported list
Saves processing on incomplete/invalid records.
If workflow updates records, add safeguards:Problem:
Trigger: Lead updated
Action: Update Lead.Score
→ Triggers itself infinitely!Solution 1: Field-specific trigger
Trigger: Field changed (not Score)
Action: Update Lead.Score
Solution 2: Condition check
Trigger: Lead updated
Condition: Score Updated < 1 hour ago (is false)
Action: Update Lead.Score
Schedule during low-usage times:
  • Run heavy workflows at night
  • Avoid peak business hours
  • Spread executions throughout the day
✅ Good: Daily at 2:00 AM
❌ Avoid: Every 5 minutes during 9-5
Test triggers with:
  • Typical record values
  • Edge cases (empty fields, max values)
  • Different user permissions
  • Various timezones (for scheduled)

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Trigger Debugging

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Workflow Not Running

Check:
  1. Is workflow active? - Inactive workflows don’t run
  2. Do records meet conditions? - Review filter criteria
  3. Is trigger configured correctly? - Verify object and event
  4. Any permission issues? - Workflow needs access rights

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Workflow Running Too Often

Solutions:
  1. Add more specific conditions - Filter more aggressively
  2. Use field change instead of update - More precise trigger
  3. Add delay/throttling - Prevent rapid repeated execution
  4. Check for loops - Workflow might trigger itself

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Scheduled Workflow Missing

Check:
  1. Timezone settings - Is time correct for your timezone?
  2. Execution history - Did it run but find no records?
  3. Workflow active? - Must be activated
  4. Schedule configuration - Verify frequency settings

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Next Steps

Workflow Actions

Learn what workflows can do

Automation Guide

See complete workflow examples

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