How to Set Up a Poll SCM Pipeline in Jenkins | Automatically Trigger Builds on Code Changes

In this practical Jenkins tutorial, we walk you through how to configure Poll SCM (Source Code Management) in a Jenkins Pipeline, allowing your Jenkins job to automatically check for code changes in your repository at regular intervals—and trigger builds only when changes are detected.

If you're not using webhooks, or if your repository host doesn’t support them, Poll SCM is the perfect way to keep your CI/CD pipeline responsive and up-to-date with the latest code changes.

What You’ll Learn in This Video:
What Poll SCM is and how it works in Jenkins
How to configure Poll SCM in Jenkins Freestyle and Pipeline jobs
Writing pollSCM triggers in a Jenkins Declarative Pipeline
Cron syntax for polling schedules (e.g. every 5 minutes, hourly, etc.)
Tips to avoid excessive polling or missed changes
Debugging tips when your builds aren’t triggering as expected

Complete Setup Demonstrated:

Connecting your Jenkins job to a GitHub/Git repository

Writing the triggers { pollSCM('H/5 * * * *') } block inside a Jenkinsfile

Viewing SCM polling logs to confirm the polling mechanism

Triggering the build only when code changes are detected

Performance considerations when using Poll SCM

Common Use Cases:

CI builds without webhook support

Lightweight polling when webhook reliability is an issue

Secure environments where outgoing webhooks are blocked

Helpful Resources:

Jenkins Poll SCM Docs: https://www.jenkins.io/doc/book/pipeline/syntax/#pollscm

Cron Expression Generator: https://crontab.guru/

Troubleshooting Jenkins Polling: https://support.cloudbees.com

Let me know in the comments how you’ve used Poll SCM or if you’re switching from webhooks!

Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more hands-on Jenkins tutorials and DevOps walkthroughs!

Next Video Suggestion: How to Trigger Jenkins Pipelines via GitHub Webhooks

#Jenkins #PollSCM #JenkinsPipeline #GitIntegration #JenkinsCI #DevOps #Automation #CI_CD #SCM #Jenkinsfile #BuildAutomation #CronJobs #SoftwareDevelopment #WebhooksAlternative



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