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Summary

Triggers define when a workflow runs. Every workflow starts with exactly one trigger — the event or condition that kicks off the sequence of actions. Softr Workflows supports three categories of triggers: Softr-native triggers, built-in triggers, and integration triggers from third-party services.

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Softr Triggers

Softr-native triggers respond to events inside your Softr account — your databases, apps, and email inbox.

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Softr Databases

Database triggers fire based on changes to records in your Softr databases. All database triggers are Instant — they fire immediately when the event occurs, with no polling delay.

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Record added

Fires when a new record is created in the selected table. Configuration:

1. Account — Select your Softr Databases account
2. Database — Choose the database
3. Table — Choose the table to watch for new records
4. Conditions (optional) — Add field-level conditions to only trigger when the new record matches specific criteria

When to use: Kick off onboarding sequences when a new client record is created, or notify your team in Slack when a new lead is added.

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Record deleted

Fires when a record is removed from the selected table. Configuration:

1. Account — Select your Softr Databases account
2. Database — Choose the database
3. Table — Choose the table to watch for deletions
4. Conditions (optional) — Filter by field values on the record being deleted

When to use: Log deleted records to an audit table, or send a confirmation email when a user cancels a subscription.

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Record updated

Fires when any field on an existing record changes. Configuration:

1. Account — Select your Softr Databases account
2. Database — Choose the database
3. Table — Choose the table to watch
4. Conditions (optional) — Scope the trigger to specific field values (e.g., only fire when Status is "Active")

Tip: If you only want to react to a specific field changing, combine this trigger with a Filter action at the start of your workflow to check the exact field.

When to use: Sync record changes to a Google Sheet, or send a notification when a project’s status is updated.

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Record meets conditions

Fires when a record matches a set of field-level conditions you define — useful when you care about a specific state, not just any update. Configuration:

1. Account — Select your Softr Databases account
2. Database — Choose the database
3. Table — Choose the table
4. Conditions — Define one or more field conditions (e.g., Status Is "Approved")

When to use: Trigger an approval email exactly when a record’s status field is set to "Approved", rather than on every update.

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Record enters the view

Fires when a record appears in a saved database view — for example, when a filter on the view is satisfied. Configuration:

1. Account — Select your Softr Databases account
2. Database — Choose the database
3. Table — Choose the table
4. View — Select the saved view to watch

When to use: Automate actions tied to view-based segments, such as sending a follow-up email to all records that enter a “High Priority” filtered view.

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Softr Apps

App triggers fire based on user activity within your published Softr applications. These triggers use 1-minute polling — the workflow checks for new events approximately once per minute. Configuration for all App triggers:

• Application — Select the Softr app to monitor

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User added

Fires when a new user account is created in the selected Softr app. When to use: Send a welcome email, create a corresponding record in your database, or add the user to a Slack channel.

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Comment added

Fires when a user posts a comment anywhere in the selected Softr app. When to use: Notify a team member when a client leaves a comment, or log all comments to a centralized database.

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Softr Email

Note: The Softr Email trigger requires a Basic plan or higher.

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Email received

Fires instantly when an email arrives at your Softr inbound email address. Execution type: Instant Configuration:

• No additional fields required. Softr provides a unique inbound email address for your account. Any email sent to that address activates workflows using this trigger.

When to use: Parse incoming email notifications from other services, route support emails into your database, or trigger follow-up workflows when a specific type of email arrives.

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Built-in Triggers

Built-in triggers are general-purpose triggers that don’t depend on a specific app or integration.

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Webhook

Note: The Webhook trigger requires a Professional plan or higher.

Execution type: Instant Softr auto-generates a unique POST endpoint URL for each workflow that uses this trigger. Any external service or application can send an HTTP POST request to that URL to start the workflow. Configuration:

• Webhook URL — Auto-generated; copy and paste into the external service
• CORS origins — (Optional) Restrict which domains can send requests to this endpoint

Tip: Use the Webhook trigger to start workflows from Softr button clicks, form submissions on external sites, or any service that supports outbound webhooks.

When to use: Connect Softr Workflows to any tool that supports webhooks — Stripe payment events, Typeform submissions, Shopify orders, or your own application.

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One-time schedule

Runs a workflow exactly once at a date and time you specify. Execution type: Scheduled (runs once) Configuration:

• Date/time picker — Select the exact date and time for the single run

When to use: Schedule a one-off data migration, send a time-specific announcement email, or prepare data before a product launch.

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Recurring schedule

Runs a workflow repeatedly on a schedule you define. Execution type: Scheduled (repeating) Configuration:

1. Frequency — Choose from:
   • Every 1 minute
   • Every 5 minutes
   • Every 10 minutes
   • Every 15 minutes
   • Every 20 minutes
   • Every 30 minutes
   • Every hour
   • Every day at…
   • Every week at…
   • Every month at…
2. Time — Time picker (shown for daily, weekly, and monthly frequencies)
3. Timezone — Timezone selector (defaults to Los Angeles time)
4. Run on weekends? — Toggle to include or skip Saturday and Sunday runs

When to use: Send a daily digest email, run a nightly data sync, generate a weekly report, or poll an external system on a regular interval.

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Integration Triggers

Integration triggers connect Softr Workflows to third-party services. Most use 1-minute polling — Softr checks for new events in the connected service approximately once per minute. Calendly triggers are the exception: they fire instantly via webhooks.

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Airtable

Configuration: Requires a connected Airtable account. Select the base and table to watch. When to use: Mirror Airtable updates into a Softr database, or trigger notifications when a record’s status changes in Airtable.

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Gmail

Configuration: Requires a connected Gmail account (OAuth). Optionally filter by sender, subject, or label. When to use: Start a workflow when a specific sender emails you, log incoming emails to your database, or route emails to different team members based on content.

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Google Sheets

Configuration: Requires a connected Google account (OAuth). Select the spreadsheet and sheet to watch. When to use: Trigger workflows when a new form response is appended to a Sheet, or when a team member adds a row manually.

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Notion

Configuration: Requires a connected Notion account (OAuth). Select the database to watch. When to use: Sync Notion database entries to Softr, or trigger notifications when a Notion page is updated.

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Calendly

Configuration: Requires a connected Calendly account (OAuth).

Tip: Calendly triggers are Instant — they fire via webhook as soon as the event occurs in Calendly, making them ideal for time-sensitive automations like sending immediate confirmation emails or creating records right after a meeting is booked.

When to use: Create a database record when someone books a meeting, send a reminder sequence when a meeting is scheduled, or log no-shows for follow-up.

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Trigger Comparison Table

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