Utility Nodes

Utility nodes handle cross-cutting concerns: logging, debugging, rate limiting, caching, secret resolution, retry policies, and placeholder steps during workflow design.

Node	Type	Output
Logger	logger	json
Debug Inspector	debug_inspector	json
Secret Resolver	secret_resolver	json
Rate Limit	rate_limit	json
Cache Read	cache_read	json
Cache Write	cache_write	json
Retry	retry	json
No-Op	noop	any

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Logger

Type: logger · Category: Utility

Write a structured log entry for debugging and audit trails. Use as the final node of any important branch to capture the result.

Inputs

Name	Type	Required
input	any	No

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
result	json	{ logged: true, level: text }

Required Config

Field	Type	Description
message	string	Log message template. Supports {{variable}} interpolation.

Optional Config

Field	Type	Default	Options
level	select	info	debug · info · warn · error
includeInput	boolean	false	When true, attaches the upstream payload to the log entry.

Example

{
  "level": "info",
  "message": "Digest delivered: {{$.messageId}}",
  "includeInput": true
}

Scenario: Audit an email delivery at the end of the weekly digest workflow.

Expected output: { "logged": true, "level": "info" }

When to Use

• At the end of any branch to capture final state.
• After communication nodes to record delivery status.
• After write operations (KV, storage, leaderboard) to confirm success.
• As the downstream of stop_return or error_catch for terminal logging.

Common Mistakes

• Placing Logger before the final delivery node — Logger should be the last step, not before email_send.
• Using includeInput: true in high-volume pipelines — this writes the full payload to the log; omit it for rate-limited or large-array workflows.

Related Nodes

Debug Inspector · Error Catch · Email Send

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Debug Inspector

Type: debug_inspector · Category: Utility

Expose upstream payload shape in manual executions. Use during workflow design to inspect what data is available at each step.

Required Config

Field	Type	Description
capturePaths	json	Array of paths to capture (e.g. ["$", "$.documents[0].metadata"]).

Optional Config

Field	Type	Default
redactSecrets	boolean	true

Example

{
  "capturePaths": ["$", "$.documents[0].metadata"],
  "redactSecrets": true
}

Expected output: { "inspection": { "keys": ["documents", "summary"] } }

When to Use

• During workflow design to verify path names before writing downstream config.
• Before an embedding or rag_retrieval node to check that documents has the expected shape.

Execution Notes

• Debug Inspector is a no-op in production executions — it only emits detailed inspection data in manual/development mode.
• Always remove or replace Debug Inspector before publishing a production workflow.

Related Nodes

Logger · No-Op

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Secret Resolver

Type: secret_resolver · Category: Utility

Resolve a named secret reference for downstream server-side nodes. Use when a node's configuration cannot use {{secrets.keyName}} inline syntax and needs the resolved value as a payload field.

Required Config

Field	Type	Description
secretRef	string	Secret name registered in workspace secret storage.

Optional Config

Field	Type	Description
exposeAs	string	Output key name (e.g. githubToken). Defaults to secretRef.

Example

{
  "secretRef": "github-api-token",
  "exposeAs": "githubToken"
}

Expected output: { "githubToken": "{{resolved-secret-ref}}" } (value is masked in logs)

Execution Notes

• Resolved values are never logged, even with logger and includeInput: true.
• Runs in server / worker environments only — secrets are not available in browser-only executions.

Related Nodes

HTTP Request · Logger

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Rate Limit

Type: rate_limit · Category: Utility

Throttle workflow items by key and limit. Use before high-volume API calls to avoid hitting external rate limits.

Required Config

Field	Type	Description
limit	number	Maximum requests allowed within the window.

Optional Config

Field	Type	Default
key	string	Rate limit key (e.g. github-api). Defaults to the workflow id.
windowSeconds	number	60

Example

{
  "key": "github-api",
  "limit": 30,
  "windowSeconds": 60
}

Expected output: { "allowed": true, "remaining": 29 }

When to Use

• Before github_read, http_request, or any integration that has per-minute quotas.
• In loop_map workflows processing many items against an external API.

Common Mistakes

• Setting windowSeconds too low for bursty loops — items will be dropped or delayed.
• Not using key — without a key, the limit applies globally to all workflows.

Related Nodes

Retry · Loop / Map · HTTP Request

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Cache Read

Type: cache_read · Category: Utility

Read cached data by key. Use to avoid redundant expensive operations (API calls, AI generations, DB queries) within a time window.

Required Config

Field	Type	Description
key	string	Cache key (e.g. rss:github-blog:last-summary).

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
result	json	{ hit: boolean, value: any }

Example

{ "key": "rss:github-blog:last-summary" }

Expected output: { "hit": true, "value": { "summary": "..." } }

When to Use

• Before an RSS fetch or API call to return cached results when fresh data is not needed.
• Pair with if_condition to skip expensive steps on cache hit: $.hit === true.

Related Nodes

Cache Write · If / Condition · KV Read

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Cache Write

Type: cache_write · Category: Utility

Write data to cache by key with an optional TTL.

Required Config

Field	Type	Description
key	string	Cache key.

Optional Config

Field	Type	Default
valuePath	string	$
ttlSeconds	number	3600

Example

{
  "key": "rss:github-blog:last-summary",
  "valuePath": "$.summary",
  "ttlSeconds": 3600
}

Expected output: { "written": true }

Related Nodes

Cache Read · KV Write

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Retry

Type: retry · Category: Utility

Retry an upstream operation branch with a configured backoff policy.

Required Config

Field	Type	Description
attempts	number	Maximum retry attempts.

Optional Config

Field	Type	Default
backoffMs	number	2000
retryOn	json	["timeout", "rate_limit"]

Example

{
  "attempts": 3,
  "backoffMs": 2000,
  "retryOn": ["timeout", "rate_limit"]
}

Expected output: { "attempts": 2, "succeeded": true }

When to Use

• Around http_request, rss_feed, or any integration node that may transiently fail.
• Around AI generation nodes (text_to_image, text_to_video) that have provider-side queuing.

Related Nodes

Error Catch · Rate Limit · Wait / Delay

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No-Op

Type: noop · Category: Utility

Pass input through unchanged. Use as a placeholder node while designing a workflow graph.

Optional Config

Field	Type	Description
label	string	Human-readable label describing intent (e.g. "placeholder while designing PR review workflow").

Example

{ "label": "placeholder while designing PR review workflow" }

Expected output: { "output": "unchanged" } (upstream payload passes through)

When to Use

• As a placeholder to complete a graph edge during design before the real node is decided.
• As a bypass node in A/B testing branches where one branch intentionally does nothing.

Related Nodes

Debug Inspector · Stop / Return

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See also: Node Catalog Index · Logic Nodes · Storage Nodes · Workflow Studio