▶ Manual Trigger

The Manual Trigger fires a workflow run immediately, either when a user clicks the Run Test button inside the workflow editor or when the workflow is called programmatically via the Flusso API. It is the simplest trigger type and requires no configuration, making it ideal for on-demand tasks and development testing.

Overview

Every workflow needs a trigger — the node that decides when the workflow starts. The Manual Trigger gives you the most direct control: the workflow runs exactly when you say so, with no waiting for an external event or a scheduled time.

When you click Run Test in the editor, Flusso fires the Manual Trigger and immediately executes the rest of the workflow. You can optionally supply a JSON payload in the test panel; that data will be available to subsequent steps as {{ trigger.output.* }}. This lets you simulate real inputs during development without needing a live external system to send data.

In production, you can fire a Manual Trigger via the Flusso REST API. This is useful for integrating Flusso into your own applications: your code calls the API with a payload, and Flusso runs the workflow with that data. Common examples include nightly batch jobs kicked off by a cron job on your own server, or ad-hoc operations initiated by an internal admin panel.

Configuration

Output Data

The Manual Trigger passes any data supplied in the run payload directly into the workflow context. All fields in the payload are accessible in subsequent steps using the variable syntax below.

When running a test from the editor, you can type a JSON object into the test payload panel to pre-populate these values. When calling the API, you supply the payload as the request body.

Example Usage

On-demand document processing

Suppose you have a workflow that processes a PDF document: it extracts text, sends it to an AI agent for summarisation, and stores the result in your knowledge base. You want an admin to be able to trigger this on any document at any time.

1. Add a Manual Trigger as the first node. No configuration is needed. The trigger will accept a payload containing the document URL.
2. Test with a sample payload in the editor. In the test panel, enter:

   { "document_url": "https://example.com/report.pdf" }

   Click Run Test to execute the full workflow with this data.
3. Reference the payload in subsequent steps. In the HTTP Request node that fetches the PDF, set the URL field to {{ trigger.output.document_url }}.
4. Call the API in production. From your admin panel, POST to the workflow's API endpoint with the document URL in the body. Flusso runs the workflow immediately.

Tips & Notes

• Payload is optional. If you fire the trigger with no payload, all trigger.output.* references in subsequent steps will resolve to null. Make sure downstream nodes handle missing values gracefully (for example, with a Logic Gate check).
• Use for testing any workflow. Even if your workflow will eventually use a different trigger (like a Webhook or Schedule), it is good practice to test with the Manual Trigger first using a realistic sample payload.
• API authentication required. When calling the workflow via the API, you must include a valid Sanctum API token in the Authorization: Bearer header.
• Workflow must be saved. The Run Test button executes the last saved version of the workflow. If you have unsaved changes, save first.

Related Nodes

• Webhook Trigger — fires when an HTTP POST request arrives at the workflow's URL.
• Schedule Trigger — fires automatically on a cron schedule.
• Event Trigger — fires when another workflow emits a named event.