Input
The Input component — the workflow's entry point and the shape of what it accepts.
The Input component is the entry point of a workflow. Every workflow has exactly one, and everything else on the canvas reads its values through bindings. It doesn't run anything — it simply declares what the workflow accepts.
Modes
The Input has one setting, its type, with two modes:
- Chat — the workflow takes a single piece of free-form text. The message string flows downstream. Best for conversational use and quick triggers.
- Object — the workflow takes a structured object whose fields you define. Best when the workflow is called with specific values by a schedule, the API, or another workflow.
Defining an object schema
In object mode, open the side panel to declare the fields the workflow expects. Each field has:
- a name,
- a type —
string,integer,number,boolean,object,array, orfile, - and an optional description.
A file field takes an uploaded attachment — the way to hand a workflow a document or image to work on. Downstream steps like the Document Splitter consume it directly.
Object fields can nest: a field of type object has its own properties, and an
array can hold objects. Mark fields required as needed. This definition becomes
the workflow's input contract — callers must provide those fields, and downstream
nodes bind to them.
How it connects
The Input node has a single output and no input. Wire it into the steps that need the incoming values; in chat mode the message string is available downstream, and in object mode each declared field is. See Wiring & data binding.