Triggers are the starting point of every UnicornSurf workflow. They determine when your AI agent wakes up and begins working. Think of triggers as the "wake-up call" that tells your agent it's time to take action.
Trigger Basics
How Triggers Work
Monitor external events (emails, forms, webhooks)
Wake up your AI agent when conditions are met
Pass event data to your workflow
Start the automation process
Trigger Benefits
Automate repetitive tasks
Respond instantly to events
Scale your operations
Never miss important events
Trigger Types
UnicornSurf supports a wide variety of trigger types to connect with your existing tools and workflows:
Email Triggers
Monitor incoming emails and respond automatically
Examples:
New email received
Email from specific sender
Email with keywords
Email to specific address
Integrations:
GmailOutlookYahoo MailIMAP
Calendar Triggers
Respond to calendar events and scheduling changes
Examples:
Meeting scheduled
Meeting cancelled
Meeting updated
Reminder triggered
Integrations:
Google CalendarOutlook CalendarApple CalendarCalendly
Form Triggers
Process form submissions and lead generation
Examples:
Contact form submitted
Newsletter signup
Survey completed
Lead captured
Integrations:
TypeformGoogle FormsWebflowHubSpot Forms
Webhook Triggers
Receive data from external systems via HTTP
Examples:
Payment received
User registered
Order placed
Status changed
Integrations:
StripeShopifyZapierCustom APIs
Database Triggers
Monitor database changes and new records
Examples:
New record added
Record updated
Record deleted
Query results changed
Integrations:
PostgreSQLMySQLMongoDBAirtable
File Triggers
Process files when they are uploaded or modified
Examples:
File uploaded
File modified
File deleted
File shared
Integrations:
Google DriveDropboxOneDriveBox
Social Media Triggers
Monitor social media activity and mentions
Examples:
New mention
Direct message
Comment received
Post published
Integrations:
TwitterLinkedInFacebookInstagram
Scheduled Triggers
Run workflows at specific times or intervals
Examples:
Daily at 9 AM
Weekly on Monday
Monthly on 1st
Every 5 minutes
Integrations:
CronCustom SchedulesBusiness HoursTimezone Support
Trigger Filters
Filters help you control when triggers fire, reducing unnecessary activations and saving credits. Use filters to make your triggers more specific and efficient.
Content Filters
Filter based on email content, subject lines, or message body
Examples:
Subject contains "urgent"
Body contains "refund"
From domain "@company.com"
Has attachment
Sender Filters
Filter based on who sent the email or form
Examples:
From specific email address
From contact list
From verified domain
Not from blocked list
Time Filters
Filter based on when the trigger occurred
Examples:
During business hours
Weekdays only
Specific time range
Not on holidays
Custom Filters
Create custom logic for complex filtering
Examples:
Multiple conditions
AI-powered classification
Custom field matching
External API validation
Trigger Examples
Here are some real-world examples of how triggers can be used in different scenarios:
Email Support Automation
Automatically respond to customer support emails
Trigger Setup:
• Type: Gmail - New Email
• Filter: To: support@company.com
• Filter: Subject contains "help" or "support"
• Filter: Not from internal team members
Result:
• AI agent analyzes the email
• Searches knowledge base for answers
• Generates personalized response
• Sends reply and creates ticket
Lead Qualification
Automatically qualify and follow up with leads
Trigger Setup:
• Type: Webhook - Form Submission
• Source: Contact form on website
• Filter: Company size > 10 employees
• Filter: Budget > $1000/month
Result:
• AI agent scores the lead
• Adds to CRM with qualification notes
• Sends personalized follow-up email
• Schedules demo call if high priority
Daily Reports
Generate and send daily business reports
Trigger Setup:
• Type: Scheduled - Daily
• Time: 9:00 AM EST
• Filter: Weekdays only
• Filter: Not on holidays
Result:
• AI agent gathers data from multiple sources
• Analyzes trends and metrics
• Generates comprehensive report
• Sends to stakeholders via email
Best Practices
Use Specific Filters
Add filters to reduce unnecessary trigger activations and save credits
Pro tip: Instead of triggering on all emails, filter for business inquiries only
Test Your Triggers
Use the test panel to verify triggers work as expected before going live
Pro tip: Send test emails or create test form submissions to validate your setup
Monitor Performance
Keep an eye on trigger frequency and adjust filters as needed
Pro tip: Check your agent dashboard regularly to see trigger activity and costs
Handle Edge Cases
Consider what happens when triggers fire unexpectedly or fail
Pro tip: Add error handling and fallback actions for robust workflows
Troubleshooting
Trigger not firing
Check if trigger is enabled and active
Verify filter conditions are not too restrictive
Test with sample data to ensure trigger works
Check integration permissions and authentication
Too many triggers
Add more specific filters to reduce frequency
Use time-based filters to limit business hours
Implement rate limiting or cooldown periods
Review and optimize trigger conditions
Missing data in trigger
Check if all required fields are being captured
Verify integration is sending complete data
Add data validation steps in your workflow
Use webhook testing tools to inspect payload
Trigger delays
Check integration polling frequency
Verify webhook delivery and response times
Consider using real-time integrations
Monitor system performance and scaling
Next Steps
Now that you understand triggers, explore these related concepts: