Triggers

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• Introduced in GitLab 18.3 with a flag named ai_flow_triggers. Enabled by default.
• Changed in GitLab 18.8 to require an additional flag named ai_catalog_create_third_party_flows. Disabled by default.
• Generally available in GitLab 18.8.

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[!flag] To change the location of your flow configuration file, you must enable a feature flag. For more information, see the history.

A trigger determines when a flow runs.

For example, you can specify flows to be triggered when you mention them in a discussion, or when you assign them as a reviewer.

Create a trigger

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• Assign and Assign reviewer event types introduced in GitLab 18.5.
• Pipeline events trigger event type introduced in GitLab 18.9 as an experiment with a flag named ai_flow_trigger_pipeline_hooks. Disabled by default.

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Prerequisites:

• You must have the Maintainer or Owner role for the project.

To create a trigger:

1. In the top bar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Select Automate > Triggers.
3. Select New flow trigger.
4. In Description, enter a description for the trigger.
5. From the Event types dropdown list, select one or more event types:
   • Mention: When the service account user is mentioned in a comment on an issue or merge request.
   • Assign: When the service account user is assigned to an issue or merge request.
   • Assign reviewer: When the service account user is assigned as a reviewer to a merge request.
   • Pipeline events: When a pipeline changes state. The possible states are created, started, succeeded, and failed.
6. From the Service account dropdown list, select a user to be the composite identity.
7. For Configuration source, select one of the following:
   • AI Catalog: From the flows configured for this project, select a flow for the trigger to execute.
   • Configuration path: Enter the path to the flow configuration file (for example, .gitlab/duo/flows/claude.yaml). To view this option, the ai_catalog_create_third_party_flows flag must be enabled.
8. Select Create flow trigger.

The trigger now appears in Automate > Triggers.

Edit a trigger

1. In the top bar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Select Automate > Triggers.
3. For the trigger you want to change, select Edit flow trigger ({{< icon name="pencil" >}}).
4. Make the changes and select Save changes.

Delete a trigger

1. In the top bar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Select Automate > Triggers.
3. For the trigger you want to change, select Delete flow trigger ({{< icon name="remove" >}}).
4. On the confirmation dialog, select OK.