Last updated: July 5, 2026
Automation Doesn't Trigger
If your automation isn't running when you expect it to, work through these checks systematically.
Check if Enabled
Automations must be explicitly enabled to respond to events.
Solution:
- Open the automation in the editor
- Check the Enabled toggle in General settings
- Save if you need to enable it
Disabled automations remain configured but won't execute, even when triggers match.
Verify Trigger Filters
Trigger filters determine which events match. Mismatched filters prevent execution.
Slack Triggers
Common issues:
- Bot not in the channel
- Message doesn't contain the keyword (case-insensitive substring match)
- Channel name filter excludes the channel where message was posted
- User handle filter excludes the user who posted
Solutions:
- Invite the bot:
/invite @dash0in the Slack channel - Check the Message Keyword appears anywhere in your test message (e.g., keyword "investigate" matches "Let's investigate this")
- Remove or adjust Channel Names and User Handles filters
- Test by sending a message containing the keyword
Schedule Triggers
Common issues:
- Cron expression is invalid
- Cron expression doesn't match current time
- Timezone assumptions (cron runs in UTC)
Solutions:
- Validate your cron expression with a cron parser
- Remember cron runs in UTC, not your local timezone
- Test with
@hourlyor@every 5mfor immediate feedback
Failed Check Triggers
Common issues:
- Check rule ID filter excludes the failing check
- Label filters don't match the check's labels
- Check hasn't actually failed recently
Solutions:
- Remove Check Rule IDs filter to match all checks
- Review label filters to ensure they match your checks
- Verify checks are actually failing in the Checks view
Review Dispatch Logs
Dash0 logs all incoming trigger events and whether they matched automations.
How to check:
- Go to the automation detail page
- Look for dispatch or event logs (if available in UI)
- Verify events are being received
- Check if events match your automation's filters
If events aren't being received at all, the integration may not be properly connected.
Check Integration Status
Some triggers require integrations to be connected.
Required integrations:
- Slack triggers: Slack integration must be connected and bot must be in channels
- GitHub triggers: GitHub integration must be connected to your organization
- Linear triggers: Linear integration must be connected
Solution:
- Go to Settings > Integrations
- Verify the required integration shows as "Connected"
- For Slack, confirm the bot is a member of your channels
- Reconnect the integration if needed
Test Manually
Use manual testing to verify your automation works before troubleshooting triggers.
Steps:
- Click Test in the automation editor
- Choose Test Manually
- Enter sample variable values
- Run the test
If the manual test succeeds but the automation doesn't trigger, the issue is with trigger configuration, not the automation itself.
Common Scenarios
Slack Message Not Triggering
Symptom: You post a message but automation doesn't run.
Checklist:
- ✓ Automation is enabled
- ✓ Bot is in the channel (
/invite @dash0) - ✓ Message contains the keyword (substring, case-insensitive)
- ✓ Slack integration is connected
- ✓ Channel name isn't excluded by filters
Schedule Not Running
Symptom: Time passes but automation doesn't execute.
Checklist:
- ✓ Automation is enabled
- ✓ Cron expression is valid
- ✓ Cron expression matches current UTC time
- ✓ No recent runs with errors (check run history)
Failed Check Not Triggering
Symptom: Check fails but automation doesn't investigate.
Checklist:
- ✓ Automation is enabled
- ✓ Check rule ID matches (or filter is empty)
- ✓ Check labels match label filters
- ✓ Check actually failed (verify in Checks view)
Further Reading
- About Troubleshooting — Overview of common automation issues
- Configure Triggers — Detailed trigger configuration guide
- Missing Integration Warnings — Fixing integration connection issues