How do I set up a Scheduled Trigger Flow in Distro?

A Scheduled Trigger Distro Flow runs on a schedule you define – on a recurrence, on a specific date, or on demand – rather than reacting to a Salesforce event. A Records for Processing node fetches the records to route, using a SOQL query you define.

Table of Contents

• When to use a Scheduled Trigger
• Create the Distro Flow
• Choose the trigger type
• Define which records to process
• Build the rest of the Distro Flow
• Run an On Demand Distro Flow via the Edge API or MCP
• Recommendations on record volumes
• Limitations

When to use a Scheduled Trigger

A standard Salesforce Events trigger fires when a record is created or updated. A Scheduled Trigger fires on time. Use it when:

• You want to reprocess a population of records on a recurring basis (for example, route every Lead in a given status each morning);
• You want to run a one-off job at a chosen date and time (for example, route an imported list after an event);
• You want to kick off a routing job from outside Distro (for example, from an external workflow tool or an AI agent).

Create the Distro Flow

1. In the left-side menu, expand Flows and click Distro. The Distro Flows page lists every Distro Flow, with its trigger object and trigger type;
2. Click Create Distro Flow in the top right;
3. Open the Trigger node and select the Salesforce object the Distro Flow will operate on (any standard or custom object that has been activated for routing).

For full context on creating a Distro Flow, see Creating a Distro Router.

Choose the trigger type

On the Trigger node, toggle on On Scheduled (the in-app label for the Scheduled Trigger described in this article). A Schedule Type section then appears with three options:

• Recurring Schedule – the Distro Flow runs once a day. Set the Time for Flow to start and the Timezone for that daily run;
• Specific Date – the Distro Flow runs once, at a chosen date and time. Set the Date for Flow to start, Time for Flow to start, and Timezone;
• On Demand – the Distro Flow does not run automatically. You start each run yourself, either from the Distro Flow UI or via the Edge API / MCP.

Define which records to process

When On Scheduled is enabled on the Trigger node, a Records for Processing node appears in the flow. This node tells Distro which records to fetch from Salesforce on each run.

There are two ways to define the query:

Visual Builder

The Visual Builder lets you set conditions using the same familiar UI you use elsewhere in Distro. For each condition, pick the object, the field, the operator, and the value. Combine conditions with Add Condition (AND / OR within a group) or Add Group (nested logic).

You can also set an Order Records By field and direction, so records are processed in a deterministic order on each run.

SOQL

If you need a query the Visual Builder does not support, switch to the SOQL tab and write the query by hand. Your query must include the Id field in the SELECT statement (for example, SELECT Id FROM Lead).

A preview shows how many records the query matches against your Salesforce data, so you can confirm the population before publishing.

Build the rest of the Distro Flow

Once the Records for Processing node is configured, the rest of the Distro Flow is built the same way as any other Distro Flow – Routing Rules, Paths, Assign & Update Ownership nodes, Field Update nodes, and so on.

See Creating a Distro Router for the full reference.

When you are ready, click Publish.

Run an On Demand Distro Flow via the Edge API or MCP

When the trigger type is set to On Demand, you can start a run from outside Distro – for example, from an AI agent connected via MCP, a workflow automation tool, or a custom integration.

The Edge API endpoint is resource-scheduler-run. The same operation is registered as an MCP tool with the same name.

For the full Edge API setup, see Edge API References.

For the MCP setup, see How do I connect Chili Piper via MCP?.

Recommendations on record volumes

There is no hard cap on the number of records a single run can process. For larger jobs, we recommend:

• Run smaller batches – use the Record Limit field on the Records for Processing node, or write a SOQL query that targets a narrower slice;
• Schedule runs outside business hours, or over the weekend, so the run does not overlap with live routing;
• The SOQL preview shows the match count before publishing. For first-time runs, kick off a small actual run against the live Distro Flow and verify the results in Salesforce before scaling up.

Limitations

• Recurring Schedule currently supports a daily cadence. Day-of-week selection (for example, weekdays only) and custom recurrence patterns are not yet supported.