Authoring Trigger.dev Tasks

Tasks are functions that can run for a long time with strong resilience to failure. Define them in files under your /trigger directory. Always import from @trigger.dev/sdk. Never import from @trigger.dev/sdk/v3 (deprecated alias) or @trigger.dev/core.

Setup

// /trigger/hello-world.ts
import { task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export const helloWorld = task({
  id: "hello-world", // unique within the project
  run: async (payload: { message: string }, { ctx }) => {
    console.log(payload.message, "attempt", ctx.attempt.number);
    return { ok: true }; // must be JSON serializable
  },
});

The run function receives the payload and a second argument with ctx (run context), an abort signal, and a deprecated init output. The return value is the task output and must be JSON serializable.

Core patterns

1. Validate the payload with schemaTask

schema accepts a Zod / Yup / Superstruct / ArkType / valibot / typebox parser or a custom (data: unknown) => T function. A validation failure throws TaskPayloadParsedError and skips retrying.

import { schemaTask } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";
import { z } from "zod";

export const createUser = schemaTask({
  id: "create-user",
  schema: z.object({ name: z.string(), age: z.number() }),
  run: async (payload) => ({ greeting: `Hi ${payload.name}` }),
});

2. Configure retries and abort early

The default maxAttempts is 3. Throw AbortTaskRunError to stop retrying immediately. Task-level retry overrides the config-file defaults.

import { task, AbortTaskRunError } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export const charge = task({
  id: "charge",
  retry: { maxAttempts: 5, factor: 1.8, minTimeoutInMs: 500, maxTimeoutInMs: 30_000, randomize: true },
  run: async (payload: { amount: number }) => {
    if (payload.amount <= 0) throw new AbortTaskRunError("Invalid amount"); // no retry
    // work that may throw and retry
  },
});

For finer control, catchError: async ({ payload, error, ctx, retryAt }) => {...} can return { skipRetrying: true }, { retryAt: Date }, or undefined (use normal logic). retry.onThrow, retry.fetch, also exist for in-task retrying.

3. Trigger another task and handle the Result

From inside a task use yourTask.triggerAndWait(payload). The result is a Result object that you must check (ok), or .unwrap() to throw on failure.

export const parentTask = task({
  id: "parent-task",
  run: async () => {
    const result = await childTask.triggerAndWait({ data: "x" });
    if (result.ok) return result.output; // typed child output
    console.error("child failed", result.error);
    // or: const output = await childTask.triggerAndWait({ data: "x" }).unwrap();
  },
});

SubtaskUnwrapError carries runId, taskId, and cause. For fan-out use childTask.batchTriggerAndWait([{ payload: a }, { payload: b }]); the result has a .runs array, each entry { ok, id, output?, error?, taskIdentifier }.

4. Trigger from backend code with a type-only import

Outside a task, import the task type only and trigger by id. Do not import the task instance into backend bundles.

import { tasks } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";
import type { emailSequence } from "~/trigger/emails";

const handle = await tasks.trigger<typeof emailSequence>(
  "email-sequence",
  { to: "a@b.com", name: "Ada" },
  { delay: "1h" }
);

tasks.batchTrigger and batch.trigger([{ id, payload }]) cover batches. Trigger options include delay, ttl, idempotencyKey, idempotencyKeyTTL, debounce, queue, concurrencyKey, maxAttempts, tags, metadata, priority, region, and machine. Inspect runs with runs.retrieve, runs.cancel, and runs.reschedule.

5. Idempotency keys

idempotencyKeys.create(key, { scope }) returns a 64-char hashed key. A raw string key defaults to "run" scope (v4.3.1+); for once-ever behavior use scope: "global".

import { idempotencyKeys, task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export const processOrder = task({
  id: "process-order",
  run: async (payload: { orderId: string; email: string }) => {
    const key = await idempotencyKeys.create(`confirm-${payload.orderId}`);
    await sendEmail.trigger({ to: payload.email }, { idempotencyKey: key });
  },
});

6. Waits and run metadata

wait.for({ seconds }) and wait.until({ date }) durably pause the run. metadata.* is readable and writable only inside run(); updates are synchronous and chainable (set, del, replace, append, remove, increment, decrement).

import { task, metadata, wait } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export const importer = task({
  id: "importer",
  run: async (payload: { rows: unknown[] }) => {
    metadata.set("status", "processing").set("total", payload.rows.length);
    await wait.for({ seconds: 5 });
    metadata.set("status", "complete");
  },
});

For human-in-the-loop, wait.createToken({ timeout, tags }) returns { id, url, publicAccessToken, ... }; resume with wait.forToken<T>(token: string | { id: string }) which returns { ok, output?, error? } (or .unwrap()), and complete it elsewhere with wait.completeToken(tokenId, output). Metadata max is 256KB and is not propagated to child tasks; push values to a parent with metadata.parent.* / metadata.root.*. (metadata.stream is deprecated since 4.1.0 in favor of streams.pipe().)

