> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.qxlabs.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Schedules and triggers

A flow can run itself, either on a schedule or whenever something happens in a connected app.

## Schedules

Save the flow and set its status to **Active** in **Settings**, then click **Schedule Flow** in the toolbar. Pick how often it should run, along with the time and your timezone. **Schedule at** shows what you picked in plain language.

<Frame>
  <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/qx-labs/ZJkiVX6zo-84vXkk/images/flows/schedules-and-triggers/schedule-modal-light.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ZJkiVX6zo-84vXkk&q=85&s=9f3ef582325cfa847677bdb92af775b9" alt="The Schedule Flow window with cadence, time, and timezone options" width="1524" height="866" data-path="images/flows/schedules-and-triggers/schedule-modal-light.png" />

  <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/qx-labs/ZJkiVX6zo-84vXkk/images/flows/schedules-and-triggers/schedule-modal-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ZJkiVX6zo-84vXkk&q=85&s=1e848ce1e8b03fde9aac3d5641a3e7d0" alt="The Schedule Flow window with cadence, time, and timezone options" width="1524" height="866" data-path="images/flows/schedules-and-triggers/schedule-modal-dark.png" />
</Frame>

**Enable Schedule** turns it on. The toolbar button then reads **Scheduled**, and reopening it lets you edit or delete the schedule. Switching a flow back to **Draft** stops its scheduled runs.

## Triggers

A trigger runs your flow when something happens in an app, like an email arriving or a row being added to a spreadsheet. Drag one in from the **Triggers** category, give it a credential, and tell it what to watch. A flow can have one trigger, and it must be the first node. See [Triggers](/flows/nodes/triggers) for what each one listens for.

<Frame>
  <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/qx-labs/ZJkiVX6zo-84vXkk/images/flows/schedules-and-triggers/trigger-node-light.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ZJkiVX6zo-84vXkk&q=85&s=4475ceb862383eaa773fe708ac8af48f" alt="A trigger node on the canvas with its credential and filter settings" width="1076" height="713" data-path="images/flows/schedules-and-triggers/trigger-node-light.png" />

  <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/qx-labs/ZJkiVX6zo-84vXkk/images/flows/schedules-and-triggers/trigger-node-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ZJkiVX6zo-84vXkk&q=85&s=c6f166666cb6a9f9c42e5f610cce0ae0" alt="A trigger node on the canvas with its credential and filter settings" width="1076" height="713" data-path="images/flows/schedules-and-triggers/trigger-node-dark.png" />
</Frame>

To go further, the [Custom Code Trigger](/flows/nodes/custom-code-trigger) can listen to events from any of the 1,000+ apps in the catalog. Pick the service, the event, and your account, then ask the builder in **Chat** mode to write the code that pulls out the values you need.

Triggers only listen while the flow is **Active**, so set the status in **Settings** and save. The trigger's icon then appears in the **Triggers** column of your Flows list, which confirms it is live. A new trigger starts watching from that moment, so it will not pick up anything that happened before.