Create and Manage Triggers

Overview

Triggers enable you to automate your Utari workers by scheduling them to run at specific times or in response to events. This powerful automation capability allows your workers to perform tasks daily, hourly, or on custom schedules—completely hands-free. Whether you need daily reports, regular monitoring, or event-driven responses, triggers make it possible.

Types of Triggers

Utari supports two types of triggers for different automation needs:

Schedule Trigger

Execute workers on a time-based schedule—daily, hourly, weekly, or custom intervals

Event-Based Trigger

Activate workers automatically when specific events occur in connected apps

This guide focuses on schedule triggers. Event-based triggers documentation is coming soon.

Where to Create Triggers

You can create triggers from two locations in Utari:

Option 1: Within the Worker

Select Your Worker

Navigate to the worker you want to automate.

Find Triggers Section

Click on the Triggers tab within the worker’s configuration.

Create New Trigger

Click Create new to start configuring a trigger for this specific worker.

Option 2: From Triggers Tab

Navigate to Triggers

Go to the main Triggers tab in your Utari dashboard.

Add New Trigger

Click Add new trigger to create a trigger.

Select Worker

Choose which worker this trigger should activate.

Both methods achieve the same result. Use the worker-specific method when configuring a single worker, or the main Triggers tab when managing multiple trigger workflows.

Creating a Schedule Trigger

Let’s create a schedule trigger step by step:

Select Trigger Type

Choose Schedule Trigger from the available trigger types.

Select Agent/Worker

Choose the worker that will be activated by this trigger. Make sure the worker has all necessary tools and integrations configured.

Name Your Trigger

Provide a clear, descriptive name for the trigger (e.g., “Daily AI News Research” or “Weekly Report Generation”).Optionally, add a description to document the trigger’s purpose.

Configure Schedule

Click Set schedule and timing to choose when the trigger runs. You have several options:Quick Options:

Every minute
Every 5 minutes
Every 15 minutes
Every 30 minutes
Every hour
Daily at 9 AM (default)

Recurring Schedules:

Daily (choose specific time)
Weekly (choose day and time)
Monthly (choose date and time)

One-Time:

Execute once at a specific date and time

Advanced:

Custom cron expressions for complex schedules

Set Time Zone

Critical Step: Adjust the time zone to match your preferred location. The trigger will execute based on the selected time zone.For example, if you set “Daily at 9 AM” with Mountain Time, it will run at 9 AM Mountain Time every day.

Choose Execution Method

Click Choose execution method to proceed to defining what the worker will do.

Provide Instructions

Write clear, specific instructions for what the agent should do when triggered. This is the prompt the worker will execute.Example:

    Use the browser tool to research the top 10 AI news stories from today, then create a summary document and save it in the "Daily News Briefs" folder.

Be as specific as possible about:

What tools to use
What information to gather
What output to create
Where to save results

Create Schedule Task

Click Create schedule task to activate your trigger.

Schedule Configuration Options

Quick Schedules

Pre-configured intervals for common use cases:

Every Minute

Executes 1,440 times per dayUse for:

Real-time monitoring
High-frequency data collection
Urgent alert systems

Every 5 Minutes

Executes 288 times per dayUse for:

Frequent status checks
Regular data updates
Near-real-time reporting

Every 15 Minutes

Executes 96 times per dayUse for:

Periodic monitoring
Regular data synchronization
Moderate-frequency updates

Every Hour

Executes 24 times per dayUse for:

Hourly reports
Regular content aggregation
Scheduled data processing

Daily at 9 AM

Executes once per dayUse for:

Daily reports and summaries
Morning briefings
Daily content creation
Overnight processing

Recurring Schedules

Run every day at a specific time
Example: Every day at 6:00 PM

Run on specific days of the week
Example: Every Monday and Friday at 10:00 AM

Run on specific dates each month
Example: 1st and 15th of every month at 2:00 PM

Advanced Scheduling

For complex schedules, use cron expressions:

9 * * 1-5    # Every weekday at 9 AM
*/4 * * *    # Every 4 hours
0 1 * *      # First day of every month at midnight
14 * * 0    # Every Sunday at 2:30 PM

Cron expressions give you precise control over scheduling but require understanding cron syntax. Use online cron generators if needed.

