Blocks

Manual

The manual trigger: run a workflow on demand from the canvas, the workflows index, or the REST API — the simplest way to start.

The simplest trigger: the workflow runs when someone says run.

When it runs

  • The run button in the editor topbar or on the workflows index.
  • POST /api/v1/workflows/:id/run with an API token — so "manual" also means "triggered by your own scripts".

Config

The manual trigger in the Inspector Nothing to configure — manual is the zero-config trigger.

Output

An empty object {} — a manual run starts with no input data. Downstream steps that need data should fetch it (web request, store get) or carry constants (set fields).

To hand data in programmatically, use a webhook instead — the API run endpoint doesn't take a payload body.

Patterns

  • Utility jobs — "resync the cache", "rebuild the digest now".
  • Research runs — fetch a list of pages, process, report.
  • The dev loop — build with a manual trigger, prove the chain, then swap the trigger for the real one.

Gotchas

  • Manual workflows still need activation for API-triggered runs; the editor's run button works on the draft canvas any time.
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