So… how do you tell Sequence when to run an automation?
It all starts with a Trigger, the setting that defines when your rule will take place.
In Sequence, you can trigger a rule in four ways:
By incoming funds — when money lands in an account
By date — on a set schedule you choose
Manually — when you decide it's time to move funds
By calling a remote API — from another tool or system
Trigger by Incoming Funds
Trigger by Incoming Funds
What does that mean?
Your automation will kick off the moment new money shows up in a specific account you’ve chosen.
For example: your paycheck lands in your Income Account, and your rule is instantly triggered by incoming funds to move 15% of that deposit straight into your Taxes pod.
How it works
How it works depends on where those funds are coming from:
From an external account
Sequence only knows funds have arrived when we check the balance.
We automatically pull balances every 24 hours.
Want it faster? Open any account and click “Refresh all account balances” in the upper-right corner.
From a Sequence account (Pod or Income Source)
Because Sequence has live access to these accounts, we’re monitoring them in real time.
Your automation triggers the moment funds hit that account.
Trigger by Date
Trigger by Date
Want your automation to run on a set schedule?
That’s where the Date Trigger comes in.
Examples:
On the 1st of every month
Every Friday
Bi-weekly on a Wednesday
How it works
On the date you set, Sequence will first refresh and get live balances for your accounts.
Once balances are updated, it will execute any rules and automations tied to that schedule.
Trigger Manually
Trigger Manually
Want your automation to run only when you say so?
That’s exactly what the Manual Trigger is for.
It gives you full control over when your rules fire.
Example
If you run a construction company and invoice clients upfront, but need to keep the funds you receive in a holding account until the project is done, you can set up a rule that only triggers and flushes the funds out once you tell it to.
Nothing moves until you click run.
How it works
When you run a Manual Trigger, Sequence will:
Refresh your accounts to pull live balances
Check all rules connected to that trigger
Execute transfers based on current conditions
Same automation logic — just on your timeline.
How to set it up
Create a rule the way you would ordinarily. Click new automation on the bottom panel
Once done, click the 3 dots in the top right of the rule panel, head to settings
Toggle active rule off
Whenever you want the rule to run, head back to the settings section and click run rule now
Trigger by Remote API
Trigger by Remote API
Need another tool or system to fire your automation?
Use the Remote API Trigger — have that system call Sequence’s API endpoint, and your rule will run instantly when called.
Perfect for advanced workflows that tie Sequence to your other processes.
How it works:
Another system can send a call to Sequence’s API endpoint to instantly trigger your rule.
This is perfect for advanced workflows that connect Sequence with your other processes.
Want to set it up? [Click here to view the API documentation.]