Start free
TriggerActiveCampaignReal-timeUpdated June 2026

When does ActiveCampaign fire the new-contact event?

Short answer: Drop the "ActiveCampaign → Contact Added" trigger on your workflow canvas, add filters if you want them, and publish. It fires within seconds of the event in ActiveCampaign, not on a polling schedule.

Use this triggerAll 5 ActiveCampaign triggers
Anatomy

What this trigger looks like in a workflow.

Drop it on the canvas. Configure a couple of fields. Publish.

In the builder
Trigger
Contact Added
When the matching event happens
contact addedsubscribenew contactnew subscriberwhen a contact is added in activecampaignwatch for contact subscribe
What this trigger returns
for the curious

You don’t need to read this. Tiny Command auto-maps every field into the visual picker so downstream nodes can pull values by clicking. We show it here for power users who want to know what’s on the wire.

{
  "email": "user@example.com",
  "event": "subscribe",
  "phone": "",
  "list_id": "1",
  "last_name": "Doe",
  "contact_id": "678",
  "first_name": "John",
  "occurred_at": "2026-04-11T10:00:00Z"
}
Output shape

Fields available to downstream nodes.

Every field below can be referenced by name in any action or filter that comes after this trigger.

FieldTypeExample
emailstring"user@example.com"
eventstring"subscribe"
phonestring""
list_idstring"1"
last_namestring"Doe"
contact_idstring"678"
first_namestring"John"
occurred_atstring"2026-04-11T10:00:00Z"
Pairs with

Drop these actions after Contact Added.

Add Labels to Message
Gmail · Email
Add Reaction
Slack · Communication
Add Sheet Tab
Google Sheets · Spreadsheets & Databases
Create Company
HubSpot · CRM & Sales
FAQ

Questions about Contact Added.

How does the Contact Added trigger work in ActiveCampaign?
Fires when a new contact lands in ActiveCampaign from any source — form submission, API import, manual entry, or CRM sync. Payload includes the full contact record plus the source attribution. The base hook for "new lead in AC → fan out to slack/sheet/CRM" workflows; pair with a downstream filter on tag or list for tighter targeting.
Is the Contact Added trigger real-time?
Yes. Contact Added uses webhooks or push subscriptions, not polling. Your workflow fires within seconds of the event happening in ActiveCampaign.
What data does Contact Added return?
The full event payload from ActiveCampaign. The output shape table on this page lists every field, its type, and an example value so you can map fields into downstream nodes.
Can I filter Contact Added so only some events start a workflow?
Yes. Add a Filter node right after the trigger and match on any field, whether that's subject, sender, status, or anything else in the payload. Workflows only continue when the filter passes.
Do I need ActiveCampaign admin permissions to use Contact Added?
For most ActiveCampaign accounts a standard user can authorize the trigger. Some ActiveCampaign plans require an admin to enable third-party webhooks. Check ActiveCampaign's docs if the trigger fails to register.
More triggers

Other ActiveCampaign triggers.

Trigger
Contact Added to List
Fires when an existing contact is added to a specific ActiveCampaign list (manually or via automation). Differs from Contact Added in that it tracks list-membership changes rather than contact creation — useful when your funnel structure is "list = segment" and you care about the moment of segment entry.
Trigger
Deal Created
Fires when a new deal is created in the ActiveCampaign CRM, either manually or via automation. Payload includes deal value, currency, pipeline, stage, owner, and the associated contact. The opportunity-creation hook for "log deal to finance sheet, ping owner in Slack, notify the BDR" fan-out workflows.
Trigger
Deal Updated
Fires on any change to an existing deal — stage transition, value change, owner reassignment, custom-field edit. For stage-specific reactions (e.g., only fire on "moved to Negotiation"), the workflow needs to inspect the payload's stage field and short-circuit when the change doesn't match.
Trigger
Tag Added to Contact
Fires whenever a tag is added to a contact — by automation, by manual edit, or by API. The cleanest signal for behaviour-driven workflows since ActiveCampaign's tag system is the typical place where qualification status, engagement level, or product interest gets recorded. Configure the trigger to a specific tag for tight scoping.

Build a workflow on this trigger.

One trigger. 11+ downstream actions. Zero glue.

Try for freeRequest a demo