diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/record.js b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/record.js
index 8fc041c6af..2a8ec79c05 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/record.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/record.js
@@ -182,6 +182,7 @@ exports.destroy = async function(ctx) {
     return
   }
   ctx.body = await db.remove(ctx.params.recordId, ctx.params.revId)
+  ctx.status = 200
   emitEvent(`record:delete`, ctx, record)
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/couchTestUtils.js b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/couchTestUtils.js
index 9183c76517..a22a2a427f 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/couchTestUtils.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/couchTestUtils.js
@@ -67,6 +67,13 @@ exports.createModel = async (request, appId, instanceId, model) => {
   return res.body
 }
 
+exports.getAllFromModel = async (request, appId, instanceId, modelId) => {
+  const res = await request
+    .get(`/api/${modelId}/records`)
+    .set(exports.defaultHeaders(appId, instanceId))
+  return res.body
+}
+
 exports.createView = async (request, appId, instanceId, modelId, view) => {
   view = view || {
     map: "function(doc) { emit(doc[doc.key], doc._id); } ",
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/testUtils.js b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/testUtils.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0e66b47c3d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/testUtils.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+module.exports.delay = ms => new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms))
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/workflow.spec.js b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/workflow.spec.js
index a631955ec2..ce82cf8b13 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/workflow.spec.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/workflow.spec.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ const {
   createApplication,
   createInstance,
   createModel,
+  getAllFromModel,
   defaultHeaders,
   supertest,
   insertDocument,
@@ -10,6 +11,8 @@ const {
   builderEndpointShouldBlockNormalUsers
 } = require("./couchTestUtils")
 
+const { delay } = require("./testUtils")
+
 const TEST_WORKFLOW = {
   _id: "Test Workflow",
   name: "My Workflow",
@@ -37,7 +40,7 @@ describe("/workflows", () => {
   let app
   let instance
   let workflow
-  let model
+  let workflowId
 
   beforeAll(async () => {
     ({ request, server } = await supertest())
@@ -48,7 +51,6 @@ describe("/workflows", () => {
   beforeEach(async () => {
     if (workflow) await destroyDocument(workflow.id)
     instance = await createInstance(request, app._id)
-    model = await createModel(request, app._id, instance._id)
   })
 
   afterAll(async () => {
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ describe("/workflows", () => {
     workflow = await insertDocument(instance._id, {
       type: "workflow",
       ...TEST_WORKFLOW
-    });
+    })
     workflow = { ...workflow, ...TEST_WORKFLOW }
   }
 
@@ -113,21 +115,14 @@ describe("/workflows", () => {
   describe("create", () => {
     it("should setup the workflow fully", () => {
       let trigger = TRIGGER_DEFINITIONS["RECORD_SAVED"]
-      trigger.inputs.modelId = model._id
       trigger.id = "wadiawdo34"
       let saveAction = ACTION_DEFINITIONS["SAVE_RECORD"]
       saveAction.inputs.record = {
-        modelId: model._id,
-        name: "Testing",
+        name: "{{trigger.name}}",
       }
       saveAction.id = "awde444wk"
-      let deleteAction = ACTION_DEFINITIONS["DELETE_RECORD"]
-      deleteAction.inputs.id = "{{blocks[1].id}}"
-      deleteAction.inputs.revision = "{{blocks[1].revision}}"
-      deleteAction.id = "78MOt8nQO"
 
       TEST_WORKFLOW.definition.steps.push(saveAction)
-      TEST_WORKFLOW.definition.steps.push(deleteAction)
       TEST_WORKFLOW.definition.trigger = trigger
     })
 
@@ -139,8 +134,10 @@ describe("/workflows", () => {
         .expect('Content-Type', /json/)
         .expect(200)
 
-        expect(res.body.message).toEqual("Workflow created successfully");
-        expect(res.body.workflow.name).toEqual("My Workflow");
+      expect(res.body.message).toEqual("Workflow created successfully")
+      expect(res.body.workflow.name).toEqual("My Workflow")
+      expect(res.body.workflow._id).not.toEqual(null)
+      workflowId = res.body.workflow._id
     })
 
     it("should apply authorization to endpoint", async () => {
@@ -155,12 +152,34 @@ describe("/workflows", () => {
     })
   })
 
+  describe("trigger", () => {
+    it("trigger the workflow successfully", async () => {
+      let model = await createModel(request, app._id, instance._id)
+      TEST_WORKFLOW.definition.trigger.inputs.modelId = model._id
+      TEST_WORKFLOW.definition.steps[0].inputs.record.modelId = model._id
+      await createWorkflow()
+      const res = await request
+        .post(`/api/workflows/${workflow._id}/trigger`)
+        .send({ name: "Test", description: "Test" })
+        .set(defaultHeaders(app._id, instance._id))
+        .expect('Content-Type', /json/)
+        .expect(200)
+      expect(res.body.message).toEqual(`Workflow ${workflow._id} has been triggered.`)
+      expect(res.body.workflow.name).toEqual(TEST_WORKFLOW.name)
+      // wait for workflow to complete in background
+      await delay(500)
+      let elements = await getAllFromModel(request, app._id, instance._id, model._id)
+      expect(elements.length).toEqual(1)
+      expect(elements[0].name).toEqual("Test")
+    })
+  })
+
   describe("update", () => {
     it("updates a workflows data", async () => {
-      await createWorkflow();
+      await createWorkflow()
       workflow._id = workflow.id
       workflow._rev = workflow.rev
-      workflow.name = "Updated Name";
+      workflow.name = "Updated Name"
       workflow.type = "workflow"
 
       const res = await request
@@ -170,21 +189,21 @@ describe("/workflows", () => {
         .expect('Content-Type', /json/)
         .expect(200)
 
