Form Trigger

The Form Trigger (formTrigger) gives your automation a hosted web form at a shareable link. Each accepted submission starts a run with the visitor’s answers under formData.

At a glanceVerified in app · Oct 29, 2026

Use it to: Start an automation from a hosted web form with typed fields and optional file uploads
Find it: Tools → Start → Form
Cost: Free (0 Step credits for the trigger)
Limits: Supports text, number, email, date, dropdown, checkbox, and file fields · Optional password protection
Output: {{ 1.formData.<field> }}, {{ 1.submittedAt }}
Instead: Webhook Trigger (when posting from an external form service like Typeform or Tally)

Use it for intake requests, bug reports, onboarding questionnaires, and file uploads when you want Glow to host the form directly.

Form Fields in the setup panel

email       (Email · required)
company     (Short text · required)
plan        (Dropdown: Pro, Enterprise)

Add typed fields (text, email, number, date, dropdown, checkbox, or file) in the Form Trigger drawer.

Starts a new runForm Trigger

Lives under Tools → Start and gives the Step its own shareable form link.
Every submission starts a new automation run with {{ N.formData.fieldName }}.
Works in Draft for signed-in workspace members and opens to visitors once Live.

Resumes a paused runWait (On form submitted)

Lives under Tools → Flow and pauses an already-running automation mid-flow.
Generates a single-use formUrl for that specific execution.
Continues down Resumed or Expired once the form is submitted.

Setting it up

Add the Form Trigger

Open Tools in the dock and select Form Trigger under Start.

Write the title and questions

Enter an optional Form title, Form description, and Submit button label (formSubmitButtonLabel, defaults to "Submit"). Add at least one question under Form Fields:

Field property	What it controls
Field name (`name`)	The key used in `{{ N.formData.<name> }}` (the builder shows the exact reference below each question).
Label (`label`)	The question text shown to the person filling in the form.
Type (`type`)	Short text, Long text, Number, Date, Dropdown, Multi-select, Checkbox, Radio buttons, or File upload.
Required (`required`)	Refuses submission when the question is left blank.
Placeholder & Help text	Optional hint inside the input and supporting caption below the label.
Choices (comma separated)	Options offered for Dropdown, Multi-select, and Radio buttons.
Allow several files (`multiple`)	Available on File upload fields; returns a list of file references instead of a single file reference.

Choose who may submit

Set Authentication (formAuthentication) for when the automation is Live:

None (default): Anyone with the link can submit, subject to the per-visitor rate limit.
Basic Auth: Prompts the visitor for Basic auth username and Basic auth password.
Glow User Auth: Requires signing in as a member of the workspace (Viewers cannot submit). Records their identity in {{ N.responder }}.

Choose what happens after submitting

Set After submitting (formCompletionMode):

Show a message (default): Shows Thank-you title (defaults to "Thanks, your response was submitted.") and optional Thank-you message.
Go to a web address: Redirects the visitor’s browser to Redirect URL (https:// or http://).
Show the workflow’s result: Waits up to 60 seconds for the run to finish. Displays the last Step’s text output (up to 8,000 characters) under Thank-you title.

Test in Draft, then go Live

The Form link panel at the top of Setup shows the shareable URL (https://app.getglow.ai/forms/<token>):

In Draft or Paused: Only signed-in workspace members can submit, and each submission runs the draft as a test.
In Live: Switch the automation to Live so visitors can submit according to your Authentication setting.

The link belongs to this Step. Click Generate new URL in the Form link panel to rotate the link and invalidate the previous URL immediately. A copied Step or a restored version gets a new link.

What it passes on

If the Form Trigger is Step 1, downstream Steps read its output without a result. prefix:

Reference	Type	What it holds
`{{ 1.formData.<fieldName> }}`	Matches field type	The answer for `<fieldName>`. Optional fields left blank are `null` (or `[]` for Multi-select and multi-file File upload fields; `false` for Checkbox).
`{{ 1.submittedAt }}`	Text (ISO 8601)	UTC timestamp when the submission was accepted.
`{{ 1.responder.userId }}`	Text	Workspace user ID of the submitter (present when Authentication is Glow User Auth).
`{{ 1.responder.email }}`	Text	Email address of the submitter (present when Authentication is Glow User Auth).
`{{ 1.responder.name }}`	Text	Display name of the submitter (present when Authentication is Glow User Auth).

How specific field types are formatted inside formData:

Date: Midnight UTC of the chosen day in ISO 8601 format (such as "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z").
File upload: A file reference object { id, name, contentType, size } (or a list of file references when Allow several files is on). Map it directly into downstream file inputs.

Limits

Resource	Limit
Submissions per visitor per minute	Configurable from `1` to `60` (defaults to `10` per minute).
File uploads per visitor per minute	Up to 30 file uploads per minute per form.
Daily form upload volume	500 MiB per automation per rolling 24-hour window (unsubmitted uploads expire after 24 hours).
Show the workflow’s result reply	Waits up to 60 seconds for the run to complete and displays up to 8,000 characters.

Examples to copy

Customer intake with file attachment

Collect a prospect’s details and a PDF brief, then summarize with AI and post to Slack:

Add Form Trigger at Step 1 with fields company (Short text, required), budget (Number, required), and brief (File upload, required).
Add an AI Prompt Step at Step 2 referencing {{ 1.formData.company }}, {{ 1.formData.budget }}, and {{ 1.formData.brief }}.
Send the summary to Slack in Step 3.

Verify it works

Run: Open the shareable Form link while signed in to your workspace, fill in the fields, and click Submit.
You should see: A test run starts and Step 1 records your answers under {{ 1.formData.<fieldName> }} along with {{ 1.submittedAt }}.

What’s Next?

Pause a running automation for a mid-run form or approval with Wait or Human Review.
Build a conversational hosted page with the Chat Trigger.
Expose selected Step configuration fields to workspace runners with Form Templates.