<!-- BusyBot node reference — https://busybot.net/tools/wait/ -->

> Node: Wait (`wait`) · Action · v1
> Category: Core Nodes · Credentials: none
> Updated: 2026-08-16

# Wait

> Pause workflow execution for a specified time interval.

## Overview

The Wait tool pauses workflow execution for a configurable time interval (in seconds) and then passes all input items through unchanged. This is useful for rate-limiting API calls, adding delays between workflow steps, or waiting for external processes to complete.

**Category:** Core Nodes  
**Tool Name:** `wait`  
**Version:** 1

**Appearance:** Icon: `lucide-Timer` | Color: `#804050`

## Node Type

**Action** — processes input items and produces output

## Input / Output

| Direction | Port(s) |
|-----------|--------|
| Input | `Input` |
| Output | `Output`, `Error` |

## Credentials

This tool does not require any credentials.

### Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------|
| Wait Amount | `number` | No | `5` | The amount of time to wait. Must be zero or more, and is capped at 60 seconds. |
| Wait Unit | `options` | No | `seconds` | The time unit for the wait amount. |
| | | | | Options: `seconds` |
| Max Concurrency | `number` | No | `10` | Maximum number of items to process concurrently after the wait. |

## Output Data

The same items as the input, unmodified — one output item per input item, with the item JSON passed through unchanged and binary data forwarded. The node adds nothing to the item.

The pause happens **once per node run**, before any item is forwarded — not once per item. Ten items waiting five seconds delays the branch by five seconds in total, not fifty.

## Usage Examples

- Wait 5 seconds between API calls to respect rate limits
- Give a slow external service a moment before polling it again
- Space out requests in a loop so a rate-limited endpoint keeps accepting them
- Pause briefly before checking order status

## Example Configuration

Wait five seconds, then continue:

```json
{
  "type": "wait",
  "parameters": {
    "amount": 5,
    "unit": "seconds",
    "maxConcurrency": 10
  }
}
```

Minimum configuration, using defaults:

```json
{
  "type": "wait",
  "parameters": {}
}
```

### 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

Pauses workflow execution for a configurable time interval, then passes all items through unchanged.

### Behavior notes

- **Seconds are the only unit.** Wait Unit offers `seconds` and nothing else; any other value is rejected as an error.
- **Waits are capped at 60 seconds.** A larger Wait Amount is accepted but the pause still ends after a minute. For longer gaps, split the work across separate runs — for example with a scheduled workflow — rather than stacking Wait nodes.
- **A negative or non-numeric Wait Amount fails the node.** Zero is allowed and skips the pause entirely.
- **Cancelling the execution ends the wait immediately** instead of leaving the branch parked until the timer expires.