Have you ever built a Power Automate flow that triggered more times than expected, burning through API limits or flooding your run history?
Trigger conditions in Power Automate are an underrated yet powerful way to ensure your flows only run when absolutely necessary — even before the first action is executed.
What Are Trigger Conditions?
Trigger conditions are logical expressions that evaluate the incoming trigger data before the flow starts. If the condition evaluates to true, the flow runs. If not, it’s silently skipped.
That means:
- No wasted API calls
- No unnecessary flow runs
- No bloated run history
Perfect for enterprise-scale environments, where performance and governance matter.
Real-World Example
Let’s say you have a flow that runs when a Case record is updated in Dynamics 365, but you only want to act if the status changes to "In Progress."
Instead of letting the flow run every time the record updates (and adding conditions inside), you can restrict it at the trigger level like this:
@equals(triggerOutputs()?['body/statuscode'], 1)
This prevents the flow from executing unless the statuscode is 1 — the value representing "In Progress".
How to Add a Trigger Condition
- Create your flow and add a trigger (e.g., When a row is modified).
- Click the ellipsis (•••) on the trigger card.
- Select Settings.
- Scroll to Trigger Conditions.
- Paste your expression.
- Save and test your flow.
Pro Tip: Use Peek code on the trigger step to get exact internal names like
triggerOutputs()?['body/yourfield'].
Benefits of Using Trigger Conditions
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Performance | Prevents unnecessary executions and saves compute/API limits |
| Security | Reduces data exposure by skipping flows that shouldn’t run |
| Cost Savings | Helps avoid flow runs on premium connectors unless absolutely needed |
| Scalability | Keeps large environments clean and easier to maintain |
Important Considerations
- Silent skips: Skipped flows due to trigger conditions won’t appear in your run history.
- Syntax matters: An invalid expression will silently break the trigger logic.
- Testing: You must simulate the trigger event to confirm it works as expected.
Final Thoughts
Using trigger conditions is a pro move that helps you build secure, performant, and scalable automations.
Don’t let your flows fire without a filter — stop them at the gate with trigger conditions.
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