Run and manage workflows

You can run a workflow by clicking run in the workflow header.

1. Navigate to Environments in your project

2. Click on a workflow to open it

3. Click Run in the header

4. Configure the run (optional):

   • Name: Enter a descriptive name for this run
   • Description: Add details about what this release includes
   • Git triggers: Select branch and commit for each configured Git trigger
   • Arguments: Override default argument values

5. Click Create

If you do not enter a name for the run it will display a generated UUID, but you can edit the display name afterwards.

If the workflow contains build or deployment nodes you will be able to override the configured build or image to deploy, if required.

The workflow executes and you can monitor its progress in the run view.

You can add Git triggers in the workflow settings.

A trigger will run the workflow whenever a change to the specified repository is committed.

You can include:

• Branch and pull request rules to only trigger on commits to specific branches or pull requests
• Path rules to only trigger on changes to specific directories or files in a repository, or to ignore changes to specific directories or files
• Commit message ignore flags to skip runs for commits with messages that contain certain strings

You can use references to obtain the values of Git triggers in your workflow nodes.

Workflows can run automatically on a repeating schedule. This is useful for regular deployments, periodic maintenance tasks, or refreshing test environments.

To add a cron trigger:

1. Open your workflow

2. Click the plus sign or Add trigger

3. Select Cron schedule from the Kind dropdown

4. Enter a cron expression in the Schedule field (times are UTC, minimum interval is 10 minutes)

5. Save the trigger

6. Save the workflow

Each workflow can have one cron trigger.

For example, 0 * * * * runs once an hour. Runs follow the workflow's concurrency policy.

Use the trigger controls to pause the schedule or all automatic triggers. Skipped scheduled runs are not replayed when you resume.

To start a workflow with a webhook:

1. Add a Webhook trigger.
2. Copy its Webhook URL.
3. Save the trigger.
4. Save the workflow.
5. Send a GET or POST request to the URL to start a workflow run.

Pass arguments in the URL query string for either method. Northflank ignores arguments in a POST body.

Git trigger parameters

Webhook requests can supply Git trigger values, such as the branch and commit to build.

Use Trigger reference from the Git trigger form as the parameter prefix. Add a dot and the field name:

This request sets frontend to branch feature and backend to branch develop:

https://webhooks.northflank.com/workflows/<TOKEN>?frontend.branch=feature&backend.branch=develop

Workflow name and description

Supply optional name and description query parameters to label the workflow run. If you omit name, Northflank shows the run ID.

Other values

Other query parameters become workflow arguments. For example, ?foo=bar makes ${args.foo} resolve to bar.

Use query parameters for non-sensitive argument values. Store secrets in the workflow's argument overrides instead of the URL.

Pause or replace a webhook

Turn off Enable trigger to pause this webhook. Save the trigger and workflow. Pausing all workflow triggers also stops webhook runs. For a paused trigger created in the editor, requests return HTTP 404 and do not start a run.

To replace the URL, click Regenerate in the trigger form. Save the trigger and workflow. Update callers to use the new URL.

The state of the current or most recent workflow run is indicated in the workflow header. This can be clicked to view the currently running workflow, or the list of previous runs.

Workflow run statuses

View workflow runs

Click on a workflow and click view runs.

This displays a list of previous and current workflow runs and their status. You can also see when the workflow was run, and when it was completed.

Open a run to inspect its nodes. When View diff is available, you can inspect and download recorded resource changes.

Node statuses

You can re-run a previous workflow run to execute the same workflow with the same structure and arguments.

1. Navigate to Environments in your project

2. Click on a workflow

3. Click View runs in the sidebar

4. Click on the Re-trigger icon on the run you want to rerun

The workflow will execute again with the same configuration and arguments as the selected run. This allows you to re-execute a previous workflow without manually configuring it again.