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Manual & test runs

Manual triggers are the default for new workflows and the only trigger you'll use during development.

The Start node

Every newly created workflow has a Start node on the canvas. It's a trivial trigger, clicking Run in the toolbar fires it with empty input.

You can also pass input on a manual run via:

  • The Test webhook button on the Start node (paste a JSON body).
  • The workflow's API endpoint (see below).

Running from the editor

  1. Open the workflow.
  2. Click Run in the top toolbar (⌘↩ / Ctrl+Enter).
  3. Watch the canvas colour the nodes as it progresses.

The execution is saved to history (unless Save successful runs is off in workflow settings).

See Running a workflow for more.

Running from the API

Every workflow has an API endpoint:

POST https://app.flero.ai/api/workflows/<workflow-id>/run
Authorization: Bearer <api-key>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "input": { /* whatever payload your workflow expects */ }
}

Find the exact URL and an API-key picker under Workflow settings → API trigger. API keys are managed under Settings → Credentials (API keys & bearer tokens).

The response is:

Mode Returns
Async (default) { "executionId": "<uuid>", "status": "pending" }, fetch the execution via GET /api/executions/<id>
Sync (?wait=true) The full execution result once it completes (or times out)

Use sync for short workflows where you want the result inline; use async + polling for anything longer.

Replacing Start with a real trigger

When development is done, you'll usually swap the Start node for the trigger that fits your scenario, Webhook, Schedule, Form, Connector event, etc.

To swap:

  1. Right-click the Start node → Replace trigger.
  2. Pick the new trigger type from the picker.
  3. Configure as needed.
  4. Update the workflow status from draft to active to arm the trigger.

You can keep the Start node alongside the real trigger if you want to retain a manual run path, drag a new trigger onto the canvas and connect both into a Merge node. The merged data continues into the workflow.

Tips & gotchas

  • Manual runs from the editor don't require the workflow to be active, they always work in draft or inactive state too.
  • API-triggered runs do require an API key with at least Execute permission on this workflow. Restrict keys to specific workflows for safety.
  • A test run via the editor and an API run produce identical executions, they show up in /logs indistinguishably. The trigger metadata records which path was taken.

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