Click to Start
Click to start runs the automation when you press it on the canvas. There is no schedule, no incoming request and nothing to connect: the run begins because you asked for it.
- Use it to
- Start an automation manually on demand when clicking Run
- Find it
- Tools → Start → Click to start
- Cost
- Free (0 Step credits for the trigger)
- Limits
- Manual execution only (does not listen for external events or schedules)
- Output
- Starts the run on click; seed sample fields in Test & Debug if needed
- Instead
- Form Trigger (when teammates need input fields) or Scheduler (for recurring runs)
{
"email": "[email protected]",
"plan": "pro"
}Optionally save a JSON object in the trigger's Testing data field so downstream Steps have consistent input.
Use it while building, or for a job you run by hand rather than on a schedule. Typical examples include a monthly export, a one-off tidy-up, or an on-demand report.
What the run receives
The run uses this Step’s saved Testing data as its input in both Draft and Live. Downstream Steps read those fields from Step 1 (such as {{ 1.email }}), or receive an empty object {} if none is saved.
Each press uses the saved testing data until you change it. This keeps the trigger input consistent while you compare edits, though model answers and external data can still vary. Downstream actions can send messages or change records, so use test destinations.
Setting it up
Add the trigger
Open Tools in the dock and choose Click to start.
Give it testing data
Open the step and fill in Testing data with the shape the automation expects, for example:
{ "email": "[email protected]", "plan": "pro" }Build the rest of the automation
Reference those fields by the trigger’s step number, so {{ 1.email }} and {{ 1.plan }}.
Press it
Click the trigger on the canvas. The run starts and the Execution log fills in as it goes.
When to use something else
- On a timetable: use the Scheduler.
- When another system has something to tell you: use a Webhook.
- For a visitor-facing interface: use the Chat Trigger with appropriate authentication and rate limits. For another automation in the same workspace, use Subflow.
Click to start is for a person with permission to run the automation from the canvas. Scheduled and event-driven triggers start runs through their configured entry points.
- Run
- Save sample JSON in Testing data and click the Click to start trigger on the canvas.
- You should see
- The run starts immediately and Step 1 outputs your saved Testing data in the Execution log.
What’s Next?
- Put it on a timetable with the Scheduler Trigger.
- Read what a run records in Executions.