In the rapidly evolving world of automation, we're moving beyond simple "if this, then that" tasks. The new frontier is about creating intelligent, autonomous systems—often called "agents"—that can perceive their environment, make decisions, and execute complex, multi-step "agentic workflows." But this raises a fundamental question: how do these sophisticated agents know when to act?
The answer lies in a simple yet powerful concept: the event trigger.
Event triggers are the sensory system for your digital operations. They are the mechanism that allows an autonomous agent to perceive a change in its environment and initiate a response. Without them, even the most intelligent agent is just code sitting idle, blind and deaf to the business events happening every second.
At Triggers.do, we believe that mastering event triggers is the first and most critical step to building truly responsive, automated systems. Let's explore why.
Before we can build an army of autonomous agents, we need to understand the environment they operate in: an event-driven architecture.
An "event" is any recordable action or occurrence within your business's digital ecosystem. This could be anything:
An event-driven workflow is a process that is initiated in reaction to one of these events. Instead of running on a fixed schedule (e.g., "check for new orders every 5 minutes"), the system activates instantly when the event occurs. This is the core principle behind our motto: Automate at the Speed of Your Business.
This approach offers immense benefits:
So, where do "agents" fit in? Think of them as the next evolution of automation. An agentic workflow isn't just a single action; it's a series of tasks performed by an agent to achieve a specific goal. The trigger is what gives the agent the initial context and the command to start its mission.
This is precisely how Triggers.do is designed. We provide the foundational "perception" and "decision" layer for your agents. Consider this simple but powerful example:
import { Trigger } from 'triggers.do';
// An agentic trigger that starts the 'HighValueOrderFulfillment' workflow
// whenever a new order over $500 is placed.
const highValueOrderTrigger = new Trigger({
// 1. PERCEPTION: Listen for a specific event
event: 'platform.order.created',
// 2. DECISION: Only proceed if the condition is met
filter: 'data.totalAmount > 500',
// 3. ACTION: Initiate a specific workflow with event data
action: {
workflow: 'HighValueOrderFulfillment',
inputs: {
orderId: '{{data.id}}',
customerEmail: '{{data.customer.email}}'
}
}
});
await highValueOrderTrigger.activate();
In this snippet, we've defined the core logic for a specialized financial agent. It listens for new orders, uses a filter to decide if it's a "high-value" order, and if so, triggers a dedicated fulfillment workflow, automatically passing the order ID and customer email. You don't have to build the complex infrastructure to listen for, filter, and route these events—Triggers.do handles it for you.
The real power emerges when you realize that a single event can be the catalyst for a whole team of specialized agents. Using Triggers.do, you can create multiple triggers that all listen for the same event but have different filters and actions.
Imagine one single platform.order.created event occurs. Triggers.do can act as the central dispatcher, activating multiple agents simultaneously:
You aren't just automating a task; you are orchestrating a sophisticated, multi-agent response to a single business moment, all from one central, manageable platform.
What is an event trigger?
An event trigger is a predefined condition that, when met, automatically initiates a workflow. It acts as the starting point for automation, reacting to events like a new user signing up, a payment being processed, or a support ticket being created.
What kind of event sources can I connect to Triggers.do?
You can connect virtually any event source. This includes webhooks from SaaS platforms (like Stripe or Shopify), messages from pub/sub systems (like Kafka or RabbitMQ), database changes, or custom events sent directly from your own applications via our powerful API. This flexibility makes Triggers.do the central nervous system for your business events.
How do I filter which events start a workflow?
Triggers.do provides a powerful filtering engine. You can define specific conditions based on the event payload data, such as amount > 100 or status === 'completed', ensuring that your workflows and agents only run for the exact events you care about.
The move toward autonomous agents and agentic workflows is undeniable. These systems promise a future of unparalleled efficiency and responsiveness. But every one of these advanced systems starts with a simple, foundational element: the trigger that brings it to life.
By providing a robust, flexible, and scalable platform for event-driven automation, Triggers.do gives you the essential building blocks to create the next generation of business automation.
Ready to build automations that perceive and react in real-time? Get started with Triggers.do and activate your business logic, instantly.