Google Drive Trigger Not Auto-Triggering on File Upload
Hi everyone,
I have a self-hosted n8n workflow called Automatic Invoice Notifier.
It uses a Google Drive Trigger that watches a folder called “Invoice”
for new PDF files (polls every minute, event: File Created).
The Problem
When I publish the workflow and upload a new PDF to the watched folder — nothing happens automatically.
The only way I can get an execution to run is by manually clicking the
“Execute Workflow” button first. After I do that, THEN upload a file — it works.
But that defeats the purpose of automation. I want it to trigger automatically
when a new file is uploaded, without me having to click anything.
My Setup
Setting
Value
Trigger
Google Drive Trigger
Poll Frequency
Every minute
Event
File Created
Workflow Status
Published
Hosting
Self-hosted on VPS
My Question
Is there a setting I am missing that makes the trigger run automatically
without needing to manually click Execute first?
Hi @nkaka Welcome!
Google services only track latest events in n8n only when the workflow is published not in testing or unpublished flow as then it fetches old info, so basically any file added before or even in the middle of activation would not be detected, so just publish your flow wait for some time then try to test things using the published trigger, refer these for more info about this:
However I have already tested this and confirmed that PM2 is not the issue.
Here is my proof:
I added a Schedule Trigger to a test workflow and it fired automatically every minute without me clicking anything.
This means n8n is already running in the background correctly on my VPS.
The problem is specifically with the Google Drive Trigger.
When I upload a new file to the watched folder — the Google Drive Trigger does not fire automatically even though the workflow is Published and Active.
But a Schedule Trigger in the same workflow fires perfectly.
Is this a known bug with the Google Drive Trigger node in self-hosted n8n?
@nkaka your google credentials did not expired they are just in testing mode which usually expires in 7 days, set that to Production and they would not expire, Yes i mentioned the right thing in my previous response, that you need the flows to be published and google cloud console app in production mode, consider doing that and let me know if that works.
It seems your n8n instance is running fine since Schedule triggers are firing. The issue is likely how the Google Drive Trigger detects new files.
The Drive trigger relies on polling and only sees the files that appear after the polling window. If a file is uploaded when the workflow is inactive, during credential refresh, or before the first successful poll cycle completes, it may be treated as an “existing” file and not a “Created” event.
A few things you can check:
-Make sure the workflow stays “Active continuously” (do not turn off for testing)
-Wait one full poll interval after activating before uploading something
-Confirm the file is uploaded directly to the folder you are watching and not moved afterward.
-If you are using a Shared Drive, make sure the Drive is explicitly selected in the node.
If you want to make it more reliable to detect file changes, switch the trigger to “File Updated” which can sometimes catch uploads that are missed by “File Created”.
how the PDF is being added to the folder (uploaded directly in the Google Drive web UI vs synced via Drive for Desktop vs moved/copied in from another folder)? because that difference often correlates with the Drive Trigger not firing reliably.
The Problem
My Setup
My Question
