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Reference · Nodes

Core workflow nodes

Core nodes are the parts of a BusyBot workflow that belong to no outside service. They start a run (Manual Trigger, Webhook), decide where each item goes (If, Switch, Merge), reshape data between steps (Edit Fields, Filter, Code), repeat or pace work (Loop, Wait), and call any API that has no dedicated node (HTTP Request). Almost every workflow uses several of them, whichever integrations it connects, and most of them need no credential.

45 nodes — 43 actions and 2 triggers. Every page documents the shipped node: real parameters, real outputs, real error behaviour.

The building blocks of every workflow

The nodes in this category fall into five groups: Flow, Data Transformation, Helpers, Files and Triggers.

For flow, If sends each item to one of two outputs, Switch sends it down the first branch whose rule matches with a fallback for the rest, and Merge brings branches back together by appending, pairing by position or matching on a field. Loop repeats a chain of nodes for each item, a fixed number of times, or while a condition holds, and Wait pauses before passing items on.

For data, Edit Fields adds, renames and removes fields, Filter drops items that fail a condition, Item Lists sorts, limits and de-duplicates, and Aggregate collapses many items into one. When none of them can express the logic, Code runs JavaScript or Python.

For files, Extract from File turns CSV, spreadsheet, PDF, JSON, XML and ICS files into items, Convert to File goes the other way, and Compression zips and unzips. HTTP Request calls any URL with any method, which makes it the fallback when a service has no node of its own.

Triggers

Manual Trigger runs a workflow on demand. Webhook turns a workflow into an HTTP endpoint for any service that can send a callback. A saved workflow can also run on a schedule.

Example workflows

  • Receive, route, export. Webhook receives data from an external service, Switch routes orders to different handlers by type, and Convert to File exports the results to a CSV file.
  • Enrich within rate limits. Loop goes through each item and enriches it with an HTTP Request call, Wait pauses a few seconds between calls to respect the API’s rate limit, and Item Lists removes duplicate contacts at the end.
  • Diff two exports. Extract from File parses two CSV files into row items, Compare Datasets finds the new, changed and deleted records, and HTML converts the result into a styled HTML table.

