How to Find the User Who Triggered a Pipeline

Problem

You need to identify who triggered a pipeline in CircleCI, but the information isn't readily available. The pipeline may show "Unregistered User" or lack details about who initiated the build.

Solution

Follow these steps to identify who triggered your pipeline.

Step 1: Check the CircleCI Dashboard

1. Open CircleCI and navigate to your project
2. Click the pipeline you're investigating
3. Check the trigger information at the top

Found a username? That's who triggered it. 
See "Unregistered User"? Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Use the API for Details

1. Generate an API token:
   • Go to User Settings > Personal API Tokens
   • Click Create New Token and save it
2. Run this command:

   curl --request GET \
     --url https://circleci.com/api/v2/pipeline/{pipeline-id} \
     --header "Circle-Token: YOUR_API_TOKEN"

Replace {pipeline-id} with your actual pipeline ID from the URL

3. Check the response for:
   • actor.login - Username
   • actor.name - Display name
   • trigger.type - How it was triggered
   • received_at - When it happened

Still showing "Unregistered User"? Continue to Step 3.

Step 3: Check Your Repository

1. In the pipeline, click any job
2. Click the commit hash (like abc123def)
3. Your repository (GitHub/Bitbucket/GitLab) shows:
   • Commit author name and email
   • Commit timestamp
   • Who actually made the changes

Step 4: Review Multiple Pipelines (Optional)

For bulk investigation:

1. Go to Insights > Your Project > Pipelines
2. Apply date/branch filters
3. Export to CSV for all pipeline triggers

Special Cases

Scheduled Pipelines:

• Check Project Settings > Triggers for creator

API Token Triggers:

• Personal tokens show owner's name
• Project tokens show "Unregistered User"

Webhook Triggers:

• API response shows "type": "webhook"
• Check repository webhook settings for source

Outcome

You now have:

• The triggering user's identity
• When and how it was triggered
• Contact information if needed

Additional Notes

• Unregistered Users are people who commit code without CircleCI accounts
• Only users with project access can view pipeline information
• API calls are rate limited - wait 1 second between multiple requests

Still can't identify the user? Contact CircleCI Support with your pipeline ID.

Additional Resources

• CircleCI API v2 Documentation - Complete API reference
• API Developer's Guide - Getting started with the CircleCI API
• Understanding Pipeline Triggers - Different ways pipelines can be triggered