Triggers

A trigger node is the entry point of a workflow: it defines when and how the workflow starts. Every active workflow needs at least one trigger, and n8n offers several types -- webhook, polling, app, schedule, and manual. Webhooks react to inbound HTTP requests, polling and app triggers watch external services, schedule triggers fire on a cron cadence, and the manual trigger runs a workflow on demand.

What is a trigger node?

A trigger node is the entry point of a workflow. It defines when and how a workflow starts executing. Every active workflow requires at least one trigger node. Multiple triggers per workflow are supported -- for example, a Schedule Trigger and a Webhook Trigger can coexist in the same workflow.

What types of triggers does n8n have?

Webhook Triggers

Webhook triggers start a workflow when an external service sends an HTTP request to a unique n8n URL.

• Respond instantly to events from third-party platforms.
• Support GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE methods.
• Provide both a test URL (for manual testing) and a production URL (for active workflows).

Use case: receive a notification from Stripe when a payment completes.

Polling Triggers

Polling triggers check an external service for new data at a configurable interval (e.g., every minute, every 5 minutes).

• n8n stores the last-seen state to avoid processing duplicates.
• Interval is set per-node in the trigger's parameters.
• Higher frequency increases API call usage.

Use case: check an RSS feed for new posts every 10 minutes.

App Triggers

App triggers listen for real-time events from a specific service using that service's native event mechanism (webhooks registered via the service's API, WebSockets, or server-sent events).

• Configuration is handled through the node's credential and event selection.
• The workflow must be active for the app trigger to register its listener.

Use case: trigger when a new message appears in a Slack channel, or when a GitHub pull request is opened.

Note

Deactivating a workflow that uses an app trigger will unregister the listener from the external service.

Schedule Triggers

Schedule triggers start a workflow based on a time schedule using cron expressions or a simple interval selector.

Field	Example	Meaning
Cron Expression	0 9 * * 1-5	Every weekday at 09:00
Simple Interval	Every 30 minutes	Runs on a fixed cadence

Use case: generate a daily report every morning at 08:00.

Manual Trigger

The Manual Trigger node exists so you can run a workflow on demand from the editor by clicking "Test Workflow." It produces a single empty item.

Tip

Use the Manual Trigger during development. When you are ready to go to production, replace it with the appropriate automated trigger or add a second trigger node alongside it.

How do you choose the right trigger?

Scenario	Recommended Trigger
Third-party sends event data to your URL	Webhook
No webhook support; need to detect changes	Polling
Service has an n8n app trigger node	App Trigger
Run on a time-based schedule	Schedule
Run manually or during development	Manual

Related: Webhooks · Workflows and Executions · Webhook Node · Google Forms Trigger Node