Trigger Node

A Trigger Node is the starting point for any automated workflow. Once a specific event happens, the trigger tells StackAI to start running the rest of your nodes.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

1. Core Trigger Types

2. Managing connections: How to link your external accounts and apps.

3. Setup & Data Configuration: A step-by-step on building and using trigger data.

4. Best Practices

5. Common Workflows & Supported Apps

1. Core Trigger Types

Triggers generally fall into two categories based on why they start.

Event-Based (Real-Time)

These triggers run the moment an action occurs in another app or within StackAI itself.

• Communication: A new email arrives in Gmail or Outlook.

• Data Entry: Someone submits a form in Typeform.

• System Events: A payment is processed in Stripe, or a ticket is created in Zendesk.

• Workflow Chaining: You can set a trigger to fire as soon as a different StackAI workflow finishes.

Time-Based (Scheduled)

These fire based on a clock rather than an external action.

• One-time: Run at a specific date and time.

• Recurring: Run every hour, daily, or weekly (e.g., generating a Monday morning report).

2. Create a connection

To use triggers from apps like Gmail or GitHub, StackAI needs permission to "see" those events.

• Setting up a connection: The first time you use an external trigger, you'll be asked to log in to that service.

• Permissions: This simply allows StackAI to monitor for the specific events (like new emails) that you've selected.

• Management: You can manage or remove these permissions anytime under Organization → Connections.

See all available connection providers here.

3. Setup and Configuration

1. Add the Node: Place a Trigger Node on your canvas and pick the app (e.g. Gmail) and event (e.g., "New Email").

2. Authenticate: Link your account if you haven't already.

3. Configure the Logic that will start the flow: Select the specific conditions for the trigger.

4. Add Test Values: Enter some sample data (like a fake email body). This lets you build and test your workflow's logic without needing to trigger a real event every time you make a change.

5. Connect and Publish: Link the trigger in the corresponding nodes and Publish.

How to Access and Use Outputs

When a trigger occurs, it does more than just start a workflow—it captures specific details about the event and passes them along as Outputs. These outputs act as variables that can be used in the workflow.

1. Locate the Variables: The list of available output fields is available in the configurations of each trigger.

2. Use in Downstream Nodes: You can reference these variables (like the sender's name or the text of a message) in your AI prompts, logic filters, or other action nodes. This allows the workflow to "know" the context of what triggered it.

For example, these are the available outputs in Gmail's "On Email Received Email" trigger:

4. Best Practices

To keep your automations running smoothly, keep these points in mind:

• Publishing is required:

  • Triggers are only active once the workflow is Published. They will not respond to live events while the workflow is only in "Draft" mode.

• Connection health:

  • 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

  • Ensure your account has webhook capabilities (if applicable)

• Use the Analytics Tab:

  • If a workflow didn't run as expected, the Analytics tab is the best place to see if the trigger fired and where the data went.

• Test with sample data:

  • Always use the "Test Values" before relying on live form submissions.

5. Common Workflows & Supported Apps

StackAI offers native trigger nodes for direct integrations (like Gmail or Stripe) that start your workflow automatically. If an app isn’t supported natively, you can still trigger your workflow using Inbound Webhooks via the StackAI API—essentially allowing any app that sends HTTP requests to kick off your flow.

Conversely, if you need StackAI to trigger an external tool after it runs, you can use Outbound Webhook Actions to send data to platforms like Make or Zapier.

Key Considerations:

• Your external app must support outgoing HTTP requests.

• You may need to manually parse or transform data when using webhooks instead of native nodes.

Category	Providers	Common Use Cases
Email & Shared Inboxes	Gmail, Outlook, Missive	Auto-reply to emails Extract structured information Create tasks or tickets from emails Filter and categorize messages Process attachments
Chat & Collaboration	Slack, Microsoft Teams, Realtime Chat	Auto-reply to invoices received by email Route conversations Escalate issues Monitor channels and send alerts
Support & Customer Operations	Zendesk	Create and update tickets Route customer requests Collect and categorize feedback Trigger follow-ups or escalations
Forms & Hiring	Typeform, Workable	Process leads and applications Route job candidates Handle event signups Analyze responses
Databases & Spreadsheets	Airtable, Google Sheets	Monitor row changes Process structured records
Files & Document Management	Google Drive, SharePoint	React to file uploads Process documents Archive or sync files Generate reports from updated files
Payments & Transactions	Stripe	Handle orders and subscriptions React to failed payments Update CRM on subscription changes
Developer & System Events	GitHub, AWS SQS	Run checks on new pull requests Process queued events Integrate system-level workflows
Internal Workflows	StackAI	Trigger workflows on workflow completion Chain multi-step automations
Run on a schedule	StackAI	Trigger report generation every Monday at 9.00 am Read google spreadsheet every month to revise changes