Introduction
Every automation in Level includes a manual trigger. You can't remove it. It's always there, and it's what lets you push any device through an automation on demand — regardless of what other triggers are configured.
Think of it as the "run this now, on this device" escape hatch for every automation you build.
Manual Trigger
The manual trigger sits at the top of every automation pipeline, above any scheduled or event-based triggers. When a device enters through the manual trigger, it follows the same action sequence as any other trigger — the only difference is that you initiated it directly.
Devices added manually enter the automation immediately. Once they're in, they flow through the action pipeline in real time — you can watch their progress from the same view.
ℹ️ NOTE: The manual trigger can't be disabled or removed. Every automation has one.
Adding Devices to an Automation
There are 3 ways to add devices via the manual trigger.
From the Automation Pipeline
Open the automation and locate the manual trigger at the top of the pipeline.
Click + Add a device.
In the sidebar that opens, select from the Recent devices list or use the search field to find a specific device.
Click the + button next to each device you want to add.
Once you add a device, an Added! confirmation appears inline. The sidebar stays open so you can add more devices before closing.
From the Actions Menu
Open the automation.
Click Actions in the top-right corner.
Select Add a device.
This opens the same sidebar as above.
From the Device Listing
This method is best when you want to add a batch of devices at once.
Navigate to Devices and select the target device group from the left panel.
Search and filter to narrow down the devices you want.
Select the devices using their checkboxes.
Click Actions in the toolbar and choose Run automation.
Select the automation from the list.
💡 TIP: This is the fastest way to kick off an automation across a large, filtered set of devices — for example, all devices in the Executive group or devices with a specific tag.
Watching Device Progress
Once a device enters the automation, its OS icon appears next to the trigger that caused it to run. For devices added via the manual trigger, the icon appears next to the manual trigger card.
As the automation runs, the device icon moves through the actions in the automation, showing where in the workflow the device currently is.
To see more detail, click the device icon to open the run panel on the right. This shows:
Source — what initiated the run (e.g., "Manual run by [technician name]")
Start time and End time
Total duration and current Status
Workflow progress — each action with its current state (Running, Completed, Failed)
Output and Input tabs for the active action
You can cancel an in-progress run from this panel using Cancel run.
ℹ️ NOTE: The Active devices counter at the bottom of the left sidebar updates in real time as devices enter and complete the automation.
FAQ
Can I add the same device to an automation that's already running on it? A device can only have one active run per trigger at a time. If the device is already running through the automation via the manual trigger, it won't be queued a second time until the current run completes.
Who can manually trigger an automation? Any technician with permission to access the device and the automation. If you can see the automation and the device, you can add it. Permissions are configured at the group level — see Workspace → Permissions for details.
The device I'm looking for isn't in the "Recent devices" list. Where is it? The recent devices list shows devices that have previously run through this automation. For any other device, use the search field in the Add a device sidebar — it searches your full device inventory.
I added a device but nothing seems to be happening. What's wrong? Check the device's online status. Offline devices wait to run until they come back online — you'll see the device icon appear greyed out next to the action it's waiting on, and the output will show "Waiting until the device comes online." The Active devices panel at the bottom-left will also reflect this under When next online.
Can I add devices to a specific trigger other than the manual trigger? Devices added manually always enter through the manual trigger. Other triggers (scheduled, device event, etc.) add devices automatically based on their conditions — you don't assign devices to those directly.