Skip to content

Delay

Pauses the workflow for a specified duration before continuing to the next step.

Delay node on the canvas

The Delay node pauses workflow execution for a configured amount of time before proceeding to the next connected node. The pause duration can be fixed, computed dynamically, or based on a condition.

When to use

Section titled “When to use”

Use a Delay node whenever your workflow needs to wait before continuing. Delays are essential for building workflows that operate on real-world timelines rather than executing everything instantly.

Common examples:

  • Follow-up sequences - wait 24 hours after a customer signs up before sending a welcome email, then wait 3 days before sending a feature highlight
  • Rate limiting - pause between API calls to respect third-party rate limits
  • Cool-down periods - enforce a waiting period between retries or repeated actions (e.g., wait 15 minutes before retrying a failed payment)
  • SLA timers - wait until a deadline, then escalate if the task is still unresolved
  • Batch processing - collect events over a time window, then process them together

Delay types

Section titled “Delay types”

Select the delay type from the Delay Type dropdown. Each type reveals different configuration fields.

Fixed Delay

Section titled “Fixed Delay”

Pauses for a specific amount of time.

PropertyTypeDescription
Delay AmountNumberHow long to wait
Time UnitsDropdownNone / Minutes / Hours

Dynamic Delay

Section titled “Dynamic Delay”

Computes the delay duration from an expression at runtime.

PropertyTypeDescription
ExpressionTextExpression that evaluates to a duration (e.g., order.processing_time * 2)
Max Wait TimeDropdown2 hours / 4 hours / 8 hours / 12 hours / 24 hours

Conditional Delay

Section titled “Conditional Delay”

Waits until a condition is met or a maximum wait time is reached.

PropertyTypeDescription
Max Wait TimeDropdown2 hours / 4 hours / 8 hours / 12 hours / 24 hours

Until Specific Date/Time

Section titled “Until Specific Date/Time”

Pauses until a specific date and time.

PropertyTypeDescription
Max Wait TimeDropdown2 hours / 4 hours / 8 hours / 12 hours / 24 hours

Properties

Section titled “Properties”

All delay types share the following fields:

PropertyTypeDescription
LabelTextDisplay name shown on the node card
DescriptionTextShort description of the node’s purpose
StatusDropdownActive / Draft / Disabled

Schemas

{
  "type": "VerticalLayout",
  "elements": [
    {
      "type": "MessageOnError",
      "scope": "#/properties/missingPreviousVariable",
      "text": "plugins.validation.missingDependency"
    },
    {
      "label": "Delay Type",
      "type": "Select",
      "scope": "#/properties/type"
    },
    {
      "type": "Accordion",
      "label": "General Information",
      "rule": {
        "effect": "SHOW",
        "condition": {
          "scope": "#",
          "schema": {
            "required": [
              "type"
            ]
          }
        }
      },
      "elements": [
        {
          "type": "Text",
          "scope": "#/properties/label",
          "label": "Title",
          "placeholder": "Node Title..."
        },
        {
          "type": "Select",
          "scope": "#/properties/status",
          "options": [
            {
              "label": "Active",
              "value": "active",
              "icon": "StatusActive"
            },
            {
              "label": "Draft",
              "value": "draft",
              "icon": "StatusDraft"
            },
            {
              "label": "Disabled",
              "value": "disabled",
              "icon": "StatusDisabled"
            }
          ],
          "label": "Status"
        },
        {
          "type": "Text",
          "scope": "#/properties/description",
          "label": "Description",
          "placeholder": "Type your description here..."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule": {
        "effect": "SHOW",
        "condition": {
          "scope": "#/properties/type",
          "schema": {
            "const": "fixedDelay"
          }
        }
      },
      "type": "Accordion",
      "label": "Duration",
      "elements": [
        {
          "type": "VerticalLayout",
          "elements": [
            {
              "type": "HorizontalLayout",
              "elements": [
                {
                  "type": "Label",
                  "text": "Time Units:"
                },
                {
                  "type": "Select",
                  "scope": "#/properties/duration/properties/timeUnits"
                }
              ]
            },
            {
              "type": "HorizontalLayout",
              "elements": [
                {
                  "type": "Label",
                  "text": "Delay Amount:",
                  "required": true
                },
                {
                  "type": "Text",
                  "scope": "#/properties/duration/properties/delayAmount",
                  "errorIndicatorEnabled": false
                }
              ]
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "rule": {
        "effect": "SHOW",
        "condition": {
          "scope": "#/properties/type",
          "schema": {
            "const": "dynamicDelay"
          }
        }
      },
      "type": "Accordion",
      "label": "Duration",
      "elements": [
        {
          "type": "VerticalLayout",
          "elements": [
            {
              "type": "Text",
              "scope": "#/properties/duration/properties/expression",
              "label": "Duration Expression"
            },
            {
              "type": "HorizontalLayout",
              "elements": [
                {
                  "type": "Label",
                  "text": "Max Wait Time:"
                },
                {
                  "type": "Select",
                  "scope": "#/properties/duration/properties/maxWaitTime"
                }
              ]
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}