Actions

Aggregate Combine many workflow items into a single item, either by collecting chosen fields into arrays or by bundling every item's data whole. Action Aggregate Binary Collect binary data from multiple input items into a single output item with multiple named binary properties. Action (binary) Code Run custom JavaScript or Python code to transform, filter, or generate workflow data. Action Compare Datasets Compare two input datasets and categorize items into: only in A, same, different, and only in B. Action (binary) Compression Compress binary files into a zip or gzip archive, or decompress such archives, entirely locally; zip bundles many files into one archive while gzip handles single files. Action (binary) Console Logger Writes messages to the console for real-time monitoring and debugging of workflow execution. Action Convert to File Convert JSON data into binary files. Supports spreadsheets (CSV, HTML, ODS, RTF, XLS, XLSX), JSON files, text files, ICS calendar events, and base64-to-binary conversion. Action (binary) Crypto Perform cryptographic operations on string values, including hashing, HMAC generation, digital signing, and creating random values like UUIDs. Action Crypto Binary Compute a cryptographic hash of binary data (files, images, documents) using MD5, SHA1, SHA256, SHA384, or SHA512. Action (binary) Data Table Permanently save, retrieve, update, and delete structured data across workflow executions in built-in tables Action Date & Time Manipulate date and time values — format, parse, add, subtract, round, compare, and extract date parts. Action Edit Fields Create, modify, or remove data fields to shape incoming data into a required format. Supports manual mapping, JSON output, type conversion, and dot notation. Action Edit Image Manipulate images: blur, resize, crop, rotate, composite, draw shapes, add text, borders, shear, tint, transparency, and extract metadata. Action (binary) Extract from File Extract structured data from binary files. Supports CSV, spreadsheets (XLS, XLSX, ODS), HTML tables, RTF, PDF, JSON, text, XML, ICS calendar, and base64 conversion. Action (binary) Filter Passes data items through the workflow only if they meet specified criteria, dropping those that do not. Action HTML Generate HTML from templates with expression placeholders, extract data from HTML using CSS selectors, convert JSON items to an HTML table, and optionally output HTML as a binary file. Action (binary) HTML Extract Extract structured data from HTML content using CSS selectors. Reads HTML from a JSON property or binary data, then extracts values matching CSS selector rules. Action (binary) HTTP Request Makes an HTTP request to any URL and returns the response. Supports all HTTP methods, multiple authentication types, custom headers, query parameters, request body, pagination, batching, and configurable response handling. Action iCalendar Generate RFC 5545-compliant iCalendar (.ics) event files from structured input data. Action (binary) If Routes items to one of two outputs based on whether a specified condition is true or false. Action Item Lists Perform bulk operations on collections of items: sort, limit, remove duplicates, split into separate items, concatenate, or summarize. Action Loop Repeatedly execute a chain of downstream nodes (the loop body) for each item, a fixed number of times, or while a condition is true. Action Loop End Marks the end of a Loop body. Place this after the last node in your loop chain. Action Markdown Convert text data between Markdown and HTML formats, with options for styling and feature support in both directions. Action Merge Combines multiple input data streams into a single output, either by appending or merging them. Action (binary) Move Binary Data Convert data between binary (file) and JSON properties. Decode binary files into JSON objects/strings, or serialize JSON data into binary files. Action (binary) No Operation, do nothing Pass items through without changes for workflow organization or as a placeholder. Action Read Binary File Read a single file from the local filesystem and return its contents as binary data. Deprecated — use Read/Write Files from Disk instead. Action (binary) Read Binary Files Read multiple files matching a glob pattern from the local filesystem and return each as binary data. Action (binary) Read PDF Extract text content and metadata from a PDF file. Supports password-protected PDFs. Action (binary) Read/Write Files from Disk Read files from or write files to the local filesystem on the server running the workflow engine. Action (binary) Rename Keys Update item field names — supports dot-notation for nested fields and regex-based bulk renaming. Action RSS Feed Read Fetches and parses RSS 2.0, RSS 1.0 (RDF), and Atom feeds from a URL, returning each feed item as structured data. Action Split Out Separates a single item containing an array into multiple individual items, processing each array element one by one. Action Spreadsheet File Read data from spreadsheet files (CSV, XLS, XLSX, ODS, HTML, RTF) into structured items, and write structured items to spreadsheet files. Action (binary) Sticky Note Add visual notes and annotations to your workflow canvas. This node has no runtime behavior — it is purely a UI element for documentation purposes. Action Stop and Error Throw an error in the workflow to stop execution with a custom error message or object. Action Switch Routes items to multiple output branches based on configurable rules or expressions. Action TOTP Generate time-based one-time passwords (TOTP) for two-factor authentication using a shared secret. Action Wait Pause workflow execution for a specified duration, then pass all input items through unchanged. Action Write Binary File Writes binary data from an input item to a file on the local filesystem. Deprecated — use Read/Write Files from Disk instead. Action (binary) Write to File Writes text content to a specified file path on the local filesystem for each input item. Action (binary) XML Convert data between XML and JSON formats, parsing XML strings into JSON objects or building XML strings from JSON objects. Action

Triggers

Nodes that START a workflow when something happens.

Manual Trigger Starts a workflow execution when the user clicks the Execute button. This trigger type requires no external events and is used for on-demand execution. Manual trigger Webhook Start a workflow by receiving an external HTTP request, supporting various methods and authentication. Webhook trigger

Frequently asked questions

Which core nodes can start a workflow?

Manual Trigger starts a run when you click Execute and emits one item carrying a timestamp. Webhook gives the workflow a URL and starts it when an HTTP request arrives, with the body, headers, query parameters and method available to the nodes after it. A saved workflow can also run on a schedule, and the trigger nodes in the other categories start runs from events in those services.

Do core nodes need credentials?

Most do not. If, Switch, Merge, Filter, Edit Fields, Loop, Wait, Code and the file nodes run without one. The exceptions hold a secret or reach outside the workflow: HTTP Request can use basic, bearer, header or query authentication, Crypto takes an HMAC secret or a private key, and TOTP takes the shared secret it generates codes from.

How do core nodes work with AI and integration nodes?

They sit between them. A typical run fetches records with an integration node, keeps the ones that matter with Filter or If, sends each to an AI node such as OpenAI Structured Output, and brings the branches back together with Merge or Aggregate before writing the result somewhere. Nodes pass lists of items, so a node that receives a list usually runs once per item and looping is often implicit.

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