Node Types

The FormWise workflow builder offers a variety of node types, each designed for a specific job. This page gives you a quick overview of every node type so you know what is available and when to use each one.

For instructions on how to add nodes to your workflow, see Workflow Builder.

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Start

The Start node is the entry point of every workflow. It defines the input variables your workflow receives - things like the user's form answers, a chat message, or data from an external integration.

• Every workflow has exactly one Start node. You cannot remove it.
• Click the Start node to add, rename, or remove input variables.
• Each variable has a name, a type (text, number, boolean, and so on), and an optional default value.

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Agent node

The Agent node is the core of most workflows. It sends a prompt to a large language model (like GPT-4 or Claude) and returns the AI's response. In the node picker it is labeled AI Prompt.

Use it whenever you need the AI to generate text, answer a question, analyze input, summarize content, or perform any language task.

Inside the Agent node, you configure:

• Which AI model to use.
• The instructions (system prompt) that guide the AI's behavior.
• The user prompt that includes your input variables.
• Optional tools the AI can call during its response (like web search or document lookup).
• Output settings such as format and length.

The Agent node is powerful and flexible. For a full walkthrough, see Configuring Agent Nodes.

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Classify

The Classify node uses AI to read some input and sort it into one of several categories you define. Each category becomes its own branch in the workflow, so different inputs can follow different paths.

This is perfect for:

• Intent detection - Figure out what a user is asking for (e.g., "billing question," "technical support," "general inquiry") and route them accordingly.
• Content categorization - Sort incoming text into topics or themes.
• Sentiment analysis - Determine whether feedback is positive, negative, or neutral.

To set it up:

1. Add a Classify node to your workflow.
2. Define your categories (for example: "Sales," "Support," "Other").
3. The AI reads the input and picks the best matching category.
4. The workflow continues down the branch for that category.

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If/Else

The If/Else node lets you create conditional branches based on expressions you define - no AI needed. It works like a simple "if this, then that" decision.

Use it when you want to branch based on specific, predictable conditions. For example:

• If the user selected "Premium" plan, show one path. Otherwise, show another.
• If a number is greater than 100, go one way. If not, go another.

To set it up:

1. Add an If/Else node to your workflow.
2. Define one or more conditions using your workflow variables (e.g., "plan equals Premium" or "score is greater than 80").
3. Each condition becomes its own branch, plus a default "Else" branch for when no conditions match.

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Transform

The Transform node lets you restructure or reformat data as it moves through your workflow. Use it to rename fields, combine values, extract specific pieces of data, or reshape your data for the next step.

For example, you might use a Transform node to:

• Pull out just the "summary" field from a longer AI response.
• Combine a first name and last name into a full name.
• Convert data into a format that an external API expects.

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Set State

The Set State node updates one or more workflow variables with new values. Think of it as a way to save or overwrite information at a specific point in your workflow.

This is useful when you want to:

• Store a result from one node so you can use it later.
• Reset a counter or flag.
• Update a variable based on something that happened earlier in the flow.

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Date/Time

The Date/Time node is intended to return the current date and time - for example, to include today's date in a generated document or to compare against a deadline. This node is not yet available to add to a workflow; check back as the node picker expands.

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Pause

The Pause node delays the workflow for a specified amount of time before continuing to the next step.

Use it when you need to:

• Wait before making a follow-up API call (to respect rate limits).
• Add a delay between messages in a chatbot flow.
• Space out steps in a multi-stage process.

You set the delay duration when you configure the node.

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Function

Reusable sub-workflow logic in FormWise is built with the Skill node, not a separate Function node - see Skill below.

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Parallel

The Parallel node lets you run multiple branches at the same time. Each branch executes independently and simultaneously, which is useful when you have tasks that do not depend on each other. In the node picker it is labeled Multi Run.

For example, you might use Parallel to:

• Generate a title, outline, and image prompt all at once instead of one after another.
• Call multiple external APIs at the same time to speed things up.
• Run different analyses on the same input simultaneously.

Each branch runs on its own, and the results are collected when all branches finish.

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Join

The Join node waits for all incoming parallel branches to finish before the workflow continues. It is the counterpart to the Parallel node, and is added automatically as part of a Parallel node's structure.

When a Parallel node splits the workflow into multiple branches, the Join node brings them back together. It collects the outputs from all branches so the next step has access to everything.

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Note

The Note node is intended for documentation only - a way to add comments, explanations, or reminders directly on the canvas without affecting execution. This node is not yet available to add to a workflow; check back as the node picker expands.

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Webhook

The Webhook node sends data to an external URL - a Zapier or Make scenario, a GHL workflow, or any endpoint you control. Use it to send data from your workflow to tools outside of FormWise.

For example, you might use a Webhook node to:

• Send a generated email to your email service.
• Push a lead's contact info and form answers into your CRM.
• Post a message to Slack or Discord.
• Trigger an action in Zapier or Make.

By default, the node sends a JSON payload assembled from simple toggles (contact info, form answers, the previous step's output, uploaded file links, conversation history). Switch to Advanced mode to choose the HTTP method and write a custom body and headers by hand.

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Skill

The Skill node lets you reference a reusable sub-workflow built with FormWise. Skills are pre-built, self-contained pieces of logic - with their own defined inputs and outputs - that you can drop into any workflow.

Think of Skills as ready-made building blocks. If your team has created a Skill for a common task (like formatting a response or validating input), you can add it to your workflow with a single node instead of rebuilding the logic from scratch. The same Skill can be reused across multiple workflows.

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Choosing the right node

Not sure which node to use? Here is a quick guide:

Next steps

Now that you know what each node does, learn how to get the most out of the Agent node in Configuring Agent Nodes, or explore how data moves between nodes in Variables and Data.