A trigger automatically starts your Gumloop flow based on external events. For example, your flow can start whenever:

  • A specific time arrives (like 9 AM every day)
  • A new email lands in your Gmail
  • Someone submits your Typeform
  • A new record is added to your Airtable

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Types of Triggers

  1. Time Based
    • Schedule flows to run at specific times
    • Set up daily, weekly, or custom schedules
    • Perfect for automating regular tasks

The time trigger is available under the ‘Triggers’ category in the Node Library.

You can configure the time settings by specifying how frequently the flow should run or by customizing the settings manually using the settings cog.

Here’s a breakdown of the manual time settings:

  • Minute: The exact minute within the hour (e.g., 0 for the start of the hour).
  • Hour: The specific hour of the day (e.g., 6 for 6:00 AM).
  • Day of Month: The specific day(s) of the month (use * for all days).
  • Month: The specific month(s) (use * for all months).
  • Day of Week: The day of the week (0 and 7 = Sunday, 1 = Monday, etc.).
  • Timezone: The time zone for the schedule.
  • Max Failure Count: The number of retry attempts if a trigger fails.

Example (Image Settings): The flow is configured to run every Monday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time, with up to 3 retry attempts if it fails.

  1. Webhooks
    • Start your flows from external applications
    • Useful for connecting Gumloop with your other tools

You can add the webhook trigger by clicking on the webhook icon on the top bar:

Check out our API Reference guide for more details on how to start flows via webhook and how to get the output.

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Triggers as Nodes

Drop these nodes directly into your flow and toggle the “Activate as flow trigger” option to trigger your automation:

  1. Gmail
    • Starts your flow when you receive new emails
    • It can be set to a specific label or your entire inbox
  1. Slack
    • Starts your flow when you receive a new message in the specified channel
    • Works on both new messages and thread replies by default
  1. Airtable
  • Takes a few minutes to activate after creation
  • Polls for updates every 60 seconds
  1. Typeform
    • Triggers the workflow on new form submissions
  1. Notion
    • Starts your flow when your database updates
    • Takes a few minutes to activate after creation
    • Polls for updates every 60 seconds
  1. Google Drive
    • Starts your flow when your selected Google Drive folder receives a new file upload
  1. Google Calendar Event Reader
    • Triggers the workflow X minutes before every event on your calendar
    • Deafult time is 15 minutes, you can adjust this under the Minutes Before Event input
  1. Google Sheets
    • Automatically starts your flow when data in your Google Sheet changes
    • Two trigger modes:
      • Create: Only triggers on new rows added to the sheet
      • Create or Update: Triggers when rows are added OR existing rows are modified
  • Understanding Row Events:
    • Row Creation: Triggers when any new row is added to your sheet
    • Row Update: Triggers when any cell value is changed in any existing row
  • Configuration:
    • Select your Google Sheet (via direct selection or URL)
    • Specify worksheet tab to monitor
    • Choose trigger mode based on your needs
    • Toggle Activate as flow trigger
    • Save workflow
  • Takes a few minutes to activate after creation
  • Polls for updates every 60 seconds

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Setting Up Triggers

  1. Drag a trigger node into your flow or configure the time/webhook triggers
  2. Configure the trigger settings
  3. Toggle ‘Activate as flow trigger’ to Yes for node triggers
  4. Connect it to other nodes in your flow
  5. Save your flow

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Important Notes

  • Triggers automatically deactivate after 3 consecutive failed runs (If the trigger is deleted, you will receive an email)
  • Triggers are only available on the Starter tier and above
  • One flow can have multiple triggers
  • Always save your flow before and after adding triggers
  • Test your triggers after setup

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Coming Soon

  • Discord triggers
  • Advanced webhook configurations
  • And more…

Need help? Check our tutorials or reach out on the Gumloop Forum!