diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/automation.js b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/automation.js
index 953b510f26..7261c3a116 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/automation.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/automation.js
@@ -274,7 +274,6 @@ exports.trigger = async function (ctx) {
     ...ctx.request.body,
     appId: ctx.appId,
   })
-  ctx.status = 200
   ctx.body = {
     message: `Automation ${automation._id} has been triggered.`,
     automation,
@@ -282,5 +281,17 @@ exports.trigger = async function (ctx) {
 }
 
 exports.test = async function (ctx) {
-  ctx.body = {}
+  const db = new CouchDB(ctx.appId)
+  let automation = await db.get(ctx.params.id)
+  ctx.body = {
+    automation,
+    responses: await triggers.externalTrigger(
+      automation,
+      {
+        ...ctx.request.body,
+        appId: ctx.appId,
+      },
+      { getResponses: true }
+    ),
+  }
 }
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/routes/automation.js b/packages/server/src/api/routes/automation.js
index c7b674b4e4..416d270ea9 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/routes/automation.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/routes/automation.js
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ router
     "/api/automations/:id/trigger",
     paramResource("id"),
     authorized(PermissionTypes.AUTOMATION, PermissionLevels.EXECUTE),
-    controller.trigger
+    controller.test
   )
   .delete(
     "/api/automations/:id/:rev",
diff --git a/packages/server/src/app.ts b/packages/server/src/app.ts
index a32f241aa3..23e05e5e95 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/app.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/app.ts
@@ -88,8 +88,8 @@ module.exports = server.listen(env.PORT || 0, async () => {
   env._set("PORT", server.address().port)
   eventEmitter.emitPort(env.PORT)
   fileSystem.init()
-  await automations.init()
   await redis.init()
+  await automations.init()
 })
 
 process.on("uncaughtException", err => {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/automations/index.js b/packages/server/src/automations/index.js
index 0d4b07aff5..13948e9839 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/automations/index.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/automations/index.js
@@ -1,49 +1,12 @@
 const triggers = require("./triggers")
-const env = require("../environment")
-const workerFarm = require("worker-farm")
-const singleThread = require("./thread")
-const { getAPIKey, update, Properties } = require("../utilities/usageQuota")
-
-let workers = workerFarm(require.resolve("./thread"))
-
-function runWorker(job) {
-  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    workers(job, err => {
-      if (err) {
-        reject(err)
-      } else {
-        resolve()
-      }
-    })
-  })
-}
-
-async function updateQuota(automation) {
-  const appId = automation.appId
-  const apiObj = await getAPIKey(appId)
-  // this will fail, causing automation to escape if limits reached
-  await update(apiObj.apiKey, Properties.AUTOMATION, 1)
-  return apiObj.apiKey
-}
+const { processEvent } = require("./utils")
 
 /**
  * This module is built purely to kick off the worker farm and manage the inputs/outputs
  */
-module.exports.init = async function () {
+exports.init = async function () {
+  // don't wait this promise, it'll never end
   triggers.automationQueue.process(async job => {
-    try {
-      if (env.USE_QUOTAS) {
-        job.data.automation.apiKey = await updateQuota(job.data.automation)
-      }
-      if (env.isProd()) {
-        await runWorker(job)
-      } else {
-        await singleThread(job)
-      }
-    } catch (err) {
-      console.error(
-        `${job.data.automation.appId} automation ${job.data.automation._id} was unable to run - ${err}`
-      )
-    }
+    await processEvent(job)
   })
 }
diff --git a/packages/server/src/automations/thread.js b/packages/server/src/automations/thread.js
index 87d3f98d16..0b8e2a981b 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/automations/thread.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/automations/thread.js
@@ -83,25 +83,28 @@ class Orchestrator {
         this._context.steps.push(outputs)
       } catch (err) {
         console.error(`Automation error - ${step.stepId} - ${err}`)
+        return err
       }
     }
+    return this._context
   }
 }
 
 // callback is required for worker-farm to state that the worker thread has completed
-module.exports = async (job, cb = null) => {
-  try {
-    const automationOrchestrator = new Orchestrator(
-      job.data.automation,
-      job.data.event
-    )
-    await automationOrchestrator.execute()
-    if (cb) {
-      cb()
-    }
-  } catch (err) {
-    if (cb) {
-      cb(err)
-    }
+module.exports = (job, cb) => {
+  if (!cb) {
+    throw "Callback must be defined."
   }
+  const automationOrchestrator = new Orchestrator(
+    job.data.automation,
+    job.data.event
+  )
+  automationOrchestrator
+    .execute()
+    .then(output => {
+      cb(null, output)
+    })
+    .catch(err => {
+      cb(err)
+    })
 }
diff --git a/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.js b/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.js
index b76cd4ce2a..a026ffe709 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.js
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ const { utils } = require("@budibase/auth/redis")
 const { JobQueues } = require("../constants")
 const { definitions } = require("./triggerInfo")
 const { isDevAppID } = require("../db/utils")
+// need this to call directly, so we can get a response
+const { processEvent } = require("./utils")
 
 const { opts } = utils.getRedisOptions()
 let automationQueue = new Queue(JobQueues.AUTOMATIONS, { redis: opts })
@@ -76,7 +78,11 @@ emitter.on("row:delete", async function (event) {
   await queueRelevantRowAutomations(event, "row:delete")
 })
 
-exports.externalTrigger = async function (automation, params) {
+exports.externalTrigger = async function (
+  automation,
+  params,
+  { getResponses } = {}
+) {
   if (automation.definition != null && automation.definition.trigger != null) {
     if (automation.definition.trigger.stepId === "APP") {
       // values are likely to be submitted as strings, so we shall convert to correct type
@@ -88,8 +94,12 @@ exports.externalTrigger = async function (automation, params) {
       params.fields = coercedFields
     }
   }
-
-  await automationQueue.add({ automation, event: params })
+  const data = { automation, event: params }
+  if (getResponses) {
+    return processEvent({ data })
+  } else {
+    return automationQueue.add(data)
+  }
 }
 
 exports.getQueues = () => {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/automations/utils.js b/packages/server/src/automations/utils.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7f5b542fa6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/server/src/automations/utils.js
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+const env = require("../environment")
+const workerFarm = require("worker-farm")
+const { getAPIKey, update, Properties } = require("../utilities/usageQuota")
+const singleThread = require("./thread")
+
+let workers = workerFarm(require.resolve("./thread"))
+
+function runWorker(job) {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    workers(job, (err, output) => {
+      if (err) {
+        reject(err)
+      } else {
+        resolve(output)
+      }
+    })
+  })
+}
+
+function runSingleThread(job) {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    singleThread(job, (err, output) => {
+      if (err) {
+        reject(err)
+      } else {
+        resolve(output)
+      }
+    })
+  })
+}
+
+async function updateQuota(automation) {
+  const appId = automation.appId
+  const apiObj = await getAPIKey(appId)
+  // this will fail, causing automation to escape if limits reached
+  await update(apiObj.apiKey, Properties.AUTOMATION, 1)
+  return apiObj.apiKey
+}
+
+exports.processEvent = async job => {
+  try {
+    if (env.USE_QUOTAS) {
+      job.data.automation.apiKey = await updateQuota(job.data.automation)
+    }
+    if (!env.isProd()) {
+      return runSingleThread(job)
+    } else {
+      return runWorker(job)
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    console.error(
+      `${job.data.automation.appId} automation ${job.data.automation._id} was unable to run - ${err}`
+    )
+    return err
+  }
+}