w6w docs

Triggers

A trigger is what starts a workflow. Add one from the Triggers tab of Add a step (see The workflow editor). A workflow needs a trigger step before it can be published. A new workflow starts with a Manual trigger.

TriggerStarts a run when
Manual triggerYou click Run, or a caller runs the workflow through the API, SDK or CLI.
WebhookSomething sends an HTTP request to the workflow’s webhook URL.
ScheduleA time or interval comes round.
App triggerAn app reports an event, such as a new message or a new order.

Later steps read what the trigger produced as steps.<trigger-id>.output.<field>, or, for an app event, as trigger.event.

Manual trigger

Declare the fields the run starts with:

  1. Edit the trigger step and, under Fields, add one per value.
  2. Give each a Key (such as email), a Type (String, Number, Boolean or JSON), an optional Default, and tick Required if it must be sent.
  3. On the Test tab, fill in sample values and click ▶ Test run.

How you know it worked: Output state (filled values) shows your sample. Studio saves it, and the header’s Run uses those values from then on.

Webhook

  1. On the Triggers tab, pick Webhook.
  2. Edit the step. In Configure, set:
    • HTTP Methods: which methods are accepted (default POST).
    • Authentication: None, Basic auth (Username, Password), Header auth (Header name, Header value) or JWT (HMAC) (JWT secret).
    • Respond: Immediately (ASAP) (the default), When the run finishes, Using a Response node (add a Respond to Webhook step that decides the reply) or Streaming.
    • Response status code and Response body (immediate). An empty body replies { "message": "Workflow was started" }.
    • Under the advanced options: IP allow list (empty allows everyone), CORS allowed origin, Response headers, Raw body, Ignore bots and Binary field name.
  3. At the top of Configure, click Create webhook URL.
  4. Copy the URL and give it to whoever sends the requests.
  5. Publish the workflow so callers run a fixed version.

How you know it worked: send a test request and a run appears in the workflow’s Execution history:

curl -X POST "<webhook-url>" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"hello":"world"}'

Treat the webhook URL like a password when Authentication is None: anyone who has it can start runs.

Schedule

  1. On the Triggers tab, pick Schedule.
  2. Edit the step and choose a Mode:
    • Cron, the default, with a Cron expression such as 0 9 * * 1-5 (09:00 on weekdays);
    • Once, with Run at, such as 2026-01-01T09:00:00Z;
    • Interval, with Interval (seconds).
  3. Optionally set Timezone (default UTC) under the advanced options.

Good to know: Studio saves the schedule on the step but doesn’t yet switch it on by itself. If no run appears in History after the first due time, ask your W6W administrator to activate the schedule for this workflow.

App triggers

Some apps declare events you can subscribe to, such as a new message in a chat app.

  1. On the Triggers tab, under App triggers, search Search apps with triggers… and pick an app.
  2. Pick the event.
  3. If the event is one W6W checks for rather than one the app pushes, a Check every N minutes field appears. Set how often W6W looks for new events. There is a minimum interval, and anything below it is refused.

This creates a subscription that binds the app’s event to this workflow. It doesn’t add a step to the canvas. Each time the event fires, the workflow runs with the event’s payload available as trigger.event.

Manage subscriptions

Subscriptions have their own page, which isn’t in the sidebar. Open https://<your-studio-host>/<account-id>/<project-id>/subscriptions.

  • Active subscriptions lists each one: the app, the event key, the workflow it starts, and whether it’s enabled or disabled. It also shows the event’s type (webhook or poll), Every N min for a poll event, and a status tag. No tag means the subscription is registered and ready. pending means registration hasn’t finished, destroying means it’s being removed, and failed means registration didn’t work, with the reason shown underneath.
  • Copy URL copies the subscription’s webhook address, to paste into the vendor’s webhook settings. Treat it like a password.
  • Delete removes the subscription. The workflow stops receiving that event.

To add one by hand:

  1. Click + Add subscription.
  2. Choose the App, then the Trigger. If the app hasn’t declared any, type the Trigger key yourself, for example new-message.
  3. Choose the Workflow and click Save subscription.

How you know it worked: the subscription appears under Active subscriptions as enabled.

Troubleshooting

SymptomCauseWhat to do
No apps declare triggers yet.None of your registered apps offers events.Use a Webhook trigger and point the vendor at its URL.
The webhook URL answers 401The request didn’t carry what Authentication requires.Send the header, Basic credentials or JWT you configured.
The webhook answers but no run appearsThe method isn’t in HTTP Methods, the request came from an address outside IP allow list, or the workflow is disabled or archived.Check those settings, and that the workflow is published and enabled.
A subscription is tagged failedThe app refused or couldn’t complete registration, for example because of a missing or invalid connection. The reason is shown under the row.Fix what the message names, then delete the subscription and add it again.
No subscriptions yet — bind a trigger to a workflow above.Nothing is subscribed in this project.Add one with + Add subscription or from the Triggers tab.

Where to next

  • Run and debug: test the trigger and read each run.
  • Expressions: use the trigger’s output in later steps.
  • Endpoints: a stable, authenticated URL in front of a workflow.