-        expect(res.body.message).toEqual("Workflow Test Workflow updated successfully.");
-        expect(res.body.workflow.name).toEqual("Updated Name");
+        expect(res.body.message).toEqual("Workflow Test Workflow updated successfully.")
+        expect(res.body.workflow.name).toEqual("Updated Name")
     })
   })
 
   describe("fetch", () => {
     it("return all the workflows for an instance", async () => {
-      await createWorkflow();
+      await createWorkflow()
       const res = await request
         .get(`/api/workflows`)
         .set(defaultHeaders(app._id, instance._id))
         .expect('Content-Type', /json/)
         .expect(200)
 
-        expect(res.body[0]).toEqual(expect.objectContaining(TEST_WORKFLOW));
+        expect(res.body[0]).toEqual(expect.objectContaining(TEST_WORKFLOW))
     })
 
     it("should apply authorization to endpoint", async () => {
@@ -200,18 +219,18 @@ describe("/workflows", () => {
 
   describe("destroy", () => {
     it("deletes a workflow by its ID", async () => {
-      await createWorkflow();
+      await createWorkflow()
       const res = await request
         .delete(`/api/workflows/${workflow.id}/${workflow.rev}`)
         .set(defaultHeaders(app._id, instance._id))
         .expect('Content-Type', /json/)
         .expect(200)
 
-        expect(res.body.id).toEqual(TEST_WORKFLOW._id);
+        expect(res.body.id).toEqual(TEST_WORKFLOW._id)
     })
 
     it("should apply authorization to endpoint", async () => {
-      await createWorkflow();
+      await createWorkflow()
       await builderEndpointShouldBlockNormalUsers({
         request,
         method: "DELETE",
@@ -221,4 +240,4 @@ describe("/workflows", () => {
       })
     })
   })
-});
+})
diff --git a/packages/server/src/workflows/thread.js b/packages/server/src/workflows/thread.js
index 8d754ded56..0c897761a6 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/workflows/thread.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/workflows/thread.js
@@ -2,11 +2,34 @@ const mustache = require("mustache")
 const actions = require("./actions")
 const logic = require("./logic")
 
+function cleanMustache(string) {
+  let charToReplace = {
+    "[": ".",
+    "]": "",
+  }
+  let regex = new RegExp(/{{[^}}]*}}/g)
+  let match
+  while ((match = regex.exec(string)) !== null) {
+    let baseIdx = string.indexOf(match)
+    for (let key of Object.keys(charToReplace)) {
+      let idxChar = match[0].indexOf(key)
+      if (idxChar !== -1) {
+        string =
+          string.slice(baseIdx, baseIdx + idxChar) +
+          charToReplace[key] +
+          string.slice(baseIdx + idxChar + 1)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return string
+}
+
 function recurseMustache(inputs, context) {
-  for (let key in Object.keys(inputs)) {
+  for (let key of Object.keys(inputs)) {
     let val = inputs[key]
     if (typeof val === "string") {
-      inputs[key] = mustache.render(val, { context })
+      val = cleanMustache(inputs[key])
+      inputs[key] = mustache.render(val, context)
     }
     // this covers objects and arrays
     else if (typeof val === "object") {
@@ -24,8 +47,8 @@ function recurseMustache(inputs, context) {
 class Orchestrator {
   constructor(workflow, triggerOutput) {
     this._instanceId = triggerOutput.instanceId
-    // block zero is never used as the mustache is zero indexed for customer facing
-    this._context = { blocks: [{}], trigger: triggerOutput }
+    // step zero is never used as the mustache is zero indexed for customer facing
+    this._context = { steps: [{}], trigger: triggerOutput }
     this._workflow = workflow
   }
 
@@ -44,15 +67,15 @@ class Orchestrator {
 
   async execute() {
     let workflow = this._workflow
-    for (let block of workflow.definition.steps) {
-      let stepFn = await this.getStepFunctionality(block.type, block.stepId)
-      block.inputs = recurseMustache(block.inputs, this._context)
+    for (let step of workflow.definition.steps) {
+      let stepFn = await this.getStepFunctionality(step.type, step.stepId)
+      step.inputs = recurseMustache(step.inputs, this._context)
       // instanceId is always passed
       const outputs = await stepFn({
-        inputs: block.inputs,
+        inputs: step.inputs,
         instanceId: this._instanceId,
       })
-      this._context.blocks.push(outputs)
+      this._context.steps.push(outputs)
     }
   }
 }