Flows, nodes, and connections

A flow is the connected set of steps that defines an automation. The canvas shows where a run starts, which decisions it makes, and where it can finish.

For example, a reminder flow can follow this sequence:

Appointment event → Delay until reminder time → Send SMS → Wait for delivery
                                                           ├─ Matched → Finish
                                                           └─ Timeout → Notify team

Connections control which step runs next. A field mapping separately selects the data a step reads. Connecting Get contact to Send email does not fill the email recipient automatically.

A run follows one active path. A Branch checks conditions in order and takes the first matching path. Its Otherwise path applies when no condition matches.

Paths can reconnect at a shared step. The shared step can read data produced before the split and on the path the run took. A step on an untaken path has no output for that run.

The current builder does not execute loops, parallel branches, or an automatic action for each audience member. A connection back to an earlier step creates a cycle and blocks publication. A list of contacts remains data until a supported action uses it.

A successful step can finish the run when its chosen output has no next step. An unconnected action failure fails the run. Connecting a failure path lets you decide how to handle that failure.

Use Exit when you want an explicit successful or failed ending, an outcome reason, or a returned result. For example, no_matching_contact explains a successful run that deliberately sent no message. An exit ends the run and has no outgoing connection.

A successful run means the flow completed its configured path. Check the channel's message status or add a delivery wait when you need evidence of delivery.

The draft is your editable flow. Saving it preserves your work without changing the version used by live runs.

Publishing creates a version for new runs. A run keeps the version it started with, including when it waits across a later publication. Editing the draft cannot change an already running workflow.