Trigger

Triggers link events from external services (via connections) to specific entry-point functions in your project.

What is a Trigger?

Triggers automatically run your code when specific events occur, such as receiving a GitHub notification or a scheduled task executing.

A trigger connects:

1. An external event.
2. A specific function in your code.

How Triggers Work

To set up triggers in AutoKitteh:

1. Write your project's code.
2. Connect to external services (e.g., GitHub, Slack).
3. Configure triggers to run code upon specific events.

For example, a trigger might run your handle_comment function whenever someone comments on a GitHub issue.

Trigger Execution Flow

When an event occurs:

1. The external service sends event data to AutoKitteh.
2. AutoKitteh recognizes the trigger.
3. AutoKitteh calls the linked function.
4. Your function processes the event data as programmed.

Configuration

Define triggers in your project's YAML manifest using the following configuration options:

note

Connections and event-types may be shared across multiple projects. AutoKitteh supports "fan-out," distributing a single event to multiple triggers if needed.

Configuration Reference

Field	Type	Description
name	String	Unique trigger identifier
type	String	webhook or schedule (optional)
event_type	String	Event provided by the integration (optional)
connection	String	Connection name
call	String	Format: file_name:function_name
filter	String	Filter to selectively trigger execution (optional)

Examples

Minimal Configuration

triggers:
  - name: on_issue_comment
    connection: github_conn
    call: program.py:on_issue_comment
  - name: receive_http_post_json
    type: webhook
    call: webhooks.py:on_http_post_json

Configuration with Event Type and Filter

triggers:
  - name: on_issue_comment
    event_type: issue_comment
    connection: github_conn
    call: program.py:on_issue_comment
  - name: receive_http_post_json
    type: webhook
    event_type: post
    filter: data.headers["Content-Type"].startsWith("application/json")
    call: webhooks.py:on_http_post_json

Filter Syntax

Filters use CEL (Common Expression Language) to selectively trigger execution based on event data.

tip

Complete CEL reference: https://github.com/google/cel-spec/blob/master/doc/langdef.md

Event Type Filters

# Single event type
filter: event_type == 'issue_created'

# Multiple event types with OR
filter: event_type == 'issue_created' || event_type == 'issue_updated'

# Pattern matching - any issue-related events
filter: event_type.startsWith('issue_')

# Pattern matching - any creation events
filter: event_type.endsWith('_created')

# Substring matching
filter: event_type.contains('comment')

Data Payload Filters

# Simple field equality
filter: data.action == 'opened'

# Multiple conditions with AND
filter: data.method == 'POST' && data.url.path.endsWith('/api')

# List membership
filter: data.method in ['GET', 'HEAD']

# Size checks
filter: size(data.items) > 5 || size(data.description) < 100

# Nested field access
filter: data.issue.labels[0].name == 'bug'

# Dictionary access
filter: data.headers['Content-Type'] == 'application/json'

Complex Filter Examples

# GitHub: Only PRs to main branch
filter: event_type == 'pull_request' && data.pull_request.base.ref == 'main'

# Slack: Messages in specific channel from non-bots
filter: event_type == 'message' && data.channel == 'C12345' && !data.bot_id

# HTTP: POST requests with JSON to specific endpoint
filter: data.method == 'POST' && data.url.path == '/api/v1/webhook' && data.headers['Content-Type'].startsWith('application/json')

# Gmail: Emails from specific domain with attachments
filter: event_type == 'message_received' && data.from.endsWith('@example.com') && size(data.attachments) > 0

tip

Using filters in triggers is more efficient than checking conditions in your Python code, because it prevents unnecessary session creation.

See also: Filter Expressions in Manifest Reference