Automation
File Watcher
Starts the flow whenever a file arrives (or changes) in a folder — on the server, in My files, in Google Drive, or a folder your computer shares through the desktop agent — with the file's path as $file_path.
When to use it
Use it when files land at unpredictable times and should be processed as soon as they arrive.
In a pipeline
File WatcherFile InputExport CSV
Settings
| Setting | Type | Required | Default or hint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folder | text | Yes | drop |
| File pattern | text | — | * |
| Start on | select | — | created |
Example
A new file in drop
- Folder=drop
- File pattern=*.csv
- Start on=A new file
| File Name | File Path | Event | Detected At |
|---|---|---|---|
| orders.csv | drop/orders.csv | created | 2026-10-17T07:05:00.000Z |
Worth knowing
- Save the flow to start watching. The folder is checked every minute; files already there when the watcher starts do not start runs.
- Each new file starts its own run. Read it with a File Input whose path is $file_path.
- A folder on your computer is checked through the desktop agent, so the agent must be running.
- In a manual run the node shows the newest matching file, so the steps after it can be built and previewed.