Functions & Triggers - Rilo Documentation

Rilo supports app event triggers that automatically start workflows when events occur in connected services. Triggers enable event-driven automation without manual intervention.

Overview

Functions & Triggers include:

App Event Triggers: Start workflows on external service events
Custom Functions: Tools and methods available from integrations
Trigger Types: Manual, scheduled, and app event triggers

App event triggers enable true event-driven automation. Workflows start automatically when events occur, without manual triggers or schedules.

App Event Triggers

App event triggers start workflows when events occur in connected services.

How App Event Triggers Work

Connect Integration: Connect to a service (e.g., Gmail, Slack)
Configure Trigger: Set up the app event trigger
Wait for Event: Workflow waits for the event
Auto-Start: Workflow starts automatically when event occurs

Supported Trigger Events

Common app event triggers include:

Gmail

New email received
Email labeled
Email starred

Slack

New message
Channel created
User joined

GitHub

Pull request opened
Issue created
Push to repository

Salesforce

New lead created
Opportunity updated
Case created

Example: Gmail Trigger

Trigger Configuration:

{
  "trigger_type": "app_event",
  "app_trigger_slug": "GMAIL_NEW_GMAIL_MESSAGE",
  "filters": {
    "from": "[email protected]"
  }
}

Workflow Behavior:

Workflow starts automatically when new email arrives
Email data is available in the Start block
Workflow processes the email

App event triggers use exact trigger slugs from Composio. The AI agent researches available triggers when creating workflows.

Finding Available Triggers

Via Capability Research

The CapabilityResearchAgent can find available triggers:

"What triggers are available for Gmail?"

The agent will:

Research available triggers
List trigger options
Show trigger slugs and descriptions

Common Trigger Slugs

Service	Trigger Slug	Description
Gmail	`GMAIL_NEW_GMAIL_MESSAGE`	New email received
Slack	`SLACK_RECEIVE_MESSAGE`	New message in channel
GitHub	`GITHUB_PULL_REQUEST_EVENT`	Pull request event
GitHub	`GITHUB_ISSUE_EVENT`	Issue created/updated

Trigger slugs must match exactly. Use get_tools_trigger_actions to find the correct slug for your use case.

Custom Functions

Custom functions are tools and methods available from integrations.

Integration Functions

Each integration provides functions (tools) you can use: Gmail Functions:

read_emails: Read emails from inbox
send_email: Send email
search_emails: Search emails
create_label: Create email label

Slack Functions:

send_message: Send message to channel
create_channel: Create new channel
get_messages: Get channel messages
add_reaction: Add reaction to message

Using Functions in Workflows

Functions are used automatically when you describe what you want:

"Read unread emails from Gmail and send summary to Slack"

The AI agent:

Identifies required functions
Uses them in generated code
Handles authentication automatically

Function Discovery

Research available functions:

"What functions are available for Gmail?"

The CapabilityResearchAgent will:

List all available functions
Show function descriptions
Provide usage examples

Trigger Types

Rilo supports three trigger types:

1. Manual Trigger

Start workflows manually:

{
  "trigger_type": "manual"
}

Use Case: On-demand workflow execution

2. Scheduled Trigger

Run workflows on a schedule:

{
  "trigger_type": "scheduled",
  "schedule": "daily at 9 AM"
}

Use Case: Regular automated tasks

3. App Event Trigger

Start on external events:

{
  "trigger_type": "app_event",
  "app_trigger_slug": "GMAIL_NEW_GMAIL_MESSAGE"
}

Use Case: Event-driven automation

Each workflow can have exactly one trigger type. You cannot combine trigger types (e.g., “daily at 9 AM OR when new email arrives”). Create separate workflows if you need multiple trigger types.

Creating Triggers

Via Natural Language

Describe the trigger:

"Start workflow when new email arrives from [email protected]"

The TriggerGeneratorAgent will:

Identify trigger type
Configure trigger settings
Set up filters if needed

Manual Configuration

Configure triggers in the workflow editor:

Select Start Block: Click on the start block
Configure Trigger: Choose trigger type
Set Parameters: Configure schedule or event
Save: Trigger is saved automatically

Trigger Filters

App event triggers support filters to narrow down events:

Gmail Filters

{
  "app_trigger_slug": "GMAIL_NEW_GMAIL_MESSAGE",
  "filters": {
    "from": "[email protected]",
    "subject_contains": "urgent"
  }
}

Slack Filters

{
  "app_trigger_slug": "SLACK_RECEIVE_MESSAGE",
  "filters": {
    "channel": "#alerts",
    "mentions": "@here"
  }
}

Filters help reduce unnecessary workflow executions by only triggering on relevant events.

Best Practices

Use Appropriate Triggers

Choose the trigger type that best fits your use case. App events for real-time, scheduled for regular tasks.

Add Filters

Use filters to reduce unnecessary workflow executions and improve efficiency.

Test Triggers

Test triggers before deploying to production to ensure they work as expected.

Monitor Execution

Monitor workflow executions to ensure triggers are firing correctly.

Limitations

Trigger Limitations

Single trigger per workflow: Each workflow has exactly one trigger
No trigger combinations: Cannot combine multiple trigger types
Filter limitations: Filters depend on service capabilities
Rate limits: Subject to service rate limits

Function Limitations

Integration-dependent: Functions depend on connected integrations
OAuth scopes: Limited to granted OAuth permissions
API rate limits: Subject to service API limits
Service availability: Depends on external service availability

Understand trigger and function limitations to set appropriate expectations and design workflows accordingly.

Troubleshooting

Trigger not firing

Verify integration is connected
Check trigger configuration is correct
Ensure trigger slug matches exactly
Review service logs for events

Too many triggers

Add filters to narrow down events
Review trigger configuration
Check for duplicate workflows

Function not available

Verify integration is connected
Check OAuth scopes include function
Ensure integration supports function
Research available functions

MCP Libraries - Custom tools via MCP
Custom Integrations - Custom API functions
Integrations Overview - General integration information

Functions and triggers are powerful automation tools. Use them to create event-driven workflows that respond to changes in your connected services.

​Overview

​App Event Triggers

​How App Event Triggers Work

​Supported Trigger Events

Gmail

Slack

GitHub

Salesforce

​Example: Gmail Trigger

​Finding Available Triggers

​Via Capability Research

​Common Trigger Slugs

​Custom Functions

​Integration Functions

​Using Functions in Workflows

​Function Discovery

​Trigger Types

​1. Manual Trigger

​2. Scheduled Trigger

​3. App Event Trigger

​Creating Triggers

​Via Natural Language

​Manual Configuration

​Trigger Filters

​Gmail Filters

​Slack Filters

​Best Practices

​Limitations

​Trigger Limitations

​Function Limitations

​Troubleshooting

​Related Features

Overview

App Event Triggers

How App Event Triggers Work

Supported Trigger Events

Example: Gmail Trigger

Finding Available Triggers

Via Capability Research

Common Trigger Slugs

Custom Functions

Integration Functions

Using Functions in Workflows

Function Discovery

Trigger Types

1. Manual Trigger

2. Scheduled Trigger

3. App Event Trigger

Creating Triggers

Via Natural Language

Manual Configuration

Trigger Filters

Gmail Filters

Slack Filters

Best Practices

Limitations

Trigger Limitations

Function Limitations

Troubleshooting

Related Features