diff --git a/packages/builder/src/components/design/settings/controls/ButtonActionEditor/actions/TriggerAutomation.svelte b/packages/builder/src/components/design/settings/controls/ButtonActionEditor/actions/TriggerAutomation.svelte
index aa617ab9a3..ecbb5a9a31 100644
--- a/packages/builder/src/components/design/settings/controls/ButtonActionEditor/actions/TriggerAutomation.svelte
+++ b/packages/builder/src/components/design/settings/controls/ButtonActionEditor/actions/TriggerAutomation.svelte
@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@
     if (automationStatus === AUTOMATION_STATUS.NEW) {
       synchronous = false
     }
+
+    if (automationStatus === AUTOMATION_STATUS.EXISTING) {
+      synchronous = automations.find(
+        automation => automation._id === parameters.automationId
+      ).synchronous
+    }
   }
   $: automations = $automationStore.automations
     .filter(a => a.definition.trigger?.stepId === TriggerStepID.APP)
@@ -79,6 +85,8 @@
     parameters.automationId = automationId
     parameters.synchronous = synchronous
   }
+
+  $: error = parameters.timeout > 120 ? "Timeout must be less than 120s" : null
 </script>
 
 <div class="root">
@@ -133,6 +141,16 @@
           >
         </div>
       </div>
+      <Label small />
+
+      <div class="timeout-width">
+        <Input
+          label="Timeout in seconds (120 max)"
+          type="number"
+          {error}
+          bind:value={parameters.timeout}
+        />
+      </div>
     {/if}
     <Label small />
     <Checkbox
@@ -169,6 +187,9 @@
     max-width: 800px;
     margin: 0 auto;
   }
+  .timeout-width {
+    width: 30%;
+  }
 
   .params {
     display: grid;
diff --git a/packages/client/src/utils/buttonActions.js b/packages/client/src/utils/buttonActions.js
index 54cdfa1fab..0280cd1d54 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/utils/buttonActions.js
+++ b/packages/client/src/utils/buttonActions.js
@@ -122,24 +122,21 @@ const deleteRowHandler = async action => {
 }
 
 const triggerAutomationHandler = async action => {
-  const { fields, notificationOverride, synchronous } = action.parameters
+  const { fields, notificationOverride, timeout } = action.parameters
   if (fields) {
     try {
-      if (synchronous) {
-        const result = await API.triggerSynchronousAutomation({
-          automationId: action.parameters.automationId,
-          fields,
-        })
-        console.log(typeof result)
+      const result = await API.triggerAutomation({
+        automationId: action.parameters.automationId,
+        fields,
+        timeout,
+      })
+      if (!notificationOverride) {
+        notificationStore.actions.success("Automation triggered")
+      }
+
+      // Value will exist if automation is synchronous, so return it.
+      if (result.value) {
         return { result }
-      } else {
-        await API.triggerAutomation({
-          automationId: action.parameters.automationId,
-          fields,
-        })
-        if (!notificationOverride) {
-          notificationStore.actions.success("Automation triggered")
-        }
       }
     } catch (error) {
       // Abort next actions
diff --git a/packages/frontend-core/src/api/automations.js b/packages/frontend-core/src/api/automations.js
index 12fdf6c926..37a834cf04 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-core/src/api/automations.js
+++ b/packages/frontend-core/src/api/automations.js
@@ -4,17 +4,10 @@ export const buildAutomationEndpoints = API => ({
    * @param automationId the ID of the automation to trigger
    * @param fields the fields to trigger the automation with
    */
-  triggerAutomation: async ({ automationId, fields }) => {
+  triggerAutomation: async ({ automationId, fields, timeout }) => {
     return await API.post({
       url: `/api/automations/${automationId}/trigger`,
-      body: { fields },
-    })
-  },
-
-  triggerSynchronousAutomation: async ({ automationId, fields }) => {
-    return await API.post({
-      url: `/api/automations/${automationId}/triggerSynchronous`,
-      body: { fields },
+      body: { fields, timeout },
     })
   },
 
