Claude File Upload

Upload files to Anthropic for use with Claude.

Overview

Claude File Upload uses the Anthropic Files API (POST /v1/files) to upload files for use with Claude models. It takes a file from binary data on the incoming item and uploads it as multipart/form-data. The upload response is returned with the file’s id, filename, mime type, size and creation time. That file ID can then be used by the other Claude nodes — Chat, Thinking, Structured Output, Vision and Citations all accept an Anthropic file ID — so a file is uploaded once and referenced many times.

Category: AI
Tool Name: claude_file_upload
Version: 1

Appearance: Icon: anthropic | Color: #d4a574

Node Type

Action (Binary) — handles file/binary data operations

Input / Output

Direction	Port(s)
Input	Input
Output	Output, Error

Credentials

This tool requires Anthropic credentials. See the Credentials Guide for setup instructions.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Binary Property Name	string	No	data	The name of the binary property containing the file to upload. Names are case-sensitive — see the upstream node’s Binary Data panel for the exact names to use. Supports expressions.
Purpose	options	No	assistants	Legacy label for the uploaded file. NOT sent to Anthropic — their Files API takes no purpose field; a file’s role is set at use time by the content block that references it. Kept for backward compatibility only.
				Options: assistants (a file for use with Claude assistants and conversations), vision (an image file for Claude vision analysis)
Options	collection	No	{}	Output settings.
— Response Field Name	string	No	file	The output field name where the file upload response will be stored.
Include Input	boolean	No	false	Whether to include the original input item fields in the output alongside the upload response.
Max Concurrency	number	No	5	Maximum number of items to process concurrently.

Output Data

One upload per input item, and one output item per input item. The full upload response lands on the field named by Response Field Name (file by default), and the file ID is also lifted onto fileId for convenience. Binary data on the input item is forwarded unchanged, so the original bytes stay available downstream. With Include Input on, the original item fields are merged in alongside the result.

{
  "file": {
    "id": "file_011...",
    "filename": "contract.pdf",
    "mime_type": "application/pdf",
    "size_bytes": 184320,
    "created_at": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"
  },
  "fileId": "file_011..."
}

• file is the upload response exactly as Anthropic returned it.
• fileId is the same value as file.id, promoted to the top level because that is what the downstream Claude nodes ask for. Every node that accepts an Anthropic file ID also falls back to reading fileId from the item, so a File Upload node wired straight into a Claude Chat, Thinking, Structured Output, Vision or Citations node needs no expression at all.
• How Claude treats the file is decided where it is used, not here: set Attachment Type on the consuming node (or pick the matching Image Source / Document Source mode) to say whether it should be read as a document or as an image.

Reference the result downstream by expression, e.g. {{ $json.fileId }}.

Usage Examples

• Upload an image for Claude vision analysis
• Upload a document for use with Claude assistants
• Upload a PDF for Claude to analyze
• Upload a code file for Claude to review
• Upload files in bulk for batch conversation processing

Example Configuration

Minimal — upload the file on the standard data property:

{
  "type": "claude_file_upload",
  "parameters": {
    "binaryPropertyName": "data",
    "purpose": "assistants"
  }
}

Upload an image from a custom binary property:

{
  "type": "claude_file_upload",
  "parameters": {
    "binaryPropertyName": "screenshot",
    "purpose": "vision"
  }
}

Keep the original item fields and name the output field:

{
  "type": "claude_file_upload",
  "parameters": {
    "binaryPropertyName": "contractPdf",
    "purpose": "assistants",
    "includeInput": true,
    "maxConcurrency": 3,
    "options": {
      "responseFieldName": "uploadedContract"
    }
  }
}

Error Handling

Mode	Behavior
stop	Halts workflow on first error
continue	Skips failed items, passes successful ones through
errorPort	Routes failed items to Error output port

Tips

Claude File Upload sends binary files to the Anthropic Files API via multipart/form-data, registering them for use with Claude models. The node’s Purpose parameter is a backward-compatibility relic and is not transmitted — Anthropic infers a file’s role from the content block that references it later. Use this tool when a workflow requires attaching images, documents, or other files to Claude API calls before initiating a file-based conversation. It outputs the Anthropic file object (id, filename, mime_type, size_bytes, created_at) plus a top-level fileId, which downstream Claude nodes consume via {{ $json.fileId }}.