Glossary

Every Flero term in one place. Words used in this guide are defined here; this is the canonical reference.

Action node, A node that does something during execution (calls an API, transforms data, sends a message). Contrast with a trigger node, which only starts a workflow.

Approval, A workflow step that pauses execution and asks a human (or several) to approve or reject before continuing. See Approval basics.

Approval link (public), A shareable URL (/approvals/public/:token) that lets someone outside your workspace respond to an approval request without logging in.

Canvas, The infinite drawing area in the workflow editor where you place nodes and draw connections. Supports pan, zoom, and a minimap.

Chat trigger, A trigger that starts a workflow from a chat-style input prompt. Useful for conversational flows.

Connection, A line between two nodes; data flows along it from one node's output port to the next node's input port. Connections cannot form cycles.

Connector, A pre-built integration with an external service (Slack, Salesforce, AWS, etc.). Each connector exposes a set of operations and accepts a credential.

Credential, A stored secret (OAuth token, API key, username/password) used by a connector or HTTP node to authenticate against an external service. Credentials are encrypted at rest. See Managing credentials.

Credential scope, Who can use a credential. One of Personal (just you), Workspace (everyone in the workspace), or Organization (every workspace in the organization).

DataObject, The underlying unit of data flowing between nodes. Carries a JSON output plus optional binary attachments. Most users never need to think about this directly.

Edge, Synonym for connection.

Execution, A single run of a workflow. Has a unique ID, a status (pending, running, success, failed, cancelled, timeout, waitingForInput), input data, output data, and per-node timings.

Execution detail, The deep-dive view of a single execution (/logs/:id or via the history tab). Shows the canvas coloured by node status, a step-by-step timeline, metrics, and outputs.

Execution explorer, The global log search screen (/logs). BigQuery-style filtering, saved queries, and date ranges across all executions in your workspace.

Execution history, A workflow's own list of past runs (/workflow/:id/history).

Expression, A piece of dynamic text inside {{ … }} that resolves to data at execution time. Example: {{ $node["HTTP"].json.body.name }}. See Expressions.

Flero, The platform you're using. A visual workflow automation tool built on Dart and Flutter.

Flow control node, A node that changes execution flow rather than transforming data, If, Switch, Loop, Merge, Delay, Approval.

Form trigger, A trigger that starts a workflow when someone submits a form. Generates a public form URL.

Inspector, The right-side panel in the editor that shows configuration for the selected node. Supports multiple pinned inspectors.

Loop, A flow-control node that iterates over an array, object, or numeric range, processing each item through the downstream chain before continuing.

Manual trigger, Starting a workflow by clicking Run in the editor or via the API. The default trigger for testing.

MFA (multi-factor authentication), A second factor (TOTP code, SMS) required at login in addition to your password. Enable in Settings → Security.

Node, The fundamental building block of a workflow. Each node performs one action. Nodes have input/output ports, configuration fields, and runtime state.

Node palette, The left sidebar in the editor that lists all available nodes, grouped by category. Drag from here to add nodes to the canvas.

Node registry, The internal list of all node types Flero knows about. Includes built-in nodes and any installed plugins.

Operation, One specific thing a connector can do (e.g. Slack's sendMessage, Stripe's createCharge). A connector node lets you pick one operation per instance.

Organization, The top-level container above a workspace. Used in enterprise plans to group workspaces under shared settings, SSO, and billing.

Output port, A connection point on a node where data exits. Most nodes have one (output). Conditional nodes have multiple (e.g. If has true/false).

Plugin, An installable extension that adds new nodes or features. Browse in the Marketplace.

Port, A connection point on a node. Input ports receive data, output ports emit it.

RAG (retrieval-augmented generation), A pattern that grounds an LLM's answer in your own documents by retrieving relevant chunks first. Flero has dedicated nodes for chunking, embedding, vector search, and reranking. See RAG nodes.

Recipe, An end-to-end tutorial in Section 14 that builds a complete workflow for a real scenario.

Run, Synonym for execution. Also the toolbar button that starts one.

Sandbox mode, A run mode that replaces real external calls with mock data, so you can test workflows safely. See Sandbox mode.

Schedule trigger, A trigger that fires on a time-based schedule (every N minutes, cron expression, or one-time at a specific datetime).

Sub-workflow, A workflow used as a single node inside another workflow. Lets you compose larger automations from reusable pieces.

Template, A pre-built workflow you can clone with one click. Browse in the Templates screen.

Test run, Running a workflow once from the editor for development. Output stays visible inline; doesn't necessarily write to the execution history depending on settings.

Trigger, A node that starts a workflow. Every workflow has exactly one active trigger. See Triggers.

Webhook, A URL Flero generates for the Webhook Trigger. Anything that POSTs to it starts a run.

Workflow, A directed acyclic graph of nodes and connections that defines an automation. Has a name, status (draft / active / inactive / archived), version, and owner.

Workflow editor, The visual canvas screen (/workflow/:id) where you build workflows.

Workspace, Your team's container for workflows, credentials, and executions. Multiple users can share a workspace; permissions are role-based.

Workspace switcher, The dropdown in the sidebar profile popup that lets you jump between workspaces you belong to.

$env.VARIABLE, Expression reference to a workspace-level environment variable.

$input, Expression reference to the data currently entering the node.

$node["Name"], Expression reference to the output of another node, by its display name.

$trigger, Expression reference to the data that started the current run (webhook payload, form fields, schedule metadata, …).

$workflow, Expression reference to workflow-level metadata (id, name, version, settings, metadata).

Core concepts, these terms in context
Expressions, the $ references in depth

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