Run Agent Workflows: Manual, Triggered & Scheduled
Learn how to run Layest agent workflows manually, via triggers, or on a schedule. Monitor runs, view outputs, and handle errors in real time.
Once your agent is configured and active, you need a way to put it to work. Layest gives you three distinct ways to run agent workflows: manually from the dashboard for testing and one-off tasks, automatically via event triggers that fire when something happens in a connected system, or on a fixed schedule for recurring jobs. Each run mode is suited to different situations, and you can combine them — for example, running an agent on a schedule while also allowing it to be triggered by incoming webhooks.This page explains how each run mode works, how to monitor runs in progress, and how to handle errors.
Manual runs let you execute an agent immediately from the Layest dashboard. This is the fastest way to test your agent, process a one-off request, or run an ad-hoc task without setting up any automation.
Go to Agents in the sidebar and click the agent you want to run.
2
Navigate to the Run tab
Click the Run tab at the top of the agent detail page. This opens the manual run panel.
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Provide input (if required)
If your agent expects an input — such as a user message, a document, or a JSON payload — enter it in the Input field. Some agents have no required input and will run immediately with just a trigger.
{ "user_message": "Can you summarize last quarter's sales report?", "context": { "user_id": "usr_12345", "region": "EMEA" }}
The input schema is defined in your agent’s tool configuration. If the Run tab shows a structured form instead of a raw JSON editor, Layest has auto-detected the expected input shape and built a UI for it.
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Click 'Run Now'
Click Run Now to start the workflow. You will be taken to the Run Detail page automatically, where you can watch the run progress in real time.
Testing a newly configured or updated agent before enabling triggers
Processing a one-off document, file, or request
Debugging agent behavior by running with specific controlled inputs
Demonstrating agent capabilities to stakeholders
Trigger-based runs start automatically when a specific event occurs in a connected integration or when an external system sends a signal to Layest. This is the most common run mode for production agents that need to respond to real-world events in real time.
In your agent’s detail page, click the Triggers tab. Existing triggers are listed here; click Add Trigger to create a new one.
2
Choose a trigger type
Select the trigger type from the list. For Integration Events, you will be asked to choose the connected integration and specify which event(s) should start the agent.
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Map the trigger payload to agent input
Use the input mapping editor to specify how data from the trigger event should be passed into your agent. For example, map the ticket.body field from a Zendesk trigger to your agent’s user_message input.
Click Save Trigger. The trigger is active immediately — any matching event will now start a run automatically.
Test your trigger by clicking Send Test Event in the trigger configuration panel. This fires a sample payload and starts a real run so you can verify the mapping is correct.
Every Layest agent has a unique webhook URL. Find it in the Triggers tab under Webhook Endpoint. Send a POST request with a JSON body to this URL to start a run from any external system:
curl -X POST https://app.layest.ai/webhooks/agents/agt_abc123 \ -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"user_message": "Process this request"}'
Never expose your API key in client-side code or public repositories. Use environment variables or a secrets manager to keep it secure.
Scheduled runs execute your agent automatically at a fixed time or recurring interval — no external event required. This is ideal for daily reports, periodic data syncs, regular cleanups, and any workflow that needs to run on a predictable cadence.
All schedules run in UTC by default. To run at a local time, convert to UTC before entering your schedule, or select a timezone override in the schedule settings.
Scheduled runs are queued up to 1 minute before the scheduled time to ensure on-time execution. During high platform load, there may be a short delay of up to 2 minutes.
The Run Detail page gives you a complete picture of what happened during a run:
Input — the exact payload the agent received
Output — the final response or result the agent produced
Steps — an expandable list of every action the agent took, including model calls, tool calls, and decision points
Tool Calls — details of each tool invocation, including the request sent and the response received
Logs — raw log stream with timestamps, useful for debugging
Token Usage — breakdown of prompt tokens, completion tokens, and total cost
Run logs are retained for 30 days on the Starter plan and 90 days on the Pro and Enterprise plans. Export logs to your own storage via the Layest API or the Export Logs button if you need longer retention.
When a run fails, the status column shows Failed and the Run Detail page displays the error message and the step at which the failure occurred. Common error types include:
Error
Likely Cause
Resolution
ModelTimeout
The model took too long to respond
Increase the response timeout in Behavior Settings, or retry
ToolCallFailed
A connected integration returned an error
Check the integration’s auth status and the tool call details
InputValidationError
The incoming payload did not match the expected schema
Fix the input mapping in the trigger or the calling system
RateLimitExceeded
Your model provider’s rate limit was hit
Switch to a different model tier or reduce run frequency
ContextLengthExceeded
The conversation + instructions exceeded the model’s context window
Shorten your system prompt or reduce retrieved memory chunks
Click Retry Run in the top-right corner of the Run Detail page.
Layest creates a new run with the identical input and marks the original as superseded.
If a run fails repeatedly with the same error, check the Alerts tab in your workspace settings. You can configure automatic alerts (Slack, email, or webhook) whenever a run fails, so your team is notified without having to monitor the dashboard manually.
Open the Runs tab and find the run with status Running.
Click the run to open the detail page.
Click Cancel Run in the top-right corner.
Cancellation is best-effort — if the agent has already made irreversible tool calls (e.g., sent an email, created a ticket), those actions cannot be undone. The run status will update to Cancelled within a few seconds.
