Triggering

Tasks need to be triggered in order to run.

Trigger tasks from your backend:

Function	This works	What it does
tasks.trigger()	Anywhere	Triggers a task and gets a handle you can use to fetch and manage the run. Read more
tasks.batchTrigger()	Anywhere	Triggers a task multiple times and gets a handle you can use to fetch and manage the runs. Read more
tasks.triggerAndPoll()	Anywhere	Triggers a task and then polls the run until it’s complete. Read more

Trigger tasks from inside a run:

Function	This works	What it does
yourTask.trigger()	Anywhere	Triggers a task and gets a handle you can use to monitor and manage the run. It does not wait for the result. Read more
yourTask.batchTrigger()	Anywhere	Triggers a task multiple times and gets a handle you can use to monitor and manage the runs. It does not wait for the results. Read more
yourTask.triggerAndWait()	Inside task	Triggers a task and then waits until it’s complete. You get the result data to continue with. Read more
yourTask.batchTriggerAndWait()	Inside task	Triggers a task multiple times in parallel and then waits until they’re all complete. You get the resulting data to continue with. Read more

Additionally, scheduled tasks get automatically triggered on their schedule and webhooks when receiving a webhook.

Scheduled tasks

You should attach one or more schedules to your schedules.task() to trigger it on a recurring schedule. Read the scheduled tasks docs.

Authentication

When you trigger a task from your backend code, you need to set the TRIGGER_SECRET_KEY environment variable. You can find the value on the API keys page in the Trigger.dev dashboard. More info on API keys.

Triggering from your backend

You can trigger any task from your backend code using the tasks.trigger() or tasks.batchTrigger() SDK functions.

Do not trigger tasks directly from your frontend. If you do, you will leak your private Trigger.dev API key.

You can use Next.js Server Actions but you need to be careful with bundling.

tasks.trigger()

Triggers a single run of a task with the payload you pass in, and any options you specify, without needing to import the task.

By using tasks.trigger(), you can pass in the task type as a generic argument, giving you full type checking. Make sure you use a type import so that your task code is not imported into your application.

Next.js API route

import { tasks } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";
import type { emailSequence } from "~/trigger/emails";
//     👆 **type-only** import

//app/email/route.ts
export async function POST(request: Request) {
  //get the JSON from the request
  const data = await request.json();

  // Pass the task type to `trigger()` as a generic argument, giving you full type checking
  const handle = await tasks.trigger<typeof emailSequence>("email-sequence", {
    to: data.email,
    name: data.name,
  });

  //return a success response with the handle
  return Response.json(handle);
}

tasks.batchTrigger()

Triggers multiples runs of a task with the payloads you pass in, and any options you specify, without needing to import the task.

By using tasks.batchTrigger(), you can pass in the task type as a generic argument, giving you full type checking. Make sure you use a type import so that your task code is not imported into your application.

Next.js API route

import { tasks } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";
import type { emailSequence } from "~/trigger/emails";
//     👆 **type-only** import

//app/email/route.ts
export async function POST(request: Request) {
  //get the JSON from the request
  const data = await request.json();

  // Pass the task type to `batchTrigger()` as a generic argument, giving you full type checking
  const batchHandle = await tasks.batchTrigger<typeof emailSequence>(
    "email-sequence",
    data.users.map((u) => ({ payload: { to: u.email, name: u.name } }))
  );

  //return a success response with the handle
  return Response.json(batchHandle);
}

tasks.triggerAndPoll()

Triggers a single run of a task with the payload you pass in, and any options you specify, and then polls the run until it’s complete.

By using tasks.triggerAndPoll(), you can pass in the task type as a generic argument, giving you full type checking. Make sure you use a type import so that your task code is not imported into your application.

Next.js API route

import { tasks } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";
import type { emailSequence } from "~/trigger/emails";

//app/email/route.ts
export async function POST(request: Request) {
  //get the JSON from the request
  const data = await request.json();

  // Pass the task type to `triggerAndPoll()` as a generic argument, giving you full type checking
  const result = await tasks.triggerAndPoll<typeof emailSequence>(
    "email-sequence",
    {
      to: data.email,
      name: data.name,
    },
    { pollIntervalMs: 5000 }
  );

  //return a success response with the result
  return Response.json(result);
}

The above code is just a demonstration of the API and is not recommended to use in an API route this way as it will block the request until the task is complete.

Triggering from inside a run

Task instance methods are available on the Task object you receive when you define a task. We recommend you use these methods inside another task to trigger subtasks.

yourTask.trigger()

Triggers a single run of a task with the payload you pass in, and any options you specify. It does NOT wait for the result.

