> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://langchain-5e9cc07a-preview-cbfron-1772840960-d2a2597.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Triggers

> Configure triggers to start your Agent Builder agents automatically.

Triggers define when your agent starts running. Connect your agent to external events or time-based schedules so it responds automatically to messages, emails, or recurring tasks.

## Add a trigger

To add a trigger:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Edit your agent">
    Open your agent in the [Agent Builder](https://smith.langchain.com/agents) inbox.
    Next to the agent name, click the <Icon icon="pencil" /> **Edit Agent** icon.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the trigger">
    In the **Triggers** section, click **+ Add** and select the trigger you want to add.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Add a Gmail trigger

The Gmail trigger activates your agent when new emails arrive in your inbox.

To add a Gmail trigger:

1. In the **Triggers** section, click **+ Add**.
2. Select the **Gmail** section and click **Connect Gmail Account**.
3. Enter the email address you want to monitor.
4. Click **Confirm**.
5. Authenticate with your Google account.
6. After completing authentication, click **I've completed authentication**.

Your agent will now activate when new emails arrive in your inbox. To let your agent read and respond to emails, add Gmail tools in the **Tools** section. Available Gmail tools include reading emails, sending replies, creating drafts, managing labels, and marking messages as read. See [Tool integrations](/langsmith/agent-builder-tools) for the full list.

<Warning>
  The Gmail trigger only monitors your primary inbox. The following emails do not activate the trigger:

  * **Alias emails**: Messages sent to an email alias rather than your primary address.
  * **Mailing list emails**: Messages received through a mailing list or group.
  * **Emails outside the inbox**: Messages that skip the inbox due to filters, or that land in spam, trash, or other folders.
</Warning>

## Add a Slack trigger

The Slack trigger activates your agent when messages are posted in a specific Slack channel.

For full setup instructions including OAuth authorization, bot invitation, and tool configuration, see [Integrate Slack with an agent](/langsmith/agent-builder-slack-app).

## Add a cron trigger

Cron triggers run your agent on a recurring time-based schedule, such as daily reports or weekly summaries. To add a cron trigger:

1. In the **Triggers** section, click **+ Add**.

2. Select the **Schedule** section and click **+ Create new schedule**.

3. Choose when to run your agent.

   <Note>
     Cron schedules are in UTC. Convert your desired execution time to UTC when configuring the schedule.
   </Note>

4. Click **Confirm**.

## Pause and resume triggers

You can pause and resume triggers without removing them. To pause all triggers:

1. In the [Agent Builder](https://smith.langchain.com/agents) inbox, open your agent.
2. Next to the agent name, click the <Icon icon="pencil" /> **Edit Agent** icon.
3. In the **Triggers** section, click <Icon icon="player-pause" /> **Pause triggers** button to pause all triggers.

To resume all triggers, click <Icon icon="player-play" /> **Resume triggers** button.

## Thread behavior

How threads are marked depends on whether the agent uses triggers:

* **Chat agents (no trigger)**: Responses mark the thread as **unread**. Viewing the thread marks it as read.
* **Trigger-based agents**: Responses keep the thread as **read** by default.

You can manually mark any thread as read or unread at any time.

***

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