Airtable Trigger
Starts the workflow when a record is created in an Airtable table, or when a record changes.
The Airtable Trigger checks a table on a schedule you set, and starts your workflow once for each new or changed record. It reads the table through an Airtable connection that uses your personal access token.
Where you find it
Drag Airtable Trigger from the Triggers group of an automation project's node palette. A workflow can have several triggers; each one starts the workflow from its own output.
When to use it
- Act on new orders, sign-ups or requests that land in a table.
- Tell someone when a record's status changes.
- Keep a data store or another system in step with a table.
Before you start
- In Airtable, create a personal access token with the
data.records:readscope and give it access to the base. - In the project's Integrations tab, connect Airtable and paste the token into Personal access token. Tokens start with
pat.
Settings
The panel header has an Enabled / Paused switch. New triggers start Enabled; a paused trigger shows Paused on its canvas card and starts no runs.
Prop
Type
| Event | Starts a run when |
|---|---|
| New record | A record is created in the table. |
| Record updated | Someone edits a field of an existing record. |
When the trigger first starts, it records the table as it is and does not fire for records that are already there.
Send test event takes a Sample payload and shows what the trigger would pass to the workflow, without running the workflow's nodes. Recent deliveries lists the latest runs this trigger started, newest first, with their status and duration.
Outputs
| Field | Contains |
|---|---|
input.payload.fields | The record's fields, keyed by field name, for example { "Order": "ord_12345", "Status": "paid" }. |
input.payload.recordId | The record's id, which starts with rec. |
input.payload.createdTime | When the record was created. |
input.payload.baseId | The base id. |
input.payload.table | The table, as set on the trigger. |
Airtable leaves empty fields out, so a field you expect can be missing from input.payload.fields.
{{state.trigger.type}} is WEBHOOK.
Tips and limits
- The trigger checks the table every few minutes, not the moment it changes. Several edits to one record between checks start one run, with the latest values.
- Only changes to ordinary fields count, whether they are made in Airtable or through its API. A formula, lookup or rollup that changes by itself does not start a run.
- Each check picks up at most 1,000 changed records. For a busy table, check more often.
- An edit that puts a record back to values it was already reported with in the past week does not fire again.