Automation glossary

Trigger

A trigger is the event or condition that starts an automation run.

In plain language

It watches for a defined change, message, schedule, or manual request and supplies the first data used by later steps.

Example

A “new form response” trigger starts a workflow whenever a customer submits an intake form.

Action · Webhook · Workflow · Filter

Common misconception

A trigger is not always instant; polling triggers check periodically and may introduce delay.

Implementation guidance

Choose a narrow event, capture a durable event ID, document polling frequency, test duplicate delivery, and avoid updates that retrigger themselves.

Primary references

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