Writing Effective Trigger Instructions

The instructions you provide determine what your worker does when triggered. Follow these best practices:

Be Specific and Clear

❌ Vague Instructions:

Research AI news

✅ Specific Instructions:

Use the web search tool to find the top 10 AI news stories published today. For each story, extract the headline, source, and a brief summary. Create a document with all findings and save it in "Daily Briefings/AI News/[DATE]" folder.

Include All Necessary Steps

Search for "AI industry news today" using web search
Visit the top 5 results and capture screenshots
Extract key points from each article
Compile findings into a formatted report
Save the report as "AI News Digest - [DATE].docx" in the Reports folder
Send a Slack message to #team-updates with a summary

Specify Tools and Resources

Using the browser tool and image vision tool, visit competitor websites [URL1, URL2, URL3], take screenshots of their homepages, analyze design changes since last week, and create a comparison document.

Define Output Requirements

Create a spreadsheet with columns: Date, Source, Headline, Category, Sentiment. Populate with today's findings and save to Google Sheets "News Tracker" document.

Managing Triggers

Once created, triggers appear in your triggers list with management options:

View Trigger Status

Active

Trigger is running on schedule

Paused

Trigger is temporarily disabled

Failed

Last execution encountered an error

Trigger Actions

From the triggers list, you can:

View Details

Click on a trigger to see its configuration, schedule, and execution history.

Edit Trigger

Click the edit icon to modify:

Schedule timing
Time zone
Instructions
Worker selection

Pause/Resume

Click the pause button to temporarily disable the trigger without deleting it. Resume when needed.

Delete Trigger

Click the delete icon to permanently remove the trigger.

View Execution History

Review past executions to see:

Execution timestamps
Success/failure status
Generated outputs
Error logs (if any)

Common Trigger Use Cases

Daily Reporting

Morning Briefings

Schedule: Daily at 7:00 AMInstructions:

  Search for overnight news in our industry, create a 5-point executive summary, and email it to the leadership team before their 8 AM standup.

Regular Monitoring

Competitor Tracking

Schedule: Every Monday at 10:00 AMInstructions:

  Visit competitor websites, take screenshots of their pricing pages, compare against our prices, and create a weekly competitive analysis report in the "Market Intelligence" folder.

Content Automation

Social Media Content

Schedule: Every day at 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 5:00 PMInstructions:

  Using our content calendar from Google Sheets, create today's scheduled social media posts, generate accompanying images, and save drafts in the "Social Content/Ready to Post" folder.

Data Processing

Analytics Compilation

Schedule: Daily at 11:59 PMInstructions:

  Access today's data from Google Analytics integration, compile key metrics (traffic, conversions, top pages), create a daily dashboard update, and save to "Analytics/Daily Reports/[DATE]".

Task Management

Project Updates

Schedule: Every Friday at 4:00 PMInstructions:

  Review all tasks in Asana completed this week, create a team accomplishments summary, and post it to the #wins Slack channel.

Reminders and Follow-ups

Follow-up Automation

Schedule: Every weekday at 9:00 AMInstructions:

  Check Gmail for unanswered emails older than 3 days, create a priority list, and send a Slack DM with follow-up reminders.

Best Practices

Test Before Scheduling

Run your worker manually with the same instructions before creating the trigger to ensure it works correctly

Start Simple

Begin with basic triggers and gradually add complexity as you understand the system better

Monitor Initially

Watch the first few executions closely to catch any issues early

Use Descriptive Names

Name triggers clearly so you can identify their purpose at a glance

Set Appropriate Frequency

Don’t over-schedule. Choose the minimum frequency needed for your use case

Document Purpose

Use the description field to explain why the trigger exists and what it accomplishes

Verify Time Zones

Double-check time zone settings to ensure triggers run when you expect

Plan for Failures

Consider what happens if a trigger fails and have a backup plan

Troubleshooting

Trigger not executing

Check:

Trigger status is “Active” not “Paused”
Schedule settings are correct
Time zone is set properly
Worker has all required tools and integrations
Instructions are valid and clear
View execution history for error messages

Trigger runs at wrong time

Verify:

