> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://failfast.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Triggers

> The events that start a workflow, from manual runs to schedules, webhooks, forms, and documents.

Every workflow starts from a trigger. The trigger is the first node on the canvas: it defines the event that sets the workflow in motion, and everything connected after it runs in response. When you build a new workflow, the editor asks you to **Add a trigger** before anything else.

There are six trigger nodes. Pick the one that matches how your automation should start.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="When clicking 'Execute Workflow'">
    Runs the workflow when you click the trigger button in the editor.

    Use this for manual, on-demand runs — and while building, since it lets you test the workflow whenever you want without waiting for a real event. A workflow can have only one of these triggers.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Webhook">
    Runs the workflow when a webhook is received.

    Use this to connect external systems that can call a URL: when the outside system sends its request, your workflow starts and can act on what it received.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Schedule">
    Runs the workflow at a specific time.

    Use this for recurring jobs — anything that should happen on a regular rhythm rather than in response to a user action, such as periodic checks or routine notifications.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When Executed By Another Workflow">
    Runs the workflow when another workflow calls this one.

    Use this to compose reusable sub-workflows: build a piece of logic once, then invoke it from other workflows with the **Call Another Workflow** execution node. A workflow can have only one of these triggers.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When Document Is Uploaded">
    Runs the workflow when a document is uploaded.

    Use this for document intake and validation flows — for example, checking a newly uploaded document as soon as it arrives. See [Document management](/docs/documents/document-management) for how documents work in your workspace.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When Form Is Submitted">
    Runs the workflow when a form is submitted.

    Use this to react to new or updated records: whenever someone submits the form, the workflow starts with that submission's data. See [Forms](/docs/data/forms) for how forms capture data.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Choosing a trigger

| You want the workflow to start...        | Trigger                               |
| ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| When you click a button                  | **When clicking 'Execute Workflow'**  |
| When an external system calls a URL      | **Webhook**                           |
| At a specific time, on a recurring basis | **Schedule**                          |
| When another workflow invokes it         | **When Executed By Another Workflow** |
| When a document is uploaded              | **When Document Is Uploaded**         |
| When a form is submitted                 | **When Form Is Submitted**            |

<Tip>
  While building any workflow, it helps to test with **When clicking 'Execute Workflow'** first, because you control exactly when it runs. Once the chain of actions works, you can rebuild it around the event trigger you actually need.
</Tip>

## Next steps

After the trigger, the rest of the workflow is made of execution nodes — the actions, transformations, and control steps that do the work. See the [Node reference](/docs/automation/nodes) for all of them.