Flow Triggers

What a trigger does

A trigger is the event that starts a flow. If the trigger never happens (or doesn’t match the flow settings), the flow won’t run.

Common trigger patterns

Choose the trigger that best matches the event you can test quickly:

• Tag added or tag removed
• Added to list or removed from list
• Board stage changed (when a contact moves stages)
• Property changed (a contact field updates to a value)
• Opens an email or clicks a link in an email
• Anniversary date (recurring yearly/monthly)
• Exact date (one-time calendar date)
• Form Submitted for form widget submissions
• Quiz Completed for quiz and survey-mode submissions

Setup guidance is in Forms, Quizzes, and Quiz Widget.

When to use each trigger

How to choose the right trigger

• Pick the event you can test quickly.
• Keep it specific (avoid vague triggers that are hard to verify).
• If you need a date/time flow, confirm the date field exists on the contact.
• For the next step, see Flow Steps so you can map the trigger to the right action.

List and tag targeting updates

• List/tag trigger settings now support selecting multiple lists or tags at once.
• You can switch targeting mode between Include and Exclude directly in the selector.
• If a needed list/tag does not exist yet, create it inline or open Manage Lists/Tags without leaving the flow.

Imports and manual entry

• CSV imports include Trigger flows for imported contacts. It is off by default so adding tags or lists during an import does not start flows unless you choose that behavior.
• To start a flow for specific existing contacts, select them in Contacts and use the Flow bulk action. You can choose the active flow and starting step before confirming.
• Email and SMS steps can run immediately when contacts are manually added to a flow. Delay and wait steps begin from the confirmation time.

Date trigger setup updates

• Anniversary and exact-date triggers now support both built-in date fields and custom date/datetime fields.
• You can set an explicit trigger time (hour/minute) for date-based automations.
• Date triggers can be narrowed with list targeting so only matching audiences enter.

Quick test checklist

1. Trigger the event with one test contact.
2. Confirm the contact appears in the flow.
3. Confirm include/exclude list/tag targeting matches the test contact as expected.
4. If the flow includes a wait step, confirm it’s waiting on something that can become true.

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