diff --git a/packages/server/src/automations/tests/utilities/AutomationTestBuilder.ts b/packages/server/src/automations/tests/utilities/AutomationTestBuilder.ts
index 830d2ee5ca..50527d97af 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/automations/tests/utilities/AutomationTestBuilder.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/automations/tests/utilities/AutomationTestBuilder.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import { v4 as uuidv4 } from "uuid"
-import { testAutomation } from "../../../api/routes/tests/utilities/TestFunctions"
 import { BUILTIN_ACTION_DEFINITIONS } from "../../actions"
 import { TRIGGER_DEFINITIONS } from "../../triggers"
 import {
@@ -7,7 +6,6 @@ import {
   AppActionTriggerOutputs,
   Automation,
   AutomationActionStepId,
-  AutomationResults,
   AutomationStep,
   AutomationStepInputs,
   AutomationTrigger,
@@ -24,6 +22,7 @@ import {
   ExecuteQueryStepInputs,
   ExecuteScriptStepInputs,
   FilterStepInputs,
+  isDidNotTriggerResponse,
   LoopStepInputs,
   OpenAIStepInputs,
   QueryRowsStepInputs,
@@ -36,6 +35,7 @@ import {
   SearchFilters,
   ServerLogStepInputs,
   SmtpEmailStepInputs,
+  TestAutomationRequest,
   UpdateRowStepInputs,
   WebhookTriggerInputs,
   WebhookTriggerOutputs,
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ class StepBuilder extends BaseStepBuilder {
 class AutomationBuilder extends BaseStepBuilder {
   private automationConfig: Automation
   private config: TestConfiguration
-  private triggerOutputs: any
+  private triggerOutputs: TriggerOutputs
   private triggerSet = false
 
   constructor(
@@ -398,21 +398,19 @@ class AutomationBuilder extends BaseStepBuilder {
 
   async run() {
     const automation = await this.save()
-    const results = await testAutomation(
-      this.config,
-      automation,
-      this.triggerOutputs
+    const response = await this.config.api.automation.test(
+      automation._id!,
+      this.triggerOutputs as TestAutomationRequest
     )
-    return this.processResults(results)
-  }
 
-  private processResults(results: {
-    body: AutomationResults
-  }): AutomationResults {
-    results.body.steps.shift()
+    if (isDidNotTriggerResponse(response)) {
+      throw new Error(response.message)
+    }
+
+    response.steps.shift()
     return {
-      trigger: results.body.trigger,
-      steps: results.body.steps,
+      trigger: response.trigger,
+      steps: response.steps,
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.ts b/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.ts
index 67d2dcb911..a9317772d9 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import {
   AutomationRowEvent,
   UserBindings,
   AutomationResults,
+  DidNotTriggerResponse,
 } from "@budibase/types"
 import { executeInThread } from "../threads/automation"
 import { dataFilters, sdk } from "@budibase/shared-core"
@@ -33,14 +34,6 @@ const JOB_OPTS = {
 import * as automationUtils from "../automations/automationUtils"
 import { doesTableExist } from "../sdk/app/tables/getters"
 
-type DidNotTriggerResponse = {
-  outputs: {
-    success: false
-    status: AutomationStatus.STOPPED
-  }
-  message: AutomationStoppedReason.TRIGGER_FILTER_NOT_MET
-}
-
 async function getAllAutomations() {
   const db = context.getAppDB()
   let automations = await db.allDocs<Automation>(
@@ -156,14 +149,26 @@ export function isAutomationResults(
   )
 }
 
+interface AutomationTriggerParams {
+  fields: Record<string, any>
+  timeout?: number
+  appId?: string
+  user?: UserBindings
+}
+
 export async function externalTrigger(
   automation: Automation,
-  params: {
-    fields: Record<string, any>
-    timeout?: number
-    appId?: string
-    user?: UserBindings
-  },
+  params: AutomationTriggerParams,
+  options: { getResponses: true }
+): Promise<AutomationResults | DidNotTriggerResponse>
+export async function externalTrigger(
+  automation: Automation,
+  params: AutomationTriggerParams,
+  options?: { getResponses: false }
+): Promise<AutomationJob | DidNotTriggerResponse>
+export async function externalTrigger(
+  automation: Automation,
+  params: AutomationTriggerParams,
   { getResponses }: { getResponses?: boolean } = {}
 ): Promise<AutomationResults | DidNotTriggerResponse | AutomationJob> {
   if (automation.disabled) {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/api/automation.ts b/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/api/automation.ts
index 9d9a27e891..6041664999 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/api/automation.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/api/automation.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-import { Automation, FetchAutomationResponse } from "@budibase/types"
+import {
+  Automation,
+  FetchAutomationResponse,
+  TestAutomationRequest,
+  TestAutomationResponse,
+  TestAutomationStepRequest,
+  TestAutomationStepResponse,
+} from "@budibase/types"
 import { Expectations, TestAPI } from "./base"
 
 export class AutomationAPI extends TestAPI {
@@ -33,4 +40,33 @@ export class AutomationAPI extends TestAPI {
     })
     return result
   }
+
+  test = async (
+    id: string,
+    body: TestAutomationRequest,
+    expectations?: Expectations
+  ): Promise<TestAutomationResponse> => {
+    return await this._post<TestAutomationResponse>(
+      `/api/automations/${id}/test`,
+      {
+        body,
+        expectations,
+      }
+    )
+  }
+
+  testStep = async (
+    id: string,
+    stepId: string,
+    body: TestAutomationStepRequest,
+    expectations?: Expectations
+  ): Promise<TestAutomationStepResponse> => {
+    return await this._post<TestAutomationStepResponse>(
+      `/api/automations/${id}/steps/${stepId}/test`,
+      {
+        body,
+        expectations,
+      }
+    )
+  }
 }
diff --git a/packages/types/src/api/web/app/automation.ts b/packages/types/src/api/web/app/automation.ts
index 572e6499b6..edff4b5eaf 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/api/web/app/automation.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/api/web/app/automation.ts
@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@ import {
   Automation,
   AutomationActionStepId,
   AutomationLogPage,
+  AutomationResults,
   AutomationStatus,
   AutomationStepDefinition,
   AutomationTriggerDefinition,
   AutomationTriggerStepId,
+  DidNotTriggerResponse,
   Row,
 } from "../../../documents"
 import { DocumentDestroyResponse } from "@budibase/nano"
@@ -74,7 +76,13 @@ export interface TestAutomationRequest {
   fields: Record<string, any>
   row?: Row
 }
-export interface TestAutomationResponse {}
+export type TestAutomationResponse = AutomationResults | DidNotTriggerResponse
+
+export function isDidNotTriggerResponse(
+  response: TestAutomationResponse
+): response is DidNotTriggerResponse {
+  return !!("message" in response && response.message)
+}
 
 export interface TestAutomationStepRequest {
   inputs: Record<string, any>
diff --git a/packages/types/src/documents/app/automation/automation.ts b/packages/types/src/documents/app/automation/automation.ts
index a7556c2ce3..0314701d72 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/documents/app/automation/automation.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/documents/app/automation/automation.ts
@@ -205,6 +205,14 @@ export interface AutomationResults {
   }[]
 }
 
+export interface DidNotTriggerResponse {
+  outputs: {
+    success: false
+    status: AutomationStatus.STOPPED
+  }
+  message: AutomationStoppedReason.TRIGGER_FILTER_NOT_MET
+}
+
 export interface AutomationLog extends AutomationResults, Document {
   automationName: string
   _rev?: string