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Manual triggers let you run automations on demand. Execute organization-wide updates when you need them, with full control over which repositories or projects to target.

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What are manual triggers

Manual triggers run when you explicitly start them. Use manual triggers for:
  • One-time migrations or updates
  • Testing automations before scheduling them
  • Changes that need human judgment on timing

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Configure manual triggers

When creating an automation with a manual trigger, choose your target scope. Projects vs Repositories:
  • Use Projects for repetitive tasks on well-known repositories that are already organized and don’t require extensive large-scale changes
  • Use Repositories when performing large-scale migrations, acting on many targets simultaneously or you don’t have a project set up yet (e.g., thousands of repositories)
Best practice: Create projects in Ona before setting up automations. Projects let you organize repositories and reuse those definitions across multiple automations.

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Target projects

Run the automation across all repositories in selected projects:
  1. Select Projects as the target type
  2. Choose one or more projects from the list
  3. The automation will run on all repositories within those projects
Example: Apply a new coding standard across a specific set of projects where you know the coding standards should apply. Manual trigger configuration with project selection

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Target repositories

Run the automation on specific repositories matching your criteria:
  1. Select Repositories as the target type
  2. Select an environment class for the automation to use
  3. Enter a search query to filter repositories
Search query examples:
  • backend - Matches repositories with “backend” in the owner or repository name (e.g., “backend-api”, “user-backend”, “acme/backend-services”)
  • frontend- - Matches repositories starting with “frontend-” (e.g., “frontend-web”, “frontend-mobile”)
  • api - Matches all repositories containing “api” (e.g., “payment-api”, “user-api”, “api-gateway”)
  • myorg/ - Matches all repositories under the “myorg” organization
Partial matches work across owner and repository names. The search follows your SCM provider’s search capabilities. Learn more about search syntax: Manual trigger configuration with repository search

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Running via UI

After creating a manual automation:
  1. Navigate to Automations in the left panel
  2. Find your automation in the list and click it
  3. Click Run to start execution
The automation executes across all selected repositories in parallel.

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Use cases

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Organization-wide policy updates

Apply new policies or standards when they’re defined: Example: Update all repositories to use the new CI/CD template
  • Target: All projects or repositories in the organization
  • Trigger: Manual (run once after policy approval)
  • Result: Consistent configuration across all repositories

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Targeted refactoring

Execute code changes on specific repositories: Example: Migrate authentication library in backend services
  • Target: Repositories matching “backend-*”
  • Trigger: Manual (run after testing on one repository)
  • Result: Controlled rollout with ability to pause

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Documentation standardization

Update documentation across multiple repositories: Example: Add security policy to all public repositories
  • Target: Repositories with specific tags
  • Trigger: Manual (run when policy is finalized)
  • Result: Compliance across all public-facing code

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Next steps