Iii iii-functions-and-triggers

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/iii-hq/iii
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/iii-hq/iii "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/iii-functions-and-triggers" ~/.claude/skills/iii-hq-iii-iii-functions-and-triggers && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: skills/iii-functions-and-triggers/SKILL.md
source content

Functions & Triggers

Comparable to: Serverless function runtimes, Lambda, Cloud Functions

Key Concepts

Use the concepts below when they fit the task. Not every worker needs all of them.

  • A Function is an async handler registered with a unique ID
  • A Trigger binds an event source to a function — types include http, durable:subscriber, cron, state, stream, and subscribe
  • Functions invoke other functions via
    trigger()
    regardless of language or worker location
  • The engine handles serialization, routing, and delivery automatically
  • HTTP-invoked functions wrap external endpoints as callable function IDs
  • Functions can declare request/response formats for documentation and discovery — auto-generated from types in Rust (via
    schemars::JsonSchema
    ) and Python (via type hints / Pydantic), or manually provided in Node.js

Architecture

registerWorker()
connects the worker to the engine,
registerFunction
defines handlers,
registerTrigger
binds event sources to those handlers, and the engine routes incoming events to the correct function. Functions can invoke other functions across workers and languages via
trigger()
.

iii Primitives Used

PrimitivePurpose
registerWorker(url, options?)
Connect worker to engine
registerFunction(id, handler)
Define a function handler
registerTrigger({ type, function_id, config, metadata? })
Bind an event source to a function
trigger({ function_id, payload })
Invoke a function synchronously
trigger({ ..., action: TriggerAction.Void() })
Fire-and-forget invocation
trigger({ ..., action: TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue }) })
Durable async invocation via queue

Reference Implementation

Each reference shows the same patterns (function registration, trigger binding, cross-function invocation) in its respective language.

Common Patterns

Code using this pattern commonly includes, when relevant:

  • registerWorker('ws://localhost:49134', { workerName: 'my-worker' })
    — connect to the engine
  • registerFunction('namespace::name', async (input) => { ... })
    — register a handler
  • registerTrigger({ type: 'http', function_id, config: { api_path, http_method, middleware_function_ids? } })
    — HTTP trigger (with optional middleware)
  • registerTrigger({ type: 'durable:subscriber', function_id, config: { topic } })
    — queue trigger
  • registerTrigger({ type: 'cron', function_id, config: { expression } })
    — cron trigger
  • registerTrigger({ type: 'state', function_id, config: { scope, key } })
    — state change trigger
  • registerTrigger({ type: 'stream', function_id, config: { stream } })
    — stream trigger
  • registerTrigger({ type: 'subscribe', function_id, config: { topic } })
    — pubsub subscriber
  • Cross-language invocation: a TypeScript function can trigger a Python or Rust function by ID
  • registerTrigger({ ..., metadata: { owner: 'team', priority: 'high' } })
    — optional trigger metadata

Request/Response Format (Auto-Registration)

Functions can declare their input/output schemas for documentation and discovery:

  • Rust: Derive
    schemars::JsonSchema
    on handler input/output types —
    RegisterFunction::new()
    auto-generates JSON Schema (Draft 7) from the type
  • Python: Use type hints (Pydantic models or primitives) on handler parameters and return types —
    register_function()
    auto-extracts JSON Schema (Draft 2020-12)
  • Node.js: Pass
    request_format
    /
    response_format
    manually in the registration message (e.g., via Zod's
    toJSONSchema()
    )

Adapting This Pattern

Use the adaptations below when they apply to the task.

  • Replace placeholder handler logic with real business logic (API calls, DB queries, LLM calls)
  • Use
    namespace::name
    convention for function IDs to group related functions
  • For HTTP endpoints, configure
    api_path
    and
    http_method
    in the trigger config
  • For durable async work, use
    TriggerAction.Enqueue({ queue })
    instead of synchronous trigger
  • For fire-and-forget side effects, use
    TriggerAction.Void()
  • Multiple workers in different languages can register functions that invoke each other by ID

Pattern Boundaries

  • For HTTP endpoint specifics (request/response format, path params), prefer
    iii-http-endpoints
    .
  • For queue processing details (retries, concurrency, FIFO), prefer
    iii-queue-processing
    .
  • For cron scheduling details (expressions, timezones), prefer
    iii-cron-scheduling
    .
  • For invocation modes (sync vs void vs enqueue), prefer
    iii-trigger-actions
    .
  • Stay with
    iii-functions-and-triggers
    when the primary problem is registering functions, binding triggers, or cross-language invocation.

When to Use

  • Use this skill when the task is primarily about
    iii-functions-and-triggers
    in the iii engine.
  • Triggers when the request directly asks for this pattern or an equivalent implementation.

Boundaries

  • Never use this skill as a generic fallback for unrelated tasks.
  • You must not apply this skill when a more specific iii skill is a better fit.
  • Always verify environment and safety constraints before applying examples from this skill.