Configure triggers
Every flow begins with a trigger. The trigger starts the flow, ingests the initial input, and injects that input as normalized data into the flow so the nodes that follow can act on it. A flow has one trigger; the trigger you choose determines how work enters the agent.
Available triggers
The triggers below appear in the builder. Only triggers marked Available can be set up and used today. Triggers marked Coming Soon may be visible but cannot be configured yet.
| Trigger | What it does | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Manual File Upload | Start a flow by uploading one or more files by hand | Available |
| Outlook Trigger | Start a flow when a matching email arrives in a connected mailbox | Available |
| API Trigger | Start a flow from another system via the Bevaya API | Available |
| Recurring Schedule or Timer | Start a flow on a schedule | Coming Soon |
| SFTP Trigger | Start a flow when files arrive over SFTP | Coming Soon |
Manual File Upload and Outlook Trigger are documented below; API Trigger links out to the API reference. The Coming Soon triggers are listed for visibility only and have no setup steps until they're released.
Manual File Upload
Start a flow by uploading files directly. This is the simplest trigger and is especially useful while building and testing an agent, or for ad-hoc, on-demand processing.
Prerequisites
- Build access to the AI Agent. See Users and access.
See Supported file types for what can be manually uploaded.
Injected data
When the flow runs, the trigger makes the uploaded files available to downstream nodes — each file's name, type, size, and an identifier — along with a count of the files uploaded. Nodes such as Read Files use this to begin processing.
Set it up
- Add the Manual File Upload trigger to your flow.
- Connect the trigger to the first processing node.
Test it
Use Run Draft to upload sample files and confirm the flow receives them and the downstream nodes process them as expected. See Test and debug a draft.
Related use cases
Any process where a person submits documents on demand, and as the quickest way to test any agent during build.
Outlook Trigger
Start a flow automatically when an email arrives in a connected mailbox. This is the common entry point for processes that begin with inbound email — for example, broker submissions or claims correspondence.
Prerequisites
- A connected Outlook mailbox the trigger can monitor. The mailbox connection is set up through the Outlook authentication integration — see App integration nodes.
- Build access to the AI Agent.
Configuration fields
-
Event Type — which mailbox event starts the flow: Message Created (default), Message Updated, or Message Deleted.
-
Enabled — whether the trigger is active.
-
Filters — optional rules that decide when the trigger fires. Each filter matches an email field against a value:
- Field — Subject, Sender, or Has Attachments.
- Operator — Contains (default), Equals, Starts With, Ends With, or Regex.
- Value — the text to match.
- Case Sensitive — whether the match respects letter case.
When you add more than one filter, all of them must match for the trigger to fire. With no filters, the trigger fires on every matching mailbox event.
Injected data
When a matching email arrives, the trigger injects the email and its key details — such as subject, sender, and whether it has attachments — and makes the message and its attachments available to downstream nodes. Nodes such as Download Outlook Email use this to retrieve the message contents and attachments.
Set it up
- Confirm the mailbox connection is authorized (see App integration nodes).
- Add the Outlook Trigger to your flow.
- Choose the Event Type.
- Add Filters to limit which emails start the flow — for example, only emails whose Subject Contains a keyword, or only emails that have attachments (the Has Attachments field).
- Make sure the trigger is Enabled, then connect it to the first processing node.
Test it
Send a test email that matches your filters to the connected mailbox and confirm a run starts and the downstream nodes receive the message. You can also use Run Draft while building. See Test and debug a draft.
Common issues
- No runs start because the mailbox connection isn't authorized, the trigger is not Enabled, or the Filters are too narrow to match incoming mail.
- Too many runs start because the filters are too broad — tighten them with additional conditions.
Related use cases
Triage and Routing, and any claims or servicing process that begins with inbound email.
API Trigger
Start a flow from another system by calling the Bevaya API directly — the released way to trigger runs programmatically, for example from an existing intake system. This isn't configured in the builder like the other triggers; instead, you call the API against a published flow.
See Start a flow run in the API reference for the endpoint and request format.
Related use cases
Any process where another system — not a person or a mailbox — should start the flow, such as intake triggered from an existing case management system.
Where to go next
- Node catalog — the nodes you connect after the trigger.
- App integration nodes — set up the Outlook mailbox connection.
- Test and debug a draft — run a draft to confirm the trigger works.
- Build AI Agents — the full build lifecycle.