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/automation.ts b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/automation.ts
index 2f56179ac0..dccab86156 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/automation.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/automation.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
   Automation,
   AutomationActionStepId,
   AutomationResults,
+  AutomationStepType,
   BBContext,
 } from "@budibase/types"
 import { getActionDefinitions as actionDefs } from "../../automations/actions"
@@ -262,32 +263,34 @@ export async function getDefinitionList(ctx: BBContext) {
 export async function trigger(ctx: BBContext) {
   const db = context.getAppDB()
   let automation = await db.get(ctx.params.id)
-  await triggers.externalTrigger(automation, {
-    ...ctx.request.body,
-    appId: ctx.appId,
-  })
-  ctx.body = {
-    message: `Automation ${automation._id} has been triggered.`,
-    automation,
-  }
-}
 
-export async function triggerSynchronous(ctx: BBContext) {
-  const db = context.getAppDB()
-  let automation = await db.get(ctx.params.id)
-  const response: AutomationResults = await triggers.externalTrigger(
-    automation,
-    {
+  let hasCollectBlock = automation.definition.steps.some(
+    (step: any) => step.stepId === AutomationActionStepId.COLLECT
+  )
+  if (hasCollectBlock) {
+    const response: AutomationResults = await triggers.externalTrigger(
+      automation,
+      {
+        fields: ctx.request.body.fields,
+        timeout: ctx.request.body.timeout || 120000,
+      },
+      { getResponses: true }
+    )
+
+    let collectedValue = response.steps.find(
+      step => step.stepId === AutomationActionStepId.COLLECT
+    )
+    ctx.body = collectedValue?.outputs
+  } else {
+    await triggers.externalTrigger(automation, {
       ...ctx.request.body,
       appId: ctx.appId,
-    },
-    { getResponses: true }
-  )
-
-  let collectedValue = response.steps.find(
-    step => step.stepId === AutomationActionStepId.COLLECT
-  )
-  ctx.body = collectedValue?.outputs
+    })
+    ctx.body = {
+      message: `Automation ${automation._id} has been triggered.`,
+      automation,
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 function prepareTestInput(input: any) {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/routes/automation.ts b/packages/server/src/api/routes/automation.ts
index 9c0ce13c48..cb8b6042ae 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/routes/automation.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/routes/automation.ts
@@ -73,17 +73,6 @@ router
     ),
     controller.trigger
   )
-  .post(
-    "/api/automations/:id/triggerSynchronous",
-    appInfoMiddleware({ appType: AppType.PROD }),
-    paramResource("id"),
-    authorized(
-      permissions.PermissionType.AUTOMATION,
-      permissions.PermissionLevel.EXECUTE
-    ),
-    controller.triggerSynchronous
-  )
-
   .post(
     "/api/automations/:id/test",
     appInfoMiddleware({ appType: AppType.DEV }),
diff --git a/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.ts b/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.ts
index 78f8a87b0c..772ffa4fd2 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/automations/triggers.ts
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ emitter.on("row:delete", async function (event) {
 
 export async function externalTrigger(
   automation: Automation,
-  params: { fields: Record<string, any> },
+  params: { fields: Record<string, any>; timeout?: number },
   { getResponses }: { getResponses?: boolean } = {}
 ) {
   if (
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ export async function externalTrigger(
       appId: context.getAppId(),
       automation,
     }
-    return utils.processEvent({ data })
+    return utils.processEvent({ data }, { timeout: params.timeout })
   } else {
     return automationQueue.add(data, JOB_OPTS)
   }
diff --git a/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts b/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts
index 5296a0fa50..82e3c941e8 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts
@@ -14,13 +14,16 @@ import sdk from "../sdk"
 const REBOOT_CRON = "@reboot"
 const WH_STEP_ID = definitions.WEBHOOK.stepId
 const CRON_STEP_ID = definitions.CRON.stepId
-const Runner = new Thread(ThreadType.AUTOMATION)
 
 const jobMessage = (job: any, message: string) => {
   return `app=${job.data.event.appId} automation=${job.data.automation._id} jobId=${job.id} trigger=${job.data.automation.definition.trigger.event} : ${message}`
 }
 
-export async function processEvent(job: any) {
+export async function processEvent(job: any, timeout?: { timeout?: number }) {
+  const Runner = new Thread(ThreadType.AUTOMATION, {
+    timeout: timeout || null,
+  })
+
   try {
     const automationId = job.data.automation._id
     console.log(jobMessage(job, "running"))