App Triggers
An app trigger is like subscribing to news alerts from another app: instead of checking HubSpot every hour for new deals, you tell Nirvai "let me know the moment a deal is created" — and your automation runs right then, with the deal's details in hand. Nirvai ships a gallery of ready-made triggers for 60+ apps covering more than a thousand events.
Before you start
- An automation (even an empty draft) to attach the trigger to.
- The app connected in Credentials — most triggers need a sign-in so Nirvai can subscribe on your behalf.
Step-by-step
- On the canvas, click the trigger block and choose App trigger — this opens the gallery.
- Pick the app and trigger you want (search or browse by category).
- Choose the event — one event, several, or All events where the app offers it.
- Pick the credential (your connected account) and fill in any fields the app needs.
- Optionally add an event filter — conditions that let only some events through (for example, only deals above $1,000). Filtered-out events cost nothing.
- Click Activate. Nirvai registers with the app so events start flowing.
Click an app to see how its trigger is set up:
HubSpotTest before you activate: Listen opens a short window where Nirvai waits for one real event from the app and shows you exactly what arrived. That captured sample also powers test runs later — you can replay it any time. Apps that Nirvai checks periodically offer Poll now instead, and every trigger has Simulate, which uses a built-in sample event.
The four kinds of app triggers
| Kind | How events arrive | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic (most apps) | Nirvai registers with the app for you; the app pushes events instantly | Just activate |
| Checking (e.g. Airtable) | Nirvai checks the app on a schedule and picks up what's new | Just activate — pick how often |
| Paste-the-address (e.g. HubSpot, Chargebee) | The app can't be registered automatically; you paste Nirvai's address into the app's own settings | Follow the setup guide shown on the trigger |
| Native (Meta apps) | WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Meta Lead Ads ride Nirvai's own Meta connection — the same one that powers your channels | Just connect the account and pick events — nothing to register or paste |
Native triggers — WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Lead Ads
The Meta apps are special: they don't hand out addresses to paste, because Nirvai already has a live connection to Meta and their events arrive natively. You connect your WhatsApp number, Instagram account, or Facebook page — the same connection used for channels — choose the events, and activate.
That makes them perfect for message-driven automations: a new WhatsApp message or Instagram comment starts the run with the message itself as {{trigger...}} data. One thing to know: each event fires for your connected account only — a WhatsApp messages event means a message to your number, not anyone else's.
Permission warnings
When Nirvai can tell your connected account is missing a permission the trigger needs, activation stops and asks you to reconnect the app with the right permissions. If Nirvai can't tell (older connections), it tries anyway and shows an amber warning — if events don't arrive, reconnecting the app usually fixes it.
One app, many events
Some apps send all their events to a single place (HubSpot and Slack work this way). The pattern: pick All events (or several), then add a free Switch block right after the trigger to send each event type down its own path — deals one way, contacts another. The switch costs nothing.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| I activated but no runs appear | Check the trigger's status row: an error message there names the cause. Then use Listen and cause a real event in the app to confirm delivery. |
| Runs start for events I don't want | Add or tighten the event filter, or narrow the selected events. |
| Activation says permissions are missing | Reconnect the app from Credentials, accepting all requested permissions, then activate again. |
| The event fired but my automation didn't run | If you set an event filter, the event may have been filtered out — that's silent and free by design. Check the filter with Simulate. |
What's next
Continue to Building on the Canvas to build what happens after the trigger fires.