Choosing the Right Trigger for Your Zendesk Workflow
You know [what a trigger is](/blog/what-is-a-trigger-on-macha) and [how to set one up](/blog/set-up-a-trigger-on-your-ai-agent). The real question is which one to use — and the answer starts with a single decision.
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Start with one question
Before you pick a trigger, ask: is a human going to kick this off, or should it happen automatically in the background?
- If someone on your team is going to open Macha and talk to the agent, that's just a chat — you don't need a trigger at all.
- Triggers are specifically for when you want the agent to start on its own when something happens in a connected app.
So the first filter is easy: human-started → no trigger; automatic → trigger.
Then match the event to the moment
Once you know you want it automatic, pick the event that matches when the agent should act. The most common Zendesk trigger is a new ticket created — perfect for triage, auto-replies, and summaries that should happen on every incoming ticket. But the right one depends on the job:
| You want the agent to run… | Use this trigger |
|---|---|
| On every new ticket (triage, first-reply, summary) | Ticket Created |
| Every time the customer replies | Comment Added / Customer Message |
| When a ticket is solved or closed | Status Changed |
| When priority escalates | Priority Changed |
| When a ticket lands in a team | Assigned |
| From a system that isn't a connector | Custom webhook |
| On a schedule, not an event | Scheduled Run |
The principle: the trigger should fire at exactly the moment the agent's job becomes relevant — no earlier, no more often.
A quick gut check
If you're torn between two triggers, ask what would go wrong if it fired too often. A summarizer on Comment Added would re-summarize on every single reply (and cost a credit each time); the same agent on Ticket Created runs once. When in doubt, pick the more specific, less frequent event — it's cheaper and usually what you actually meant. (More on this in trigger best practices.)
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I even need a trigger? If a human starts the task, you don't — that's chat. Triggers are only for automatic, background starts.
What's the most common Zendesk trigger? A new ticket created — it's the default for triage, auto-replies, and summaries.
Ticket Created or Comment Added? Ticket Created runs once per ticket; Comment Added runs on every reply. Use Comment Added only when the agent genuinely needs to react to each message.
Can I use more than one trigger for an agent? Yes — and you can scope each one so the right tickets reach the agent.
The bottom line
Choosing a trigger is two questions: human-started or automatic (if human, no trigger), then which event matches the moment the agent should act. Default to Ticket Created for most support automation, and lean toward the more specific, less frequent event whenever you're unsure.
Pick a trigger and go: add the right event and let your agent run itself. 7-day free trial, no credit card required. Start free.