If called from within a task, you can use the AndWait version to pause execution until the triggered run is complete.

If you need to call trigger() on a task in a loop, use batchTrigger() instead which will trigger up to 100 tasks in a single call.

/trigger/my-task.ts

import { myOtherTask } from "~/trigger/my-other-task";

export const myTask = task({
  id: "my-task",
  run: async (payload: string) => {
    const handle = await myOtherTask.trigger("some data");

    //...do other stuff
  },
});

yourTask.batchTrigger()

Triggers multiples runs of a task with the payloads you pass in, and any options you specify. It does NOT wait for the result.

/trigger/my-task.ts

import { myOtherTask } from "~/trigger/my-other-task";

export const myTask = task({
  id: "my-task",
  run: async (payload: string) => {
    const batchHandle = await myOtherTask.batchTrigger([{ payload: "some data" }]);

    //...do other stuff
  },
});

yourTask.triggerAndWait()

This is where it gets interesting. You can trigger a task and then wait for the result. This is useful when you need to call a different task and then use the result to continue with your task.

Don't use this in parallel, e.g. with `Promise.all()`

Instead, use batchTriggerAndWait() if you can, or a for loop if you can’t.

To control concurrency using batch triggers, you can set queue.concurrencyLimit on the child task.

/trigger/batch.ts

export const batchTask = task({
  id: "batch-task",
  run: async (payload: string) => {
    const results = await childTask.batchTriggerAndWait([
      { payload: "item1" },
      { payload: "item2" },
    ]);
    console.log("Results", results);

    //...do stuff with the results
  },
});

/trigger/parent.ts

export const parentTask = task({
  id: "parent-task",
  run: async (payload: string) => {
    const result = await childTask.triggerAndWait("some-data");
    console.log("Result", result);

    //...do stuff with the result
  },
});

The result object is a “Result” type that needs to be checked to see if the child task run was successful:

/trigger/parent.ts

export const parentTask = task({
  id: "parent-task",
  run: async (payload: string) => {
    const result = await childTask.triggerAndWait("some-data");

    if (result.ok) {
      console.log("Result", result.output); // result.output is the typed return value of the child task
    } else {
      console.error("Error", result.error); // result.error is the error that caused the run to fail
    }
  },
});

If instead you just want to get the output of the child task, and throw an error if the child task failed, you can use the unwrap method:

/trigger/parent.ts

export const parentTask = task({
  id: "parent-task",
  run: async (payload: string) => {
    const output = await childTask.triggerAndWait("some-data").unwrap();
    console.log("Output", output);
  },
});

You can also catch the error if the child task fails and get more information about the error:

/trigger/parent.ts

import { task, SubtaskUnwrapError } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";
export const parentTask = task({
  id: "parent-task",
  run: async (payload: string) => {
    try {
      const output = await childTask.triggerAndWait("some-data").unwrap();
      console.log("Output", output);
    } catch (error) {
      if (error instanceof SubtaskUnwrapError) {
        console.error("Error in fetch-post-task", {
          runId: error.runId,
          taskId: error.taskId,
          cause: error.cause,
        });
      }
    }
  },
});

This method should only be used inside a task. If you use it outside a task, it will throw an error.

yourTask.batchTriggerAndWait()

You can batch trigger a task and wait for all the results. This is useful for the fan-out pattern, where you need to call a task multiple times and then wait for all the results to continue with your task.

Don't use this in parallel, e.g. with `Promise.all()`

Instead, pass in all items at once and set an appropriate maxConcurrency. Alternatively, use sequentially with a for loop.

To control concurrency, you can set queue.concurrencyLimit on the child task.

/trigger/batch.ts

export const batchTask = task({
  id: "batch-task",
  run: async (payload: string) => {
    const results = await childTask.batchTriggerAndWait([
      { payload: "item1" },
      { payload: "item2" },
    ]);
    console.log("Results", results);

    //...do stuff with the results
  },
});

How to handle run failures

When using batchTriggerAndWait, you have full control over how to handle failures within the batch. The method returns an array of run results, allowing you to inspect each run’s outcome individually and implement custom error handling.

Here’s how you can manage run failures:

1. Inspect individual run results: Each run in the returned array has an ok property indicating success or failure.

2. Access error information: For failed runs, you can examine the error property to get details about the failure.

3. Choose your failure strategy: You have two main options:

   • Fail the entire batch: Throw an error if any run fails, causing the parent task to reattempt.
   • Continue despite failures: Process the results without throwing an error, allowing the parent task to continue.

