Background Job

Background Job Patterns

Patterns for background processing in the Composable Stack using Trigger.dev (durable tasks) and n8n (workflow automation).

Choosing the Right Service

Trigger.dev Task Patterns

Basic Background Task

import { task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";

export const processOrder = task({
  id: "process-order",
  retry: { maxAttempts: 3 },
  run: async (payload: { orderId: number }) => {
    // 1. Fetch order data from NocoDB
    // 2. Process payment
    // 3. Update order status
    // 4. Return result
    return { success: true, orderId: payload.orderId };
  },
});

Queue-Based Processing

import { task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";

export const sendEmail = task({
  id: "send-email",
  queue: { name: "email-queue", concurrencyLimit: 5 },
  retry: { maxAttempts: 3 },
  run: async (payload: { to: string; subject: string; body: string }) => {
    // Send email with rate limiting via queue
  },
});

Scheduled Task

import { schedules } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";

export const dailyReport = schedules.task({
  id: "daily-report",
  cron: "0 9 * * *", // 9 AM daily
  run: async () => {
    // 1. Query NocoDB for daily stats
    // 2. Generate report
    // 3. Send via n8n webhook or email
  },
});

Orchestrator Pattern

import { task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";

export const processNewUser = task({
  id: "process-new-user",
  run: async (payload: { userId: number }) => {
    // Run subtasks in parallel
    const [profile, welcome, sync] = await Promise.all([
      createUserProfile.triggerAndWait({ userId: payload.userId }),
      sendWelcomeEmail.triggerAndWait({ userId: payload.userId }),
      syncToCRM.triggerAndWait({ userId: payload.userId }),
    ]);

    return { profile, welcome, sync };
  },
});

n8n Workflow Patterns

Scheduled Data Sync

[Schedule Trigger] → [Query NocoDB] → [Transform Data] → [HTTP: External API] → [Update NocoDB Status]

Webhook-Triggered Processing

[Webhook] → [Validate Payload] → [Switch: Event Type] →
  ├─ [Create Path] → [Process New Record] → [Respond 200]
  ├─ [Update Path] → [Sync Changes] → [Respond 200]
  └─ [Delete Path] → [Cleanup] → [Respond 200]

Error Recovery Workflow

[Error Trigger] → [Log to NocoDB Error Table] → [Check Retry Count] →
  ├─ [< Max Retries] → [Wait 5min] → [Retry Original Workflow]
  └─ [>= Max Retries] → [Send Alert Notification]

Triggering Tasks via MCP

Start a Trigger.dev Task

Tool: mcp__trigger-dev__trigger_task
Input: {
  "taskId": "process-order",
  "payload": { "orderId": 123 }
}

Monitor a Run

Tool: mcp__trigger-dev__get_run_details
Input: { "runId": "run_xxx" }

Execute an n8n Workflow

Use the n8n native MCP or call a webhook directly.

Error Handling Strategy

1. Task-level retries — Trigger.dev retry.maxAttempts for transient failures
2. Workflow-level error trigger — n8n Error Trigger node for workflow failures
3. Dead letter queue — store failed jobs in NocoDB failed_jobs table
4. Status tracking — update a job_status field: queued → running → completed / failed
5. Alerting — notify via n8n on critical failures (Slack, email)

Best Practices

• Use Trigger.dev for anything that takes >30 seconds
• Use n8n for visual workflows with multiple integration points
• Always include a job_status field in NocoDB tables that trigger background jobs
• Use idempotency keys to prevent duplicate processing
• Log all background job results to a NocoDB table for auditability
• Set appropriate machine presets in Trigger.dev for resource-intensive tasks
• Use Trigger.dev queues with concurrency limits for rate-sensitive operations