Time zone setting matches your location
Schedule configuration is correct (AM vs PM)
Daylight saving time considerations
Server time vs local time differences

Worker errors during execution

Review:

Execution history for specific error messages
Worker has necessary permissions for all tools
Instructions are properly formatted
External services (integrations) are accessible
Test the same instructions manually

Incomplete or incorrect output

Improve by:

Making instructions more specific and detailed
Breaking complex tasks into steps
Specifying exact output format and location
Testing instructions manually first
Adding error handling instructions

Can't edit or delete trigger

Try:

Pausing the trigger first
Refreshing the page
Checking your permissions
Waiting for current execution to complete
Contact support if issue persists

Too many executions/costs

Consider:

Reducing trigger frequency
Making worker tasks more efficient
Consolidating multiple triggers
Pausing unnecessary triggers
Using one-time triggers for testing

Advanced Trigger Strategies

Chained Workflows

Create multiple triggers that work together:

Trigger 1 (Daily 6 AM): Collect data from multiple sources
Trigger 2 (Daily 7 AM): Process and analyze collected data  
Trigger 3 (Daily 8 AM): Generate and distribute reports

Conditional Execution

Include conditional logic in instructions:

Check if today is the first Monday of the month. If yes, generate the monthly executive report. If no, generate the standard daily brief.

Multi-Step Automation

Morning (7 AM): Gather overnight data
Midday (12 PM): Create progress update
Afternoon (4 PM): Prepare end-of-day summary
Evening (6 PM): Send comprehensive daily report

Summary

You’ve successfully learned how to:

Understand the two types of triggers (schedule and event-based)

Create and configure scheduled triggers with precise timing

Set appropriate time zones for accurate execution

Write effective instructions for automated worker execution

Manage, edit, pause, and delete triggers as needed

Apply best practices for reliable automation

Troubleshoot common trigger issues

Triggers transform your Utari workers from on-demand assistants into fully automated team members that work around the clock, executing tasks precisely when needed without any manual intervention.

Next Steps

Worker Configuration

Optimize workers for trigger-based execution

Integrations

Connect apps for more powerful triggered workflows

Task Management

Combine triggers with task management for complex workflows

Files and Folder

Organize outputs from triggered executions

​Overview

​Types of Triggers

Schedule Trigger

Event-Based Trigger

​Where to Create Triggers

​Option 1: Within the Worker

​Option 2: From Triggers Tab

​Creating a Schedule Trigger

​Schedule Configuration Options

​Quick Schedules

​Recurring Schedules

​Advanced Scheduling

​Writing Effective Trigger Instructions

​Be Specific and Clear

​Include All Necessary Steps

​Specify Tools and Resources

​Define Output Requirements

​Managing Triggers

​View Trigger Status

Active

Paused

Failed

​Trigger Actions

​Common Trigger Use Cases

​Daily Reporting

Morning Briefings

​Regular Monitoring

Competitor Tracking

​Content Automation

Social Media Content

​Data Processing

Analytics Compilation

​Task Management

Project Updates

​Reminders and Follow-ups

Follow-up Automation

​Best Practices

Test Before Scheduling

Start Simple

Monitor Initially

Use Descriptive Names

Set Appropriate Frequency

Document Purpose

Verify Time Zones

Plan for Failures

​Troubleshooting

​Advanced Trigger Strategies

​Chained Workflows

​Conditional Execution

​Multi-Step Automation

​Summary

​Next Steps

Worker Configuration

Integrations

Task Management

Files and Folder

Overview

Types of Triggers

Where to Create Triggers

Option 1: Within the Worker

Option 2: From Triggers Tab

Creating a Schedule Trigger

Schedule Configuration Options

Quick Schedules

Recurring Schedules

Advanced Scheduling

Writing Effective Trigger Instructions

Be Specific and Clear

Include All Necessary Steps

Specify Tools and Resources

Define Output Requirements

Managing Triggers

View Trigger Status

Trigger Actions

Common Trigger Use Cases

Daily Reporting

Regular Monitoring

Content Automation

Data Processing

Task Management

Reminders and Follow-ups

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Advanced Trigger Strategies

Chained Workflows

Conditional Execution

Multi-Step Automation

Summary

Next Steps