Manual Trigger

Intentional workflow execution — run from the canvas, CLI, or as a callable subworkflow.

When to Use

Use Manual Trigger when:

You want to run a workflow on demand from the canvas or via a connected runner
You are building a workflow that another workflow calls as a subworkflow
You need a trigger that does not require an external HTTP event

If you need a workflow that responds to external HTTP requests, use Webhook Trigger or API Endpoint instead.

Output

Handle	Type	Description
`payload`	object	The invocation envelope

The payload (accessed as {{ manual.* }}) shape:

Field	Type	Description
`body`	any	The data passed to this trigger (from a subworkflow invocation or test payload)
`headers`	object	Headers from the invocation
`query`	object	Query parameters (empty for manual invocations)
`path`	string	Request path (empty for manual invocations)
`method`	string	Invocation method — `MANUAL` for manual runs
`contentType`	string	Content type of the invocation body
`rawBody`	string	Unparsed body string
`source`	string	Source identifier — always `manual`
`auth`	object	Authentication result — `type` and `verified` status
`request`	object	Request metadata — `requestId` and `receivedAt` timestamp
`invocation`	object	Invocation metadata — `type` and `workflowId`

Settings

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`allowWorkflowInvocation`	boolean	`true`	Allow other workflows to invoke this workflow as a subworkflow. Disable to restrict execution to manual runs only.
`mockPayload`	code editor (JSON)	`{}`	Test payload to inject when running this workflow manually from the canvas.

Example

Canvas

A subworkflow that receives data from its parent and transforms it:

Manual Trigger → Transform → Return

The parent workflow passes data via the Subworkflow node. The body field on payload contains that data.

Reference the trigger payload in downstream nodes:

{{ manual.body }}
{{ manual.body.someField }}
{{ manual.invocation.type }}

TSL

import manual from @tensorify/manual-trigger:4.0.0
import transform from @tensorify/transform:3.0.0
import return_node from @tensorify/return:3.0.0

node trigger @tensorify/manual-trigger:4.0.0 {
    allowWorkflowInvocation = true
    mockPayload = "{\"name\": \"Alice\"}"
}

node reshape @tensorify/transform:3.0.0 {
    mode = "object"
    template = "{\"greeting\": \"Hello, {{ manual.body.name }}\"}"
}

node respond @tensorify/return:3.0.0 {
    returnMode = "simple"
}

trigger.payload -> reshape.input
reshape.result -> respond.input

Common Gotchas

If allowWorkflowInvocation is disabled, calling this workflow from a Subworkflow node fails at runtime.
mockPayload is only used during canvas testing. In production, the real invocation payload is used.
Non-HTTP fields (path, query, rawBody) are empty or null for manual invocations — use body for the caller's data.