Trigger node
The node that starts a workflow: a webhook, a schedule (cron), a new email, a GitHub event.
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Analogy
app.post("/webhook/pr-opened"): nothing happens until something hits it.
In an agent
Triggers let events and schedules start your agent without anyone opening a chat window.
Practice
Interview questions
- Where does n8n fit?
- Triggers and integrations.
- n8n starts the agent on webhooks or schedules.
- The agent calls n8n webhooks as tools for Slack and Jira actions.
- Reasoning stays in code; plumbing stays in n8n.
Questions people ask
What is a trigger node in n8n?
A trigger node starts a workflow. It can be a webhook that fires when something posts to a URL, a schedule such as every weekday at 9am, a new email, or an event from an app like GitHub. Nothing in the workflow runs until its trigger fires.
How can an agent run without anyone opening a chat?
Use a trigger. A GitHub webhook when a pull request opens, a nightly schedule or a new support email can start an n8n workflow, which calls your agent's API with the event data. The agent works in the background, and its result goes wherever the workflow sends it.