4. Implement custom logic: You can create sophisticated handling based on the number of failures, types of errors, or other criteria.

Here’s an example of how you might handle run failures:

/trigger/batchTriggerAndWait.ts

const result = await batchChildTask.batchTriggerAndWait([
  { payload: "item1" },
  { payload: "item2" },
  { payload: "item3" },
]);

// Result will contain the finished runs.
// They're only finished if they have succeeded or failed.
// "Failed" means all attempts failed

for (const run of result.runs) {
  // Check if the run succeeded
  if (run.ok) {
    logger.info("Batch task run succeeded", { output: run.output });
  } else {
    logger.error("Batch task run error", { error: run.error });

    //You can choose if you want to throw an error and fail the entire run
    throw new Error(`Fail the entire run because ${run.id} failed`);
  }
}

/trigger/nested.ts

export const batchParentTask = task({
  id: "parent-task",
  run: async (payload: string) => {
    const results = await childTask.batchTriggerAndWait([
      { payload: "item4" },
      { payload: "item5" },
      { payload: "item6" },
    ]);
    console.log("Results", results);

    //...do stuff with the result
  },
});

This method should only be used inside a task. If you use it outside a task, it will throw an error.

Options

All of the above functions accept an options object:

await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { delay: "1h", ttl: "1h" });
await myTask.batchTrigger([{ payload: { some: "data" }, options: { delay: "1h" } }]);

The following options are available:

delay

When you want to trigger a task now, but have it run at a later time, you can use the delay option:

// Delay the task run by 1 hour
await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { delay: "1h" });
// Delay the task run by 88 seconds
await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { delay: "88s" });
// Delay the task run by 1 hour and 52 minutes and 18 seconds
await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { delay: "1h52m18s" });
// Delay until a specific time
await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { delay: "2024-12-01T00:00:00" });
// Delay using a Date object
await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { delay: new Date(Date.now() + 1000 * 60 * 60) });
// Delay using a timezone
await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { delay: new Date("2024-07-23T11:50:00+02:00") });

Runs that are delayed and have not been enqueued yet will display in the dashboard with a “Delayed” status:

Delayed runs will be enqueued at the time specified, and will run as soon as possible after that time, just as a normally triggered run would.

You can cancel a delayed run using the runs.cancel SDK function:

import { runs } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";

await runs.cancel("run_1234");

You can also reschedule a delayed run using the runs.reschedule SDK function:

import { runs } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";

// The delay option here takes the same format as the trigger delay option
await runs.reschedule("run_1234", { delay: "1h" });

The delay option is also available when using batchTrigger:

await myTask.batchTrigger([{ payload: { some: "data" }, options: { delay: "1h" } }]);

ttl

You can set a TTL (time to live) when triggering a task, which will automatically expire the run if it hasn’t started within the specified time. This is useful for ensuring that a run doesn’t get stuck in the queue for too long.

All runs in development have a default ttl of 10 minutes. You can disable this by setting the ttl option.

import { myTask } from "./trigger/myTasks";

// Expire the run if it hasn't started within 1 hour
await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { ttl: "1h" });

// If you specify a number, it will be treated as seconds
await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { ttl: 3600 }); // 1 hour

When a run is expired, it will be marked as “Expired” in the dashboard:

When you use both delay and ttl, the TTL will start counting down from the time the run is enqueued, not from the time the run is triggered.

So for example, when using the following code:

await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { delay: "10m", ttl: "1h" });

The timeline would look like this:

1. The run is created at 12:00:00
2. The run is enqueued at 12:10:00
3. The TTL starts counting down from 12:10:00
4. If the run hasn’t started by 13:10:00, it will be expired

For this reason, the ttl option only accepts durations and not absolute timestamps.

idempotencyKey

You can provide an idempotencyKey to ensure that a task is only triggered once with the same key. This is useful if you are triggering a task within another task that might be retried:

import { idempotencyKeys, task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";

export const myTask = task({
  id: "my-task",
  retry: {
    maxAttempts: 4,
  },
  run: async (payload: any) => {
    // By default, idempotency keys generated are unique to the run, to prevent retries from duplicating child tasks
    const idempotencyKey = await idempotencyKeys.create("my-task-key");

    // childTask will only be triggered once with the same idempotency key
    await childTask.triggerAndWait(payload, { idempotencyKey });

    // Do something else, that may throw an error and cause the task to be retried
  },
});

For more information, see our Idempotency documentation.

queue

When you trigger a task you can override the concurrency limit. This is really useful if you sometimes have high priority runs.

