---
title: "Triggers"
description: "Learn about the triggers that start automations, including 15+ supported feed sources."
canonical_url: "https://help.postpone.app/scheduling/automation/triggers"
---
# Triggers

> Learn about the triggers that start automations, including 15+ supported feed sources.

A trigger is the event that starts an automation. Currently, automations support one trigger type: **New Feed Item** — when a new item appears in a connected feed.

Feeds watch a content source — like a blog, YouTube channel, or newsletter — and detect when new items are published. When a new item appears, any automations connected to that feed will run.

## Supported Feed Sources

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>
      Source
    </th>
    
    <th>
      What It Watches
    </th>
    
    <th>
      URL Example
    </th>
  </tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        RSS/Atom
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Any standard RSS 2.0 or Atom feed
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://example.com/feed.xml
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        YouTube
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Channel uploads or playlists
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://www.youtube.com/@channelname
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Podcasts
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Podcast episodes via RSS or Apple Podcasts
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1438054347
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Substack
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Newsletter posts
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://example.substack.com
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Ghost
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Ghost blog posts
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://blog.example.com
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        WordPress
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      WordPress site posts
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://example.wordpress.com
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Medium
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Profile or publication posts
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://medium.com/@username
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Beehiiv
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Newsletter issues
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://rss.beehiiv.com/feeds/yourFeedId.xml
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Buttondown
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Newsletter issues
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        buttondown.email/username
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Dev.to
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Profile or tag posts
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://dev.to/username
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        GitHub
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Repository releases
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://github.com/facebook/react
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Reddit
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Subreddit or user posts
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://www.reddit.com/r/technology
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Tumblr
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Blog posts (public blogs only)
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://example.tumblr.com
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Bluesky
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Profile posts (public accounts only)
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        @postpone.app
      </code>
      
       or <code>
        username.bsky.social
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Mastodon
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Profile posts or hashtag pages
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <code>
        https://mastodon.social/@username
      </code>
    </td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

## Adding a Feed

You can add a feed when creating or editing an automation:

1. In the **When** section of the automation editor, click the feed dropdown.
2. Select an existing feed, or click **New Feed** to create one.
3. Choose the feed source type and enter the URL in the expected format.

Each feed source type has its own URL format. The automation editor shows instructions and a placeholder for the selected type.

## Feed Statuses

Feeds can have three statuses:

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>
      Status
    </th>
    
    <th>
      Meaning
    </th>
  </tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Active
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      The feed is working normally and will trigger automations.
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Paused
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      The feed has been manually paused. Automations connected to it will not trigger.
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <strong>
        Erroring
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      The feed is experiencing errors (e.g., the URL is unreachable). Automations connected to it will not trigger.
    </td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

If an automation isn't triggering as expected, check the feed status first. A warning banner appears on the Automations page when any of your feeds are paused or erroring.

## Managing Feeds

You can view and manage all of your feeds in [Settings > Feeds](https://www.postpone.app/settings/feeds). From there you can:

- Pause or resume a feed.
- See the current status and any error details.
- Delete feeds you no longer need.


## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](https://help.postpone.app/sitemap.md) for all pages.