diff --git a/.changeset/fresh-hairs-switch.md b/.changeset/fresh-hairs-switch.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..16d3b119e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fresh-hairs-switch.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/backend-tasks': minor
+---
+
+add functionality to get descriptions from the scheduler for triggering
diff --git a/packages/backend-tasks/api-report.md b/packages/backend-tasks/api-report.md
index 44ec4addbe..66f901adad 100644
--- a/packages/backend-tasks/api-report.md
+++ b/packages/backend-tasks/api-report.md
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export type HumanDuration = HumanDuration_2;
 // @public
 export interface PluginTaskScheduler {
   createScheduledTaskRunner(schedule: TaskScheduleDefinition): TaskRunner;
+  getScheduledTasks(): TaskDescriptor[];
   scheduleTask(
     task: TaskScheduleDefinition & TaskInvocationDefinition,
   ): Promise<void>;
@@ -27,6 +28,10 @@ export function readTaskScheduleDefinitionFromConfig(
   config: Config,
 ): TaskScheduleDefinition;
 
+// @public
+export type TaskDescriptor = TaskScheduleDefinition &
+  Exclude<TaskInvocationDefinition, 'fn' | 'signal'>;
+
 // @public
 export type TaskFunction =
   | ((abortSignal: AbortSignal) => void | Promise<void>)
diff --git a/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.test.ts b/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.test.ts
index 1847370d2b..d64f353c27 100644
--- a/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.test.ts
@@ -304,6 +304,47 @@ describe('PluginTaskManagerImpl', () => {
     );
   });
 
+  describe('can fetch task ids', () => {
+    it.each(databases.eachSupportedId())(
+      'can fetch both global and local task ids, %p',
+      async databaseId => {
+        const { manager } = await init(databaseId);
+
+        const fn = jest.fn();
+        const promise = new Promise(resolve => fn.mockImplementation(resolve));
+        await manager.scheduleTask({
+          id: 'task1',
+          timeout: Duration.fromMillis(5000),
+          frequency: Duration.fromMillis(5000),
+          fn,
+          scope: 'global',
+        });
+
+        await manager.scheduleTask({
+          id: 'task2',
+          timeout: Duration.fromMillis(5000),
+          frequency: Duration.fromMillis(5000),
+          fn,
+          scope: 'local',
+        });
+
+        await promise;
+
+        const tasks = manager.getScheduledTasks();
+        expect(tasks.length).toEqual(2);
+        expect(tasks[0].id).toEqual('task1');
+        expect(tasks[1].id).toEqual('task2');
+        expect(tasks[0].scope).toEqual('global');
+        expect(tasks[1].scope).toEqual('local');
+        expect(tasks[0].fn).toBeUndefined();
+        expect(tasks[1].fn).toBeUndefined();
+        expect(tasks[0].signal).toBeUndefined();
+        expect(tasks[1].signal).toBeUndefined();
+      },
+      60_000,
+    );
+  });
+
   describe('parseDuration', () => {
     it('should parse durations', () => {
       expect(parseDuration({ milliseconds: 5000 })).toEqual('PT5S');
diff --git a/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.ts b/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.ts
index e57ec93c1c..bbc2b45718 100644
--- a/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import { LocalTaskWorker } from './LocalTaskWorker';
 import { TaskWorker } from './TaskWorker';
 import {
   PluginTaskScheduler,
+  TaskDescriptor,
   TaskInvocationDefinition,
   TaskRunner,
   TaskScheduleDefinition,
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ import { validateId } from './util';
  */
 export class PluginTaskSchedulerImpl implements PluginTaskScheduler {
   private readonly localTasksById = new Map<string, LocalTaskWorker>();
+  private readonly allScheduledTasks: TaskDescriptor[] = [];
 
   constructor(
     private readonly databaseFactory: () => Promise<Knex>,
@@ -94,6 +96,8 @@ export class PluginTaskSchedulerImpl implements PluginTaskScheduler {
 
       this.localTasksById.set(task.id, worker);
     }
+    const { fn: _, signal: __, ...descriptor } = task;
+    this.allScheduledTasks.push(descriptor as TaskDescriptor);
   }
 
   createScheduledTaskRunner(schedule: TaskScheduleDefinition): TaskRunner {
@@ -103,6 +107,10 @@ export class PluginTaskSchedulerImpl implements PluginTaskScheduler {
       },
     };
   }
+
+  getScheduledTasks(): TaskDescriptor[] {
+    return this.allScheduledTasks;
+  }
 }
 
 export function parseDuration(
diff --git a/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/index.ts b/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/index.ts
index f2037ac9dd..6f9ac6d859 100644
--- a/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/index.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/index.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export { TaskScheduler } from './TaskScheduler';
 export type {
   PluginTaskScheduler,
   TaskFunction,
+  TaskDescriptor,
   TaskInvocationDefinition,
   TaskRunner,
   TaskScheduleDefinition,
diff --git a/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/types.ts b/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/types.ts
index 6ec5165aec..d8aa58bcb3 100644
--- a/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/types.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-tasks/src/tasks/types.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,14 @@ export type TaskFunction =
   | ((abortSignal: AbortSignal) => void | Promise<void>)
   | (() => void | Promise<void>);
 
+/**
+ * A type to describe a scheduled task.
+ *
+ * @public
+ */
+export type TaskDescriptor = TaskScheduleDefinition &
+  Exclude<TaskInvocationDefinition, 'fn' | 'signal'>;
+
 /**
  * Options that control the scheduling of a task.
  *
@@ -307,6 +315,19 @@ export interface PluginTaskScheduler {
    * @param schedule - The task schedule
    */
   createScheduledTaskRunner(schedule: TaskScheduleDefinition): TaskRunner;
+
+  /**
+   * Returns all scheduled tasks registered to this scheduler.
+   *
+   * @remarks
+   *
+   * This method is useful for triggering tasks manually using the triggerTask
+   * functionality. Note that the returned tasks contain only tasks that have
+   * been initialized in this instance of the scheduler.
+   *
+   * @returns Scheduled tasks
+   */
+  getScheduledTasks(): TaskDescriptor[];
 }
 
 function isValidOptionalDurationString(d: string | undefined): boolean {