What Are PushFTP Triggers?
Triggers are events that start a Zapier workflow. PushFTP offers two triggers: New File Detected and Transfer Failed. Together, they let you react to file arrivals and catch problems automatically — without polling from your own code or checking dashboards manually.
All connections run through PushFTP's fixed IP address, so your servers only need one IP in the allow list regardless of how many triggers you set up.
The Two Triggers
New File Detected
Fires when a new or modified file appears in a watched folder. This is your primary trigger for building file-driven workflows.
Use it when:
- Clients upload files to your SFTP server
- An export job drops CSV files into a folder
- Images or documents arrive for processing
- Data feeds update on a schedule
Transfer Failed
Fires when any file transfer on your account fails. This is your monitoring trigger — it keeps you informed when things break.
Use it when:
- You need alerts for failed uploads or downloads
- You want to build auto-retry logic
- You're tracking reliability across connections
Setting Up New File Detected
Step 1: Configure a Watched Folder
In PushFTP, go to Connections → (your connection) → Watched Folders and add a path:
Path: /incoming/data
Poll Interval: 5 minutes
PushFTP polls this folder at the specified interval. When a file appears that wasn't there during the last poll, it triggers the event.
Step 2: Create the Zap
In Zapier:
- New Zap → Trigger app: PushFTP
- Trigger event: New File Detected
- Select your account and connection
- Choose the watched folder
Step 3: Build the Workflow
The trigger provides the filename, path, size, and modification time. Use these in your action steps:
Filename: report-2025-01-15.csv
Path: /incoming/data/report-2025-01-15.csv
Size: 102400
Modified: 2025-01-15T08:00:00Z
Common action chains:
Download and email:
PushFTP: Download File → Gmail: Send Email (with attachment)
Parse and store:
PushFTP: Read File → Google Sheets: Create Row
Process and archive:
PushFTP: Download File → (your processing step) → PushFTP: Move File to /archive/
Check the Zapier integration guide for step-by-step action setup.
Setting Up Transfer Failed
This trigger needs no additional configuration in PushFTP — it monitors all transfers across all connections automatically.
Step 1: Create the Zap
- New Zap → Trigger app: PushFTP
- Trigger event: Transfer Failed
- Select your account
Step 2: Route the Alert
The trigger provides the connection name, operation type, file path, and error message:
Connection: Production SFTP
Operation: upload
Path: /uploads/invoice.pdf
Error: Permission denied
Failed At: 2025-01-15T14:30:00Z
Route it wherever you need:
Email:
Gmail → Send Email
Subject: ⚠️ Transfer failed on {{connection_name}}
Body: {{operation}} failed for {{path}}: {{error}}
Spreadsheet log:
Google Sheets → Create Row
Columns: Date | Connection | Operation | Path | Error
Webhook:
Webhooks by Zapier → POST to your monitoring endpoint
Poll-Based vs. Webhook-Based Detection
PushFTP's New File Detected trigger uses polling. PushFTP checks the folder at your configured interval and compares the file listing to the previous check. This means:
- Detection speed depends on your poll interval (1-60 minutes)
- No server-side configuration needed — PushFTP does the polling
- Works with any SFTP/FTP/S3 server — no special features required
If you need faster detection, set a shorter poll interval. On paid plans, polls don't count against any quota, so aggressive polling is fine.
PushFTP also supports webhooks as a separate feature. You can configure PushFTP to POST to a URL when file events happen — useful for Make, n8n, or custom backends that don't use Zapier.
Combining Both Triggers
The most complete setup uses both triggers together:
Zap 1 — File Processing:
Trigger: New File Detected (watched folder: /incoming/)
Action 1: PushFTP → Download File
Action 2: Your processing logic
Action 3: PushFTP → Move File to /processed/
Zap 2 — Failure Monitoring:
Trigger: Transfer Failed
Action: Email alert to ops team
Zap 1 handles the happy path. Zap 2 catches anything that goes wrong — including failures in Zap 1's actions. Together, they give you a complete, monitored file pipeline.
Real-World Examples
Invoice Processing
A client uploads invoices to /incoming/invoices/ on your SFTP server. PushFTP detects the new file, your Zap downloads it, extracts data with a parser, creates a row in your accounting spreadsheet, and moves the file to /processed/invoices/.
Data Feed Ingestion
A partner drops daily CSV exports in /feeds/daily/. PushFTP detects each file, your Zap reads the contents, pushes rows to your database via webhook, and deletes the source file.
Media Distribution
A photographer uploads images to /uploads/photos/. PushFTP detects them, your Zap downloads each image and forwards it to your CMS or CDN via API. The upload documentation covers how to use filename templates for organized storage.
Triggers turn passive file storage into active automation. Instead of checking folders or polling APIs, your workflows start the moment something happens — a file lands, a transfer breaks. Set it up once and let it run.
FAQ
Can I trigger on specific file types only?
PushFTP triggers on all new files in the watched folder. To filter by file type, add a Zapier filter step after the trigger: "Only continue if filename contains .csv" (or .pdf, .jpg, etc.).
How many watched folders can I have?
There's no hard limit on watched folders per connection. Add as many as your workflow needs. Each folder polls independently.
Do triggers work with S3 connections?
Yes. Both triggers work with SFTP, FTP, and S3 connections. For S3, specify the bucket prefix as the watched folder path.
What happens if PushFTP can't reach my server during a poll?
The poll fails silently — no false triggers. PushFTP will try again at the next interval. If the connectivity issue persists and you have active transfers, the Transfer Failed trigger will fire for those.
Put It Together
Triggers are the entry point for file automation. They answer the question "when should something happen?" — and the answer is either "when a file arrives" or "when something breaks." Start with one trigger, get it working, then expand. Every PushFTP connection uses the same static IP, so adding more watched folders or connections doesn't require any firewall changes.