Manual Trigger

What This Node Does The Manual Trigger node starts a workflow whenever a person or system explicitly invokes it — either by clicking the "Run" button in the BizFirstAI portal, calling the workflow's execution API endpoint directly, or through an application button that posts to the trigger URL. Unlike scheduled or webhook-based triggers, it requires deliberate human or programmatic intent. Any data sent in the POST body at trigger time is passed directly into the workflow as the starting dataset.

Key Capabilities

One-click execution from the portal: Authorized team members can run the workflow directly from the workflow canvas or the execution dashboard with no technical knowledge required.
REST API invocation: Any application can start the workflow by posting to the workflow's execution API endpoint with a JSON body of input data.
Optional input schema: Define the expected input fields using a JSON Schema. The portal renders a dynamic input form from this schema when users trigger manually, eliminating the need for free-text JSON entry.
Role-based access control: Restrict who can trigger the workflow using the allowed_roles property. Unauthorized users receive a 403 Forbidden response.
Test-friendly design: Ideal for developing and debugging workflows — supply any test data as the input body and observe the execution step-by-step in the canvas.
Synchronous and asynchronous modes: The caller can wait for workflow completion and receive the result, or fire-and-forget and receive an execution ID for later status polling.

Business Benefits

Empowers Non-Technical Users

Business users can initiate complex workflows — payroll runs, report generation, approval requests — directly from the portal without writing any code or submitting IT tickets.

Accelerates Development & Testing

Developers trigger workflows with custom payloads during build, bypassing the need to simulate external events. Test edge cases instantly without configuring dummy webhooks.

Controlled Access

Role-based restrictions mean only HR can trigger onboarding workflows, only Finance can trigger invoice runs, and only admins can trigger data exports — enforced at the platform level.

Embeddable in Applications

Embed a workflow trigger as a button in your internal tools, HRMS, ERP portals, or custom dashboards. The application posts to the API endpoint and the workflow runs immediately.

Use Cases

Employee Onboarding Initiation

An HR manager opens the BizFirstAI portal, selects the "New Employee Onboarding" workflow, fills in the new hire's name, role, department, and start date in the dynamic input form, and clicks Run. The workflow automatically provisions accounts, sends welcome emails, schedules orientation meetings, and assigns equipment requests — all without HR touching any downstream systems.

Ad-Hoc Invoice Generation

An accounts manager needs to generate an invoice outside the normal billing cycle — perhaps for a project milestone or a one-time service. They trigger the invoice workflow via the portal, supply the client ID and line item details, and the workflow creates the PDF invoice in the document system, emails it to the client, and logs it in the ERP.

On-Demand Report Generation

A regional sales director needs a custom revenue report for a board meeting. They trigger the report workflow from the portal, specify the date range and regions, and within minutes receive an email with the fully formatted Excel and PDF reports — data pulled live from the data warehouse.

User-Initiated Approval Request

An employee submits a purchase request over the API from the company's internal procurement portal. The trigger receives the purchase details (vendor, amount, cost center) and starts a multi-step approval workflow routing to the department head and CFO based on value thresholds.

Developer Demo & Testing

A developer building a new customer notification workflow triggers it manually during development, passing synthetic customer data as the input body. They inspect each node's output in real time on the canvas, iterating quickly without needing to set up a full integration test environment.