Triggers

A trigger is the event that starts an Automation

. Every automation has exactly one, and it's the first thing you set when you build one. This guide covers all six triggers and how to filter them with conditions. For the actions that follow, see Automation Steps.

Automations are created under Settings → Operations → Automations. You'll need to be a System admin.

To set a trigger, open the automation editor and, under When to trigger, complete the Whenever… statement.

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1. The six triggers

Record Added

Runs when a new Record

is created. Choose the Collection

Collection

A container for records in Kinabase, similar to a table in a spreadsheet or database, used to organise one type of data such as Projects or Contacts.

it applies to, or leave it applying to any collection.

Use it to: create a welcome task when a new client is added, or notify a team when a support case arrives.

Record Updated

Runs when a record is edited. You can narrow it to a Specific Field so it only fires when that field changes.

Use it to: email the account owner whenever a deal's Value field changes, or flag a record when its Status is edited.

Manual

Runs when a user right-clicks a record and selects the automation from the menu - so it fires only when someone chooses to run it. You can set the Action Appearance (its menu name and icon) and, under Require Confirmation, whether users see a preview before it runs.

Use it to: let staff run an on-demand action such as "Generate quote PDF" or "Copy record link", exactly when they need it.

Scheduled

Runs relative to a date on each record. You pick a Date + Time field (or write a Due Date expression based on one), and the automation runs for each record when that moment arrives.

Use it to: email a customer three days before their Renewal Date, or create a follow-up task on a record's Review Date.

Kinabase has no cron-style schedule. The Scheduled trigger is always relative to a date field on each individual record, so different records run at different times.

Stage Change

Runs when a record moves between Workflow

stages. The collection must have a workflow. Set From and To stages (either can be Any Stage) to target a specific transition.

Use it to: generate an invoice when a job reaches Complete, or notify a reviewer when a record enters Needs Review. See Workflows.

Billing Health

Runs when a subscription's billing health changes - for example to Suspended, Needs review, or Failed.

Use it to: raise an internal task when a customer's payment fails.

Billing Health is a newer, limited trigger available only when subscription billing is enabled for your organisation. If you can't see it, contact our support team.

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2. Narrow a trigger with conditions

A trigger fires on every matching event. Conditions let you decide whether the automation actually runs for a given record - so a Record Updated trigger, for instance, only acts on high-priority records.

1. Add a condition

Under the trigger, use If a field value is… to start a condition, then pick a field, an operator, and a value - for example Priority is High.

2. Combine conditions

Add further conditions with And / Or to build precise rules, such as Priority is High and Company is Acme.

Conditions can't depend on who is signed in, because an automation may run without a logged-in user (for example, on a schedule or a bulk import).

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3. Branching within an automation

Beyond trigger conditions, the steps of an automation can branch. Using If, Otherwise if, Otherwise and End, you can run different steps depending on a record's values - for example, send one email if an order is over £1,000 and a different one otherwise. You build these branches in the What to do section alongside your steps; see Automation Steps.

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Need more help? Ask your System admin, or contact our support team via Help & Support.