A trigger is the event that starts a workflow and supplies the initial data its other nodes work with. Every workflow has exactly one trigger, and it's always the first node on the canvas.
When the canvas is empty, the node library only offers triggers — "every workflow starts with a trigger." You can't drop an AI or action node first. Once a trigger is placed, the full node library unlocks.
Beyond starting the run, a trigger defines the shape of the input payload that flows into the rest of the workflow. Downstream nodes reference that payload with {{ trigger.output.<field> }} — so a form trigger exposes its fields, a webhook exposes the request body, and an integration event exposes the event object. Choosing the right trigger is the first design decision you make.
Your Office AI offers six trigger types, covering on-demand, scheduled, inbound, and event-driven starts.
| Trigger | When it fires | Input payload | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ▶️ Manual | You run it on demand from the Automate hub. | Optional values you enter when you start the run. | One-off runs, testing while building, ad-hoc batch jobs. |
| 🔗 Webhook | An external service sends an HTTP POST to a generated URL. | The JSON body and headers of the incoming request. | GitHub events, payment notifications, custom apps and scripts. |
| ⏰ Schedule (cron) | On a recurring cron schedule or interval. | The scheduled run time. | Daily reports, weekly digests, periodic syncs and reminders. |
| 🧩 Integration event | A connected tool emits an event you subscribe to. | The event object from the integration (e.g. the new record). | New Jira ticket, new calendar event, new CRM row, new message. |
| 📂 Folder watcher | A new document lands in a watched knowledge folder. | The new document and its metadata. | Auto-process uploads, ingest pipelines, document classification. |
| 📋 Form | Someone submits a hosted YOffice form. | The submitted field values. | Intake forms, support requests, structured approval requests. |
A webhook trigger generates a unique URL. Any external system that can send an HTTP POST can start the workflow by calling that URL; the request body becomes the trigger's output. The URL only goes live once you publish the workflow.
A schedule trigger runs your workflow on a recurring cron schedule or fixed interval — every morning, every Monday, every fifteen minutes. Use it for reports, digests, periodic syncs, and reminders. Like webhooks, the schedule only begins firing once the workflow is published.
Integration-event triggers fire when one of your connected integrations emits an event — a new ticket, a new calendar event, a new row, an inbound message. The event object is handed straight to your workflow, ready to be analysed, transformed, and acted on.
A folder-watcher trigger fires whenever a new document is added to a watched knowledge folder. It's the foundation for ingest pipelines — automatically extract, classify, summarise, or route every file that lands in a folder.
A form trigger renders an in-app fillable form. You define the fields in the trigger's inspector; when someone submits the form, the entered values start the workflow. Form-trigger workflows show up in the Forms tab and can be shared. Templates & forms covers them in depth.
Now that you've chosen how a workflow starts, see what you can wire up after the trigger in the node reference.