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
Open CircleCI and navigate to your project
Click the pipeline you're investigating
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
Generate an API token:
Go to User Settings > Personal API Tokens
Click Create New Token and save it
Run this command:
bash
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
Check the response for:
actor.login- Usernameactor.name- Display nametrigger.type- How it was triggeredreceived_at- When it happened
Still showing "Unregistered User"? Continue to Step 3.
Step 3: Check Your Repository
In the pipeline, click any job
Click the commit hash (like
abc123def)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:
Go to Insights > Your Project > Pipelines
Apply date/branch filters
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