Trigger Node

The Trigger Node allows you to automatically run your workflow based on certain triggers. The currently available triggers are:

• Github

• Gmail

• Outlook

• StackAI

• Stripe

• Time

• Typeform

• Zendesk

A Trigger Node will start your workflow when a certain event occurs, such as an email being received in your Gmail account, or a pull request created on Github. You can also use a Trigger Node to start your project at the same time every day, or when another StackAI project completes a run.

Email triggers like Gmail or Outlook will monitor your Gmail or Outlook inbox and activate your workflow whenever a new email arrives. They extract key information from the email such as sender, subject, body content, thread ID, and any attachments, making this data available for downstream nodes to process.

Some Trigger Nodes like Gmail, Typeform, or Zendesk may ask you to establish a new connection if you are using them for the first time. This allows them to access your personal account on those platforms.

Outputs

When an trigger occurs, the Trigger Node may give you outputs, depending on the trigger. To see these outputs, click on the Trigger Node, then select which trigger you would like to add. Hover over the trigger and you will see the its output fields.

• Sender (string): The email address of the sender of the email

• Subject (string): The subject line of the email

• Body (string): The full text content of the email body

• Thread ID (string): The thread ID of the email, which can be used to reply to the email in a SendEmail action

• Attachments (files): Email attachments stored in the data pool for use by other nodes

How to set up the Email Trigger Node

1. Add an Email Trigger node to your workflow

2. Connect your Gmail or Outlook account:

   • Click "New Connection" if no connection exists

   • Select an existing connection from the dropdown if available

3. Configure any test values (these are only used in the workflow builder)

4. Connect the Email Trigger node to downstream nodes in your workflow

5. Publish your workflow to activate the trigger

Important Notes

• The trigger will not work until you publish the workflow

• You must configure a Gmail or Outlook connection before the trigger can be used

• The Email Trigger node requires permission to access your Gmail or Outlook inbox

• Test values are only used during workflow design and testing; they don't affect the actual trigger configuration

Using Email Data in Your Workflow

You can reference the email data in downstream nodes by:

1. Selecting the Email Trigger node as an input source

2. Using specific email fields (Sender, Subject, Body, Thread ID, Attachments) in your workflow logic

3. Processing email content with AI nodes or other actions

Common Use Cases

• Auto-reply to specific types of emails

• Extract and process information from structured emails

• Create tasks or tickets based on email content

• Filter and categorize incoming emails by sender or subject

• Process email attachments

• Automatically process and route new leads from contact forms

• Create support tickets from feedback or help request forms

• Process event signups and send confirmation emails

• Analyze survey responses and generate insights

• Add new contacts to your CRM system automatically

• Handle product orders or service requests

• Collect and categorize customer feedback

• Review and route job applications or membership requests

• Store form responses in databases or spreadsheets

• Daily Reports: Generate and send daily, weekly, or monthly reports

• Data Backups: Automatically backup databases or files at regular intervals

• System Maintenance: Run cleanup tasks, cache clearing, or system health checks

• Content Publishing: Schedule blog posts, social media updates, or newsletters

• Monitoring and Alerts: Check system status and send alerts if issues are detected

Troubleshooting

• Ensure your workflow is published for the trigger to be active

• Verify that your connection has the necessary permissions (if applicable)

• Confirm that webhooks are properly configured (usually handled automatically)

• Monitor workflow execution logs for any connection or processing errors

• Test with sample data first before relying on live form submissions

• Ensure your account has webhook capabilities (if applicable)