A trigger is an event that starts a Zap. Once you’ve set up a Zap, Zapier will monitor for that trigger event.
You want to set up a Zap to send a direct message in Slack to yourself every time you receive a new email in Gmail. In this Zap, the trigger is the new email in Gmail.
Trigger types
There are two types of triggers:
- Polling trigger: the majority of triggers are polling triggers. With a polling trigger, Zapier will check for new data from your trigger every 1 to 15 minutes in order to start your Zap, depending on your pricing plan.
- Instant trigger: with an instant trigger, your trigger app will send Zapier an instant notification whenever there's new data. Zaps with instant triggers are labeled Instant on your dashboard and in the Zap editor.
Zapier relies on a few methods to make sure that your Zap does not trigger multiple times for a single "new" item. Learn more about how triggers are deduplicated in Zaps.
A trigger's type cannot be changed. Triggers are built to be either polling or instant, depending on the app and the type of data.