Workflow Trigger¶

Trigger

The Workflow Trigger is fired when a parent workflow invokes this workflow as a child. It receives the payload passed by the parent through a Subworkflow node or a Spawn & Await tool, enabling hierarchical workflow composition.

Component type: trigger_workflow

Ports¶

Outputs¶

Inputs¶

This component has no input ports. It is an entry point.

Configuration¶

The Workflow Trigger supports an optional source_workflow field in its trigger configuration. When set, the trigger only fires for invocations from the specified parent workflow slug. When not set, it accepts invocations from any parent.

Usage¶

1. Create a child workflow that performs a specific task.
2. Drag a Workflow Trigger onto the child workflow's canvas.
3. Connect it to the nodes that process the incoming payload.
4. In the parent workflow, use either:
   • A Subworkflow node (logic category) to invoke the child synchronously.
   • A Spawn & Await tool (self-awareness category) to invoke the child from within an agent's reasoning loop.

Accessing Parent Data¶

The parent workflow's data is available through the payload output port:

{{ trigger.payload }}

The contents of the payload depend on what the parent sends. For a Subworkflow node, the payload is defined by the input_mapping configuration. For Spawn & Await, the agent determines what data to pass.

Source Workflow Filtering¶

When multiple parent workflows might invoke the same child, you can use the source_workflow trigger config to restrict which parent is allowed:

{
  "trigger_config": {
    "source_workflow": "parent-workflow-slug"
  }
}

If omitted, the trigger accepts invocations from any workflow.

Example¶

A child workflow invoked by a parent:

Parent workflow:

graph LR
    CT[Chat Trigger] --> AG[Agent]
    AG --> SW[Subworkflow<br/>target: report-gen]
    AM[AI Model] -.-> AG

    style CT fill:#f97316,color:white
    style AM fill:#3b82f6,color:white

Child workflow (report-gen):

graph LR
    WT[Workflow Trigger] --> CD[Code]
    CD --> AG2[Agent]
    AM2[AI Model] -.-> AG2

    style WT fill:#f97316,color:white
    style AM2 fill:#3b82f6,color:white

1. The parent's Chat Trigger receives a user request.
2. The parent Agent decides to delegate to the report-gen child workflow.
3. The Subworkflow node invokes the child, passing data via input_mapping.
4. The child's Workflow Trigger receives the payload.
5. The child's Code and Agent nodes process the request.
6. The child's final output is returned to the parent's Subworkflow node.

Agent-driven child invocation¶

When using Spawn & Await as a tool connected to an agent, the agent autonomously decides when to invoke the child workflow and what data to pass:

graph LR
    CT[Chat Trigger] --> AG[Agent]
    AM[AI Model] -.-> AG
    SA[Spawn & Await] -.-> AG

    style CT fill:#f97316,color:white
    style AM fill:#3b82f6,color:white
    style SA fill:#10b981,color:white

The agent calls the Spawn & Await tool during its reasoning loop, specifying the target workflow slug and payload. The child workflow must have a Workflow Trigger to receive the invocation.