Please note: all trigger setup can be done in AI chat. Tell AI what you want the workflow to do, and it will handle the rest.
Build with AI
Open the AI Chat in your tableās right sidebar and describe what you want.
AI handles everything: it chooses the right trigger, maps the relevant fields, and sets up all actions automatically.
Describe the goal once, and the workflow is ready ā no manual setup needed.
Example: āWhen the status field changes, send an email to the assignee.ā
Configuration
| Setting | Required | Description |
|---|
| Table | Yes | The table to watch for changes |
| Watch Fields | Yes | Choose specific fields to monitor, or select āAll Fieldsā to trigger on any change |
| Filter | No | Only trigger if the updated record matches these conditions after the change |
How to set it up
- Open your automation and add a new trigger.
- Select When record updated.
- Choose the Table you want to monitor.
- In Watch Fields, select one or more specific fields. For example, choose only āStatusā if you want to react to status changes.
- (Optional) Add a Filter to further narrow which updates fire the trigger. For example,
Status equals Done will only fire when a recordās status is changed to āDoneā.
- Save and activate the automation.
- Add your action steps. Click + in any action field to insert values from the updated record.
Understanding Watch Fields
The Watch Fields setting is the most important part of this trigger:
- Specific fields (recommended): Select only the fields you care about. The trigger only fires when one of these fields changes. All other edits to the record are ignored.
- All Fields: The trigger fires whenever any field in the record changes. This includes computed fields, last-modified timestamps, and minor edits you might not care about.
Why specific fields are better in most cases:
- Fewer unnecessary trigger executions, which means fewer wasted automation runs.
- Prevents accidental loops (see below).
- Makes your automationās purpose clearer to anyone reading it.
Choose āAll Fieldsā only when you genuinely need to react to every possible change ā for example, a full audit log.
It is strongly recommended to select specific watch fields. Selecting āAll Fieldsā can cause the workflow to fire on unrelated edits, waste automation runs, and lead to unexpected behavior.
Common pitfall: update loops
If your workflow includes an Update Record action that writes to the same table and updates a watched field, the trigger will fire again, creating an infinite loop.
- A field changes ā trigger fires.
- The automation updates another field in the same record ā trigger fires again.
- Repeat endlessly.
How to avoid this:
- Watch only specific fields, and make sure your Update Record action writes to different fields than the ones being watched.
- Use a filter condition to stop the loop. For example, only trigger when
Status does not equal Processed, and have your action set Status to Processed.
- If your action must update the same field, consider using the When record matches conditions trigger instead, which fires only on transitions.
When to use
- Sync price changes to an external system. Watch the āPriceā field. When it changes, send an HTTP request to update the price in your e-commerce platform.
- Send a notification when a taskās status changes. Watch the āStatusā field. When a task moves to āBlockedā or āDoneā, notify the assignee or manager.
- Log field changes for auditing. Watch āAll Fieldsā and create a record in an audit log table with the old and new values.
- Update a linked record when a parent changes. Watch key fields on a project record. When the project deadline changes, update all linked tasks.
- Trigger a recalculation in another system. Watch numeric fields like āQuantityā or āUnit Priceā. When they change, call an API to recalculate totals.
- Start with specific watch fields. You can always add more later if you find you are missing events.
- The filter is evaluated after the update. This means the filter checks the recordās new values, not the old ones.
- This trigger does not tell you what the previous value was ā only what the record looks like now. If you need before-and-after comparison, consider maintaining a āPrevious Valueā field that your automation updates.
- The trigger fires once per save, even if multiple watched fields change in the same edit.