7. Scheduled (cron) tasks

import { schedules } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export const dailyReport = schedules.task({
  id: "daily-report",
  cron: { pattern: "0 5 * * *", timezone: "Asia/Tokyo" },
  run: async (payload) => {
    console.log("scheduled at", payload.timestamp, "next", payload.upcoming);
  },
});

The payload includes timestamp, lastTimestamp, timezone, scheduleId, externalId, and upcoming. Attach schedules dynamically with schedules.create({ task, cron, timezone?, externalId?, deduplicationKey }) (the dedup key is required and per-project), plus retrieve / list / update / activate / deactivate / del / timezones.

8. Queues and concurrency

Set queue: { concurrencyLimit } on a task, or share a queue across tasks:

import { queue, task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export const emails = queue({ name: "emails", concurrencyLimit: 5 });

export const sendEmail = task({ id: "send-email", queue: emails, run: async () => {} });

At trigger time override with { queue: "queue-name" } and add concurrencyKey for per-tenant queues. Manage queues with queues.list / retrieve / pause / resume / overrideConcurrencyLimit / resetConcurrencyLimit.

9. trigger.config.ts essentials

import { defineConfig } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

export default defineConfig({
  project: "<project ref>",
  dirs: ["./trigger"],
  machine: "small-1x",
  retries: {
    enabledInDev: false,
    default: { maxAttempts: 3, factor: 2, minTimeoutInMs: 1000, maxTimeoutInMs: 10000, randomize: true },
  },
});

build.external controls which packages stay out of the bundle. Build extensions (additionalFiles, prismaExtension, puppeteer, playwright, ffmpeg, pythonExtension, aptGet, syncEnvVars, etc.) come from @trigger.dev/build. telemetry configures instrumentations and exporters. Each extension has its own setup doc, all bundled under @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/config/extensions/ (start with overview.mdx); read the one you need before wiring it up rather than guessing the API.

Logging

logger.debug / log / info / warn / error(message, dataRecord?) write structured logs; logger.trace(name, async (span) => {...}) adds a span. Module-level metrics use otel.metrics.getMeter(name).

Common mistakes

1. CRITICAL: Treating the wait result as the output. triggerAndWait and wait.forToken return a Result object, not the raw output.

   • Wrong: const out = await childTask.triggerAndWait(p); use(out.foo);
   • Correct: const r = await childTask.triggerAndWait(p); if (r.ok) use(r.output.foo); (or .unwrap()).

2. Wrapping triggerAndWait / batchTriggerAndWait / wait in Promise.all.

   • Wrong: await Promise.all([childTask.triggerAndWait(a), childTask.triggerAndWait(b)]);
   • Correct: await childTask.batchTriggerAndWait([{ payload: a }, { payload: b }]); (or a sequential for-loop).

3. Importing the task instance into backend code.

   • Wrong: import { emailSequence } from "~/trigger/emails"; in a route handler.
   • Correct: import type { emailSequence } plus tasks.trigger<typeof emailSequence>("email-sequence", payload).

4. Calling metadata.set/get outside run().

   • Wrong: setting metadata at module scope or in unrelated backend code (a no-op; get returns undefined).
   • Correct: call inside run() or a task lifecycle hook.

5. Assuming child tasks inherit the parent's queue or metadata.

   • Wrong: expecting a subtask to share the parent's concurrencyLimit or see its metadata.
   • Correct: subtasks run on their own queue; pass metadata explicitly via { metadata: metadata.current() }, or push up with metadata.parent.*.

6. Bundling native/WASM packages.

   • Wrong: leaving sharp, re2, sqlite3, or WASM packages in the default bundle.
   • Correct: add them to build.external in trigger.config.ts.

7. Relying on a raw string idempotency key being global.

   • Wrong: trigger(p, { idempotencyKey: "welcome-email" }) expecting once-ever (true only in v4.3.0 and earlier).
   • Correct: .

References

Sibling skills:

• trigger-realtime-and-frontend for subscribing to runs and triggering from the frontend with React hooks.
• trigger-authoring-chat-agent and trigger-chat-agent-advanced for building AI chat agents.

Reference docs ship beside this skill in the same package, read them locally (no network), pinned to your installed version. The sources: frontmatter above lists every doc this skill draws from, all under @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/. Start with:

• @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/tasks/overview.mdx
• @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/triggering.mdx
• @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/config/config-file.mdx

Version

This skill is bundled inside @trigger.dev/sdk and read directly from node_modules, so it always matches your installed SDK version (see the adjacent package.json). The full documentation for these APIs ships alongside it under @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/.