--- title: Workflow Triggers Explained description: A workflow trigger defines when a workflow runs. Choosing the right trigger ensures your automation fires at the correct moment — not too early, not t... --- [Skip to content](https://help.essal.cloud/en/article/1478-#main-content) English Show submenu for translations [More support](https://help.essal.cloud/en/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en) [Customer portal](https://clients.essal.cloud/tickets?hsLang=en) [![logo](https://help.essal.cloud/hubfs/logo.svg)](https://help.essal.cloud/?hsLang=en) - [Home](https://essal.cloud/) - [Products](https://essal.cloud/products) - [Industries](https://essal.cloud/industries) - [About](https://essal.cloud/about) - [Contact](https://essal.cloud/contact) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Home](https://essal.cloud/) - [Products](https://essal.cloud/products) - [Industries](https://essal.cloud/industries) - [About](https://essal.cloud/about) - [Contact](https://essal.cloud/contact) - English Show submenu for translations - [More support](https://help.essal.cloud/en/kb-tickets/new) - [Customer portal](https://clients.essal.cloud/tickets) - [Home](https://essal.cloud/) [Home](https://essal.cloud/) Essal Help Center - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Help Center](https://help.essal.cloud/en?hsLang=en) 2. [Essal Office](https://help.essal.cloud/en/essal-office?hsLang=en) 3. [Workflows and automation](https://help.essal.cloud/en/essal-office?hsLang=en#workflows-and-automation) # Workflow Triggers Explained A workflow trigger defines *when* a workflow runs. Choosing the right trigger ensures your automation fires at the correct moment — not too early, not too late. --- ## Available Triggers ### Document Created Fires whenever a new document enters the system for the first time. This includes documents uploaded manually, imported via email, or imported from a connected scanner or folder. **Best used for:** - Auto-classifying incoming documents (assign correspondent, type, tags) - Adding an Inbox tag to all new documents - Sending a notification when a new document of a certain type arrives This is the most commonly used trigger. Most automation happens at the moment a document first arrives. --- ### Document Updated Fires whenever a document's metadata is changed — by a user editing it, by another workflow, or by auto-matching. **Best used for:** - Triggering a second-stage action after a first workflow has classified a document - Removing a tag when a specific field is set (e.g. remove `Unreviewed` when a correspondent is assigned) - Granting permissions when a document type is assigned > **Caution:** Workflows triggered by Document Updated can cause loops if their actions themselves trigger further updates. For example, a workflow that adds a tag on update will itself cause another update event. Use filters carefully to prevent unintended recursive triggers. --- ### Document Added to Workflow Fires only when a document is manually added to this specific workflow by a user. This trigger is not automatic — it requires a user action. **Best used for:** - On-demand actions a user triggers selectively, not on every document - Review or approval steps where a human decides when to trigger the next action - Ad-hoc processing (e.g. "archive this document" workflow run on selected documents) --- ## Trigger + Filter Combination The trigger determines *when* to evaluate, but filters determine *which documents* actually get processed. A "Document created" trigger with a filter set to "Correspondent = Acme Supplies" runs for every new document, but only takes action on those from Acme. Without any filters, the workflow acts on every document that matches the trigger event — use this only when you truly want to apply the action universally (e.g. adding an Inbox tag to all new documents). --- ## Execution Order When multiple workflows share the same trigger, they run in order from lowest to highest **Order** number. 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