The task:

/trigger/override-concurrency.ts

const generatePullRequest = task({
  id: "generate-pull-request",
  queue: {
    //normally when triggering this task it will be limited to 1 run at a time
    concurrencyLimit: 1,
  },
  run: async (payload) => {
    //todo generate a PR using OpenAI
  },
});

Triggering from your backend and overriding the concurrency:

app/api/push/route.ts

import { generatePullRequest } from "~/trigger/override-concurrency";

export async function POST(request: Request) {
  const data = await request.json();

  if (data.branch === "main") {
    //trigger the task, with a different queue
    const handle = await generatePullRequest.trigger(data, {
      queue: {
        //the "main-branch" queue will have a concurrency limit of 10
        //this triggered run will use that queue
        name: "main-branch",
        concurrencyLimit: 10,
      },
    });

    return Response.json(handle);
  } else {
    //triggered with the default (concurrency of 1)
    const handle = await generatePullRequest.trigger(data);
    return Response.json(handle);
  }
}

concurrencyKey

If you’re building an application where you want to run tasks for your users, you might want a separate queue for each of your users. (It doesn’t have to be users, it can be any entity you want to separately limit the concurrency for.)

You can do this by using concurrencyKey. It creates a separate queue for each value of the key.

Your backend code:

app/api/pr/route.ts

import { generatePullRequest } from "~/trigger/override-concurrency";

export async function POST(request: Request) {
  const data = await request.json();

  if (data.isFreeUser) {
    //free users can only have 1 PR generated at a time
    const handle = await generatePullRequest.trigger(data, {
      queue: {
        //every free user gets a queue with a concurrency limit of 1
        name: "free-users",
        concurrencyLimit: 1,
      },
      concurrencyKey: data.userId,
    });

    //return a success response with the handle
    return Response.json(handle);
  } else {
    //trigger the task, with a different queue
    const handle = await generatePullRequest.trigger(data, {
      queue: {
        //every paid user gets a queue with a concurrency limit of 10
        name: "paid-users",
        concurrencyLimit: 10,
      },
      concurrencyKey: data.userId,
    });

    //return a success response with the handle
    return Response.json(handle);
  }
}

maxAttempts

You can set the maximum number of attempts for a task run. If the run fails, it will be retried up to the number of attempts you specify.

await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { maxAttempts: 3 });
await myTask.trigger({ some: "data" }, { maxAttempts: 1 }); // no retries

This will override the retry.maxAttempts value set in the task definition.

tags

View our tags doc for more information.

metadata

View our metadata doc for more information.

maxDuration

View our maxDuration doc for more information.

Large Payloads

We recommend keeping your task payloads as small as possible. We currently have a hard limit on task payloads above 10MB.

If your payload size is larger than 512KB, instead of saving the payload to the database, we will upload it to an S3-compatible object store and store the URL in the database.

When your task runs, we automatically download the payload from the object store and pass it to your task function. We also will return to you a payloadPresignedUrl from the runs.retrieve SDK function so you can download the payload if needed:

import { runs } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";

const run = await runs.retrieve(handle);

if (run.payloadPresignedUrl) {
  const response = await fetch(run.payloadPresignedUrl);
  const payload = await response.json();

  console.log("Payload", payload);
}

We also use this same system for dealing with large task outputs, and subsequently will return a corresponding outputPresignedUrl. Task outputs are limited to 100MB.

If you need to pass larger payloads, you’ll need to upload the payload to your own storage and pass a URL to the file in the payload instead. For example, uploading to S3 and then sending a presigned URL that expires in URL:

/yourServer.ts

import { myTask } from "./trigger/myTasks";
import { s3Client, getSignedUrl, PutObjectCommand, GetObjectCommand } from "./s3";
import { createReadStream } from "node:fs";

// Upload file to S3
await s3Client.send(
  new PutObjectCommand({
    Bucket: "my-bucket",
    Key: "myfile.json",
    Body: createReadStream("large-payload.json"),
  })
);

// Create presigned URL
const presignedUrl = await getSignedUrl(
  s3Client,
  new GetObjectCommand({
    Bucket: "my-bucket",
    Key: "my-file.json",
  }),
  {
    expiresIn: 3600, // expires in 1 hour
  }
);

// Now send the URL to the task
const handle = await myTask.trigger({
  url: presignedUrl,
});

Batch Triggering

When using batchTrigger or batchTriggerAndWait, the total size of all payloads cannot exceed 10MB. This means if you are doing a batch of 100 runs, each payload should be less than 100KB.