Triggers

Triggers determine when your workflow runs. Each workflow can have one or more triggers, and the workflow will run whenever any of its triggers fire.

Trigger types

Manual

The simplest trigger — the workflow only runs when you explicitly click “Run” in the UI.

{
  "type": "manual",
  "config": {}
}

Use cases:

• On-demand reports
• Testing and debugging
• Workflows you run occasionally

Incoming email

Runs every time a new email arrives in your inbox.

{
  "type": "incoming_email",
  "config": {
    "accountId": "optional-account-id"
  }
}

Configuration:

Use cases:

• Inbox filtering (Auto-inbox)
• Real-time notifications
• Immediate email processing

Email to assistant

Runs when you send an email to yourname@town.com.

{
  "type": "email_to_agent",
  "config": {
    "accountId": "optional-account-id"
  }
}

Configuration:

How it works:

Your assistant has an email address (e.g., alex@town.com). When you send an email to this address, workflows with this trigger are activated.

Use cases:

• Ask for help with tasks
• Forward threads for processing
• On-demand analysis

Schedule (cron)

Runs on a schedule defined by a cron expression.

{
  "type": "schedule",
  "config": {
    "cron": "0 6 * * *",
    "timezone": "America/New_York",
    "accountId": "optional-account-id"
  }
}

Configuration:

Cron expression format

Cron expressions have 5 fields:

┌───────────── minute (0 - 59)
│ ┌───────────── hour (0 - 23)
│ │ ┌───────────── day of month (1 - 31)
│ │ │ ┌───────────── month (1 - 12)
│ │ │ │ ┌───────────── day of week (0 - 7, 0 and 7 are Sunday)
│ │ │ │ │
* * * * *

Common patterns:

Supported timezones

Common timezones:

• America/New_York — Eastern Time
• America/Chicago — Central Time
• America/Denver — Mountain Time
• America/Los_Angeles — Pacific Time
• Europe/London — UK
• Europe/Paris — Central Europe
• Asia/Tokyo — Japan
• Australia/Sydney — Australia Eastern
• UTC — Coordinated Universal Time

Use cases:

• Morning briefings
• Daily/weekly summaries
• Scheduled reports

Calendar triggers

Town supports four Google Calendar triggers that let your workflows react to calendar events.

Calendar start

Runs before (or after) a calendar event starts.

{
  "type": "calendar_start",
  "config": {
    "offsetMinutes": 15,
    "calendarIds": ["primary"],
    "accountId": "optional-account-id"
  }
}

Configuration:

Offset examples:

Use cases:

• Pre-meeting prep (research attendees, summarize context)
• Send meeting reminders with context
• Auto-join meeting links

Calendar end

Runs after (or before) a calendar event ends.

{
  "type": "calendar_end",
  "config": {
    "offsetMinutes": 15,
    "calendarIds": ["primary"]
  }
}

Use cases:

• Post-meeting follow-ups
• Summarize meeting notes and action items
• Send thank-you emails to attendees

Calendar RSVP

Runs when your RSVP status changes for an event.

{
  "type": "calendar_rsvp",
  "config": {
    "onStatus": ["accepted", "declined"],
    "calendarIds": ["primary"]
  }
}

Status values:

Use cases:

• Prepare for newly accepted meetings
• Follow up after declining (suggest alternatives)
• Process meeting invites automatically

Calendar changed

Runs when a calendar event is updated or cancelled.

{
  "type": "calendar_changed",
  "config": {
    "changeTypes": ["updated", "cancelled"],
    "calendarIds": ["primary"]
  }
}

Change types:

Use cases:

• Notify when meetings are cancelled
• Update your schedule when times change
• Track meeting room changes

Multiple triggers

Workflows can have multiple triggers:

{
  "triggers": [
    { "type": "schedule", "config": { "cron": "0 9 * * 1", "timezone": "America/New_York" } },
    { "type": "manual", "config": {} }
  ]
}

This workflow runs every Monday at 9 AM and whenever you click Run.

Trigger vs. mode

Triggers control when a workflow runs. Modes control how it runs (with or without approval). These are independent:

• A scheduled workflow can be approval-required (proposes actions, waits for approval)
• An incoming-email workflow can be autonomous (acts immediately)

Best practices