Triggers: how workflows start

Every workflow starts with a trigger. The trigger determines when the workflow runs and what data it starts with. This article covers the seven trigger types, when to pick which, and the configuration that matters for each.

Pick a trigger

You can have multiple triggers in one workflow if they should all start the same pipeline (e.g., extract from both Google Drive AND a mailbox).

Manual Trigger

Use when the workflow should only run when a human clicks Run. Common cases:

• One-off cleanup or migration.
• A workflow that needs human approval before each run.
• Testing.

Configuration: minimal. Optionally accepts input parameters that the user provides when triggering.

Scheduled Trigger

Use when the workflow should run on a fixed cadence:

• Daily report at 9am.
• Weekly digest every Monday.
• Hourly polling of a system that doesn't have webhooks.

Configuration:

• Schedule — pick from common cadences (every X minutes, daily, weekly) or set a cron expression for full control.
• Time zone — make sure this matches your team's expected zone.

The trigger emits a single item with the current timestamp. Use $now() in downstream nodes to reference it.

Google Drive Trigger

Use when documents you want to process arrive in a Google Drive folder.

Configuration:

• Folder — the folder to watch (must be accessible to the connected Google account).
• File types — restrict to specific extensions (.pdf, .png, etc.) to avoid triggering on unrelated files.
• Watch mode — typically "new files only". Avoid "all changes" unless you genuinely want to re-fire on edits.

The trigger emits one item per new file. The item's data.file field is the file reference you pass to downstream nodes (Data Extractor, Copy File, etc.):

{{$item.data.file}}        // the file itself
{{$item.data.file.name}}   // file name
{{$item.data.file.url}}    // URL to the file

Requires a connected Google account. See Connect Google Drive.

OneDrive Trigger

Same shape as Google Drive Trigger, but for Microsoft OneDrive.

Configuration is identical: Folder, File types, Watch mode. Item shape is the same too — {{$item.data.file}}.

Requires a connected Microsoft account. See Connect OneDrive.

Lido Mailbox Trigger

Use when you want a dedicated email address that triggers a workflow when anything arrives. Lido provisions an address like your-prefix@yourco.com.lido.email. Anyone can send to it; each incoming email starts the workflow.

Configuration:

• Mailbox address — Lido generates this; you can customize the prefix.
• Filtering (optional) — restrict to specific senders or subject patterns.

The trigger emits one item per email. The item's data.email field includes the email body, headers, and any attachments. The Data Extractor with Source Type = Email handles both the body and attachments.

{{$item.data.email}}                   // the email object
{{$item.data.email.from}}              // sender
{{$item.data.email.subject}}           // subject
{{$item.data.email.body}}              // body text/HTML
{{$item.data.email.attachments}}       // array of attached files
{{$item.data.email.attachments[0]}}    // first attachment

No external account needed — Lido hosts the mailbox.

Outlook Trigger

Use when emails come into a real Outlook inbox you control and you want a workflow on them. Useful when you can't tell senders to use a Lido mailbox address.

Configuration:

• Account — the connected Outlook account.
• Folder — Inbox by default; can target subfolders.
• Filtering — typically by subject pattern, sender, or having attachments.

Item shape is the same as Lido Mailbox Trigger: {{$item.data.email}}.

Requires a connected Outlook account. See Connect Outlook.

Webhook Trigger

Use when another system needs to push data into Lido. The trigger gives you a unique URL; any HTTP POST to that URL starts the workflow with the request body as the item.

Configuration:

• URL — Lido generates this. Treat it as a secret.
• Authentication — optionally require a header token.
• Content type — JSON or multipart form data (multipart for file uploads up to a configurable size limit).

The item is the request body. For JSON: {{$item.data.fieldName}}. For multipart with files: the file is at {{$item.data.file}} and you can pass it directly to a Data Extractor.

Webhook Triggers turn any external system into a Lido trigger. Useful for:

• Embedding Lido in your own product (your backend POSTs to the webhook).
• Wiring up tools like Zapier, n8n, or Make to start Lido workflows.
• Receiving data from third-party APIs that support webhooks.

Choosing between triggers when both work

When in doubt, Lido Mailbox + Google Drive are the lowest-friction options.

Tips

• Start with an empty folder/inbox when first activating a file/email trigger. Existing items can fire all at once and create a burst of work.
• Restrict file types on file triggers. A folder full of .docx won't accidentally trigger your PDF extraction workflow.
• Test with a single item first. Most triggers have a Test option that uses a recent file/email.
• Log the source — add an Edit Item node right after the trigger to capture filename, sender, timestamp. Future-you will want it.
• Never expose webhook URLs publicly without authentication. Anyone who has the URL can trigger your workflow.

Common mistakes

• Activating a trigger pointing at a folder full of files. It'll fire on all of them. Either start clean or expect (and budget for) a backlog burst.
• "All changes" instead of "new files only". Re-fires every time a file is edited. Almost never what you want.
• No file type restriction. Random .docx or .txt files trigger extraction workflows that don't expect them and fail.
• Mailbox/Outlook trigger with no sender filtering when only specific senders should trigger work. Spam will hit your workflow.
• Webhook URL leaked. Treat the URL as a secret and add a header-based auth token.
• Wrong time zone on Scheduled Trigger. "Daily at 9am" in the wrong zone fires at 5am for half the team.

Related articles

• Build your first workflow
• Nodes reference (overview)
• Error handling and retries
• Connect Google Drive
• Connect OneDrive
• Connect Outlook
• Lido Mailbox
• Lido API: quickstart and authentication (for the Webhook Trigger pattern)

Updated on: 16/04/2026