diff --git a/src/commands/db/trigger/create.ts b/src/commands/db/trigger/create.ts
index 39e46c5..920909a 100644
--- a/src/commands/db/trigger/create.ts
+++ b/src/commands/db/trigger/create.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import {Flags} from '@oclif/core'
 
 import {BaseCommand} from '../../../base.js'
 import {readJsonObject, SCHEMA_TRIGGER} from '../../../lib/database.js'
+import {triggerFromFile} from '../../../lib/triggers.js'
 
 export default class DbTriggerCreate extends BaseCommand {
   static description = `Create or update a schema trigger from a JSON file
@@ -45,10 +46,8 @@ action fails (--no-break-on-error turns it off). Both override the file.`
 
     const source = flags.file === '-' ? '-' : `@${flags.file}`
     const parsed = await readJsonObject(source, 'file')
-    // Accept the bare trigger or the whole request body ({"trigger": {...}}).
-    const fromFile = (
-      parsed.trigger && typeof parsed.trigger === 'object' ? parsed.trigger : parsed
-    ) as Record<string, unknown>
+    // The bare trigger, the request body or a `trigger <id> --json` answer.
+    const fromFile = triggerFromFile(parsed)
 
     const trigger: Record<string, unknown> = {type: SCHEMA_TRIGGER, ...fromFile}
     if (flags.schema) trigger.schemaId = flags.schema
diff --git a/src/commands/payments/trigger/save.ts b/src/commands/payments/trigger/save.ts
index 0a0f6ba..3f35940 100644
--- a/src/commands/payments/trigger/save.ts
+++ b/src/commands/payments/trigger/save.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import {Flags} from '@oclif/core'
 
 import {BaseCommand} from '../../../base.js'
 import {ON_WEBHOOK_CALL_RECEIVED, PAYMENTS_TRIGGER, readJsonObject} from '../../../lib/payments.js'
+import {triggerFromFile} from '../../../lib/triggers.js'
 
 export default class PaymentsTriggerSave extends BaseCommand {
   static description = `Create or update a payment trigger from a JSON file
@@ -50,10 +51,8 @@ trigger's place in the queue of the same event.`
 
     const source = flags.file === '-' ? '-' : `@${flags.file}`
     const parsed = await readJsonObject(source, 'file')
-    // Accept the bare trigger or the whole request body ({"trigger": {...}}).
-    const fromFile = (
-      parsed.trigger && typeof parsed.trigger === 'object' ? parsed.trigger : parsed
-    ) as Record<string, unknown>
+    // The bare trigger, the request body or a `trigger <id> --json` answer.
+    const fromFile = triggerFromFile(parsed)
 
     const trigger: Record<string, unknown> = {type: PAYMENTS_TRIGGER, when: ON_WEBHOOK_CALL_RECEIVED, ...fromFile}
     if (flags.id) trigger.triggerId = flags.id
diff --git a/src/lib/triggers.ts b/src/lib/triggers.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9cf50c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/triggers.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/**
+ * The trigger of a `--file` for `db trigger create` / `payments trigger save`.
+ *
+ * Accepts the bare trigger, the whole save request (`{"trigger": {...}}`) or
+ * the read answer of `… trigger <id> --json` (`{"item": {...}}`). A read
+ * answer names the action `thenAction`; the save request names it `action`,
+ * so a file saved from a read is renamed here — without it the round trip
+ * saved a trigger with no action.
+ */
+export function triggerFromFile(parsed: Record<string, unknown>): Record<string, unknown> {
+  const inner = [parsed.trigger, parsed.item].find((v) => v && typeof v === 'object' && !Array.isArray(v))
+  const trigger = {...((inner ?? parsed) as Record<string, unknown>)}
+
+  if (trigger.action === undefined && trigger.thenAction !== undefined) {
+    trigger.action = trigger.thenAction
+  }
+
+  delete trigger.thenAction
+  return trigger
+}
diff --git a/tests/db-routes.test.ts b/tests/db-routes.test.ts
index a2b7ad3..a15fbf0 100644
--- a/tests/db-routes.test.ts
+++ b/tests/db-routes.test.ts
@@ -386,6 +386,15 @@ describe('db trigger', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  it('create takes a `db trigger <id> --json` answer: item unwrapped, thenAction saved as action', async () => {
+    const {action, ...rest} = trigger as Record<string, unknown>
+    const read = join(dir, 'read-trigger.json')
+    writeFileSync(read, JSON.stringify({item: {...rest, thenAction: action}}))
+    expect(await bodyOf(['trigger', 'create', '--file', read])).toEqual({
+      trigger: {type: 'Schema', ...rest, action},
+    })
+  })
+
   it('create refuses a negative --order and sends nothing', async () => {
     const {error} = await runCommand(['db', 'trigger', 'create', '--file', TRIGGER_FILE, '--order', '-1', ...globalArgs])
     expect(error?.message).toMatch(/order/)
diff --git a/tests/payments-routes.test.ts b/tests/payments-routes.test.ts
index 6592da3..2336cba 100644
--- a/tests/payments-routes.test.ts
+++ b/tests/payments-routes.test.ts
@@ -219,6 +219,19 @@ describe('payments trigger save', () => {
     expect(body?.trigger).toMatchObject({type: 'Payments', name: 'Paid'})
   })
 
+  it('takes a `payments trigger <id> --json` answer: item unwrapped, thenAction saved as action', async () => {
+    const file = join(dir, 'read.json')
+    writeFileSync(file, JSON.stringify({item: {name: 'Paid', thenAction: {type: 'WebhookCall'}, events: ['invoice.paid']}}))
+    const {body} = await callOf(['trigger', 'save', '--file', file])
+    expect(body?.trigger).toEqual({
+      type: 'Payments',
+      when: 'OnWebhookCallReceived',
+      name: 'Paid',
+      action: {type: 'WebhookCall'},
+      events: ['invoice.paid'],
+    })
+  })
+
   it('lets the flags override the file', async () => {
     const {body} = await callOf([
       'trigger', 'save', '--file', triggerFile({order: 5}), '--id', ID,