Automate workflow execution with Forjinn's trigger system. Configure webhook triggers for 30+ platforms and cron schedule triggers for time-based automation.

Trigger System

Forjinn Triggers page showing webhook and cron trigger configuration interface with platform selection and schedule options

The Forjinn Trigger System enables automatic workflow execution through time-based (cron) and event-driven (webhook) triggers. Configure triggers to start workflows without manual intervention, integrating with 30+ platforms for event-driven automation.

Overview

Triggers serve as entry points for workflows, automatically starting execution based on:

Time-based schedules — Cron expressions for recurring execution
External events — Webhooks from supported platforms and services

Schedule	Cron Expression	Description
Every Minute	`* * * * *`	Runs every minute
Hourly	`0 * * * *`	Runs at the top of every hour
Daily	`0 9 * * *`	Runs daily at 9 AM UTC
Weekly	`0 9 * * 1`	Runs every Monday at 9 AM UTC
Monthly	`0 9 1 * *`	Runs on the 1st of every month at 9 AM UTC
Custom	User-defined	Any valid cron expression

Configuration

Add a Trigger node to your workflow canvas
Set Trigger Type to "Cron Schedule"
Choose a predefined schedule or enter a custom cron expression
Optionally set a Trigger Message — text passed to the workflow on execution
Configure Max Executions — optional limit on total runs
Set Timeout — maximum execution time in seconds
Toggle Enabled on to activate the trigger

trigger:
  type: "cron"
  schedule: "daily"
  cronExpression: "0 9 * * *"
  triggerMessage: "Generate daily report"
  maxExecutions: 30
  timeout: 300
  enabled: true

Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams
Gmail, Outlook

Development & Project Management

GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Trello
Asana, Monday.com, Notion

E-commerce & Payments

Shopify, WooCommerce
Stripe, PayPal

Marketing & CRM

HubSpot, Salesforce
Mailchimp, SendGrid, Zendesk

Typeform, Google Forms, Calendly
Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn

Storage & Data

Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive
Airtable, Google Sheets

Webhook Configuration

Add a Trigger node to your workflow canvas
Set Trigger Type to "Webhook"
Select the Webhook Platform from the dropdown
Specify Event Types — which events should trigger execution
Enter the Webhook Secret — for signature validation
Copy the generated Webhook URL — configure this in your external platform
Optionally set Custom Headers for additional security
Toggle Enabled on to activate

How Webhook Triggers Work

You configure a webhook trigger in your Forjinn workflow
Forjinn generates a unique webhook URL for your trigger
You configure this URL in the external platform (e.g., GitHub repository settings)
When an event occurs, the platform sends an HTTP POST to your webhook URL
Forjinn validates the request signature and headers
If valid, your workflow executes with the webhook payload as input

Security

Signature Verification

Each platform uses specific validation to ensure webhook authenticity:

GitHub:

const signature = req.headers['x-hub-signature-256']
const expectedSignature = crypto
  .createHmac('sha256', secret)
  .update(payload)
  .digest('hex')

Slack:

const timestamp = req.headers['x-slack-request-timestamp']
const signature = req.headers['x-slack-signature']
const baseString = `v0:${timestamp}:${payload}`
const expectedSignature = crypto
  .createHmac('sha256', secret)
  .update(baseString)
  .digest('hex')

Stripe:

const signature = req.headers['stripe-signature']
const elements = signature.split(',')
const timestamp = elements.find(e => e.startsWith('t=')).split('=')[1]
const signatures = elements.filter(e => e.startsWith('v1='))

Best Security Practices

Always use webhook secrets for external platforms
Validate signatures on every incoming request
Use custom headers for additional authentication layers
Test webhook security in development before production deployment

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	`/api/v1/triggers`	Create a new trigger
GET	`/api/v1/triggers`	List all triggers
GET	`/api/v1/triggers/:id`	Get a specific trigger
PUT	`/api/v1/triggers/:id`	Update a trigger
DELETE	`/api/v1/triggers/:id`	Delete a trigger
POST	`/api/v1/triggers/webhook/:nodeId`	Webhook receiver endpoint
GET	`/api/v1/triggers/stats`	Get trigger statistics

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem	Solution
Cron trigger not executing	Verify cron expression syntax; check trigger is enabled
Webhook validation failing	Verify secret key matches; check signature format for the platform
Trigger not found	Ensure trigger is properly configured and saved
Execution limits reached	Check and adjust `maxExecutions` setting
Payload not received	Verify webhook URL is correct in the external platform; check event type matches

Debug Steps

Check trigger status in the Forjinn Settings → Triggers page
Verify webhook URL configuration in the external platform
Test signature validation with a sample payload
Review server logs for trigger execution errors
Validate cron expression using an online cron parser

Best Practices

Use Execution Limits — Set maxExecutions for cron triggers to prevent runaway schedules
Enable Signature Verification — Always use webhook secrets for production triggers
Test in Development — Validate trigger behavior before deploying to production workflows
Monitor Execution — Review trigger statistics regularly for health and performance
Handle Errors Gracefully — Build error handling into workflows triggered by external events
Document Configurations — Keep trigger settings documented for team reference

Settings → Triggers — Trigger management in settings
API Gateway — API-level integration
Google & Microsoft Integrations — Connected services
Overview — Forjinn platform builder modes

Triggers | Webhook & Cron Automation in Forjinn