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Manual triggers

Manual triggers run workflows on-demand through the UI or API. They require explicit user action to start a workflow. Use manual triggers for testing, one-off tasks, administrative actions, or workflows that require a human decision to start.

To define a manual trigger, use the following syntax:

triggers:
  - type: manual

This allows you to run a workflow manually by:

  • Clicking Run in the Workflows UI
  • Calling the workflow execution API, either directly or from an external system

Manual triggers can accept input parameters, which you can reference in any step. When you define inputs at the workflow level, users are prompted to provide values when they run the workflow.

Tip

Refer to Pass data and handle errors > Choose between constants and inputs to learn when to use inputs or constants in workflows.

The location of inputs in the YAML depends on your version. On stack 9.4 and earlier, inputs sits at the top level of the workflow. On stack 9.5+ and on serverless, inputs sits inside the manual trigger. Refer to Workflow anatomy for the full reference.

name: Manual Processing Workflow
inputs:
  - name: environment
    type: string
    required: true
    default: "staging"
    description: "Target environment for processing"

  - name: batchSize
    type: number
    required: false
    default: 100
    description: "Number of records to process"

  - name: dryRun
    type: boolean
    required: false
    default: true
    description: "Run in test mode without making changes"

triggers:
  - type: manual

steps:
  - name: validateInputs
    type: console
    with:
      message: |
        Starting workflow with:
        - Environment: {{ inputs.environment }}
        - Batch Size: {{ inputs.batchSize }}
        - Dry Run: {{ inputs.dryRun }}
		
name: Manual Processing Workflow

triggers:
  - type: manual
    inputs:
      - name: environment
        type: string
        required: true
        default: "staging"
        description: "Target environment for processing"

      - name: batchSize
        type: number
        required: false
        default: 100
        description: "Number of records to process"

      - name: dryRun
        type: boolean
        required: false
        default: true
        description: "Run in test mode without making changes"

steps:
  - name: validateInputs
    type: console
    with:
      message: |
        Starting workflow with:
        - Environment: {{ inputs.environment }}
        - Batch Size: {{ inputs.batchSize }}
        - Dry Run: {{ inputs.dryRun }}