Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://resend.com/docs/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

A trigger is the first step in every Automation. It defines which event will start the Automation when received. When your application sends an event to Resend, every active Automation with a matching trigger will execute its workflow for that contact.

[​

](#how-it-works)

How it works

Using the dashboard

The trigger is the first node in the editor.Choose an existing custom event or type a new event name.

Using the API

When creating an Automation via the API, the trigger is defined as the first item in the steps array with type: 'trigger'.

Event names cannot start with the resend: prefix, which is reserved for system events.

[​

](#identifying-contacts)

Identifying contacts

When sending an event to trigger an Automation, you must identify the contact using either a contact_id or an email address.

• Using contact ID

• Using email address

[​

](#event-payload)

Event payload

You can include a payload object with your event to pass data into the Automation. This data becomes available as variables in subsequent steps in the Automation using the event.* namespace.

In this example, event.amount, event.currency, and event.retryDate would be available in email templates, conditions, and other steps. View the Send Event API reference for the full endpoint specification.

[​

](#configuration)

Configuration

[​

](#param-config-event-name)

config.event_name

string

required

The name of the event that triggers the automation.

{
  "key": "start",
  "type": "trigger",
  "config": {
    "event_name": "user.created"
  }
}