How to See All Available Triggers and Actions for Any Zapier App

A practical field guide from Automation Ace.

How to See All Available Triggers and Actions for Any Zapier App

Before you build a Zap, knowing the full list of available triggers and actions for each app involved is essential to good workflow design. Many builders discover mid-build that the trigger or action they assumed existed is not available — or that a more specific, better-suited trigger exists that they did not know about. Checking the full list before you start designing prevents these surprises and often surfaces trigger and action options that improve the workflow design.

There are two places to view the complete trigger and action list for any Zapier app: the public app directory on Zapier's website (see how to find Zapier apps in the directory), and the trigger/action selection screen inside the Zap editor. Both show the same information, but they serve different use cases — the directory is better for planning before you open the editor, and the in-editor selection is better when you are already building and want to see what is available as you work.

Viewing Triggers and Actions in the App Directory

Navigate to zapier.com/apps and search for the app you want to research. Click on the app's listing to open its dedicated directory page. This page typically shows two or three sections: "Triggers" (events in the app that can start a Zap), "Actions" (things Zapier can do in the app), and "Searches" (Find steps that look up records in the app). Each entry shows the name of the trigger or action, a brief description, and whether it is instant (marked with a lightning bolt) or polling-based.

The directory page also shows pre-built Zap templates that use the app — these templates are useful shorthand for understanding which trigger-action combinations are most commonly used and recommended for the app. If you are deciding whether an app's Zapier integration is deep enough to support your workflow, the directory page is the fastest way to answer that question without creating a Zap first.

Viewing Triggers and Actions Inside the Zap Editor

Inside the Zap editor, when you select an app for the trigger step and click "Choose event" (or "Choose trigger"), Zapier shows the complete list of available triggers for that app in a scrollable, searchable list. The same applies when you add an action step — selecting an app reveals the full list of available actions. This in-editor list is the authoritative source for what is available, because it reflects your account's plan tier as well — Premium triggers and actions (which require a Professional plan or higher) are visible but marked as plan-gated if your current plan does not include them.

• Open a new Zap (or a test Zap) in the editor.
• In the trigger step, search for and select the app you want to research.
• Click "Choose event" to see the complete trigger list. Scroll through the full list — do not stop at the first few entries, as relevant triggers may be lower in the list.
• Look for the lightning bolt icon next to trigger names — this indicates an instant (webhook-based) trigger rather than a polling trigger.
• Note any triggers or actions marked as "Premium" — these require a higher plan tier to use.

What to Look for When Reviewing Triggers and Actions

When reviewing the trigger list for a Zapier app, look for specificity. A trigger called "New or Updated Record" fires on any change to any record. A trigger called "Record Status Changed to Active" fires only when a specific transition occurs. The more specific trigger is almost always better — it reduces the work your filter steps need to do and reduces the likelihood of the Zap running on records you did not intend to process. If a specific trigger exists, use it over a general one.

For actions, check whether the app offers both "Create" and "Update" actions for the main record types you need to work with. Many integrations support creating records but not updating them, or updating records but only by specific fields. If the action you need is not available, check whether a "Custom Request" or API-level action exists in the integration — some apps expose a generic API call option that allows actions beyond what the standard action list includes. If the needed action truly does not exist, see the article on Zapier missing trigger or action workarounds for the paths forward. Also check the article on Zapier polling triggers vs. instant triggers for how to evaluate whether the available trigger type meets your speed requirements.

Five minutes spent reviewing the full trigger and action list before building a Zap saves the hour of rework you will do if you discover mid-build that the integration does not support what you assumed it would.

When to Check the App's Own Documentation

The Zapier directory and editor list tell you what Zapier has implemented — but they do not tell you what the app's API is capable of that Zapier has not yet exposed. For apps where you suspect the Zapier integration is incomplete relative to the app's API, check the app's own developer documentation. You may find that an action you need is available via the app's API but not yet exposed in Zapier's integration — in which case, "Webhooks by Zapier" with a direct API call is your path to using it. The article on webhook and API integration consulting covers this approach for more complex cases. Reach out to Automation Ace if you need help designing a workflow that requires direct API integration beyond what Zapier's native integration offers.