Node: Wait

The Wait node pauses the workflow execution for a configurable period of time. When the defined time expires, the instance automatically advances to the next node, with no manual intervention required.

This behavior makes the Wait node essential for any workflow that needs to respect time intervals — whether to send a reminder a few days after an approval, wait for an analysis period before making a decision, or space out communications in an email sequence.

When to use

The Wait node is suitable whenever the process needs to respect a time window before advancing. See the most common situations:

• Reminder after data collection — wait N days after receiving a form response to then send a follow-up email or request a complementation.
• Analysis period or cooldown — create a deliberate interval between two steps, for example, wait 48 hours so a team has time to review information before receiving a formal request.
• Specific communication timing — space the sending of emails in an automated sequence, ensuring the recipient does not receive all messages at once.
• Onboarding sequence — send messages or tasks progressively over days or weeks after the start of a process.
• Grace period — wait for a period after an approval before triggering external integrations, such as spreadsheet exports or uploads to storage services.

Configuration

The Wait node has two required configurations that, combined, define the total pause duration.

Field	Type	Description	Examples
Duration	Positive integer	Number of time units the workflow will be paused. Must be an integer greater than zero.	30, 2, 3, 1
Unit	Single selection	Defines the time unit. Available options are: Minutes, Hours, Days, and Weeks.	Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks

Configuration examples

• 30 Minutes — short pause to wait for an external system to process.
• 2 Hours — wait for the start of business hours before sending a notification.
• 3 Days — follow-up reminder after a form was filled in.
• 1 Week — resend of satisfaction survey after the conclusion of a service.

Behavior during the wait

When a workflow instance reaches the Wait node, the following occurs:

1. The internal timer is started based on the configured duration and unit.
2. The instance enters the Waiting (WAIT) status, visible in the Last step column of the instance list.
3. The workflow remains completely paused — no following node is executed while the time has not expired.
4. When the configured deadline is reached, the instance automatically advances to the next node, without any user action.

Instance status during the wait

While the Wait node is active, the instance displays the Waiting (WAIT) status in the workflow instance listing. This status is automatically updated as soon as the time expires and the instance advances to the next step.

What is not possible

• Skip the wait — there is no option to advance the instance early while the Wait node is running.
• Change the time in progress — the duration is defined at node configuration time and cannot be modified for instances already running.
• Automatic cancellation — the only way to interrupt an instance stopped at the Wait node is to manually cancel it through the instance management interface.

Node Outputs

The Wait node has a single output, without conditional branches. After the configured time ends, execution always follows the same path.

Output	Condition
Continue	Automatically triggered when the wait period is completed.

Practical use cases

Reminder 7 days after approval

A customer onboarding process can use the Wait node to send a follow-up email one week after the initial approval was granted:

1. Approval — the team approves the customer registration.
2. Wait — 7 Days.
3. Send Email — welcome message with next step instructions.

Form resend after 24 hours

When a respondent has not filled in a requested form, the workflow can wait before trying again:

1. Request Form Response — with Timeout output.
2. (on the Timeout path) Wait — 24 Hours.
3. Request Form Response — second invitation send.

Spaced email sequence

For a nurturing or progressive communication sequence:

1. Send Email — first message.
2. Wait — 3 Days.
3. Send Email — second message.
4. Wait — 7 Days.
5. Send Email — third closing message.

Combine with the Set Status node

To make instance monitoring clearer during the wait, add a Set Status node immediately before the Wait node. Configure a descriptive message like Waiting 3 days before sending the reminder — this way, anyone viewing the instance list will know exactly what is happening at that moment, without needing to open the instance details. See Node: Set Status for more information.

Best practices

• Use larger units when possible — when configuring long waits, prefer Days or Weeks over a large number of Hours or Minutes, as this makes the configuration more readable and less prone to calculation errors.
• Document the purpose of the wait — use the Set Status node before Wait to record the reason for the pause in the instance. This makes monitoring easier for the entire team.
• Plan for cancellation handling — instances paused at the Wait node only advance automatically or are manually canceled. Consider notifying the responsible parties if the process needs to be interrupted before the deadline ends.
• Avoid very short waits in production — waits of a few minutes can be useful in tests, but in production environments they generally add no value to the process and can cause confusion in instance monitoring.