Toolbar & Controls
The workflow editor doesn't put everything in one long bar across the top. Its controls sit in four places, each next to the thing it acts on: the panel header on the right for the workflow as a whole, the canvas controls at the bottom-left for moving around, a right-click menu for quick edits, and a small action tray that appears when you hover a block.
This page is the map. It tells you what every control does, when a control is greyed out and why, and which keyboard shortcuts actually work.
Where each control lives
| Area | Position | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| Panel header | Top of the right-side panel | The whole workflow: going back, variables, saving, running |
| Panel tabs | Just under the panel header | Switching between the Copilot and the block palette |
| Canvas controls | Floating pill, bottom-left | Getting around the canvas: pan/select, undo, redo, fit |
| Right-click menu | Wherever you right-click | Quick edits on the canvas or on one block |
| Block action tray | Above a block, on hover | Everything you can do to that one block |
The panel header
The header of the right-side panel carries the workflow-level actions. The left group is navigation, the right group is what you do with the workflow.
Left group
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Back | Returns you to the Workflows list |
| More | Coming soon — greyed out, with a "More — coming soon" tooltip |
| Variables | Opens the workflow's Variables panel |
Right group
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Deploy | Coming soon — greyed out, with a "Deploy — coming soon" tooltip |
| Save | Saves your changes. The label tells you the current state (see below) |
| Run / Stop | Starts a run, and becomes Stop while a run is going |
The Save button tells you where you stand
You never have to guess whether your work is stored. The button changes as it goes:
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Save | You have unsaved changes. Click it (or press Ctrl/Cmd + S) |
| Saving… | Your changes are being stored right now |
| Saved (with a checkmark) | Everything is stored. The button is greyed out because there's nothing left to save |
:::tip Save is the one shortcut that never sleeps
Ctrl/Cmd + S saves even while your cursor is inside a text field. Every other shortcut steps aside so you can type normally.
:::
When Run is greyed out — and why
Run is deliberately strict: it only lights up when a run can actually succeed. Hover the greyed-out button and it tells you exactly what's blocking it.
| Tooltip you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Save your changes first | You have unsaved edits. Press Save, then Run |
| Add at least one block first | The canvas is empty. Add a block, then Run |
| Copilot is building — please wait | The Copilot is editing the canvas. Let it finish |
While a run is starting, the button briefly reads Starting…. Once the run is under way it becomes Stop, and pressing it shows Stopping… until the run actually halts.
:::info Stopping is not the only place runs are controlled The Run/Stop button starts and cancels. A separate status strip appears under the panel while a run is in progress — that's where you Resume a paused run and watch its progress. See Running Workflows. :::
Panel tabs
Under the header the panel has two tabs:
| Tab | What's inside |
|---|---|
| Copilot | The AI assistant that builds and edits the workflow for you — see Copilot |
| Toolbar | The block palette you drag blocks from — see Creating Workflows |
You can resize the panel by dragging its left edge, so you can give the Copilot conversation more room or shrink the panel to see more canvas.
:::note Block settings open full-screen Configuring a block doesn't happen in this panel. Double-click a block — or use Open details in its hover tray — and its settings open in a full-screen view with the block's input and output side by side. :::
Canvas controls (bottom-left)
A small floating pill sits over the bottom-left corner of the canvas.
| Control | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Mover / Pointer | H / V | Chooses how the mouse behaves on empty canvas |
| Undo | Ctrl/Cmd + Z | Steps back one change |
| Redo | Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z | Steps forward again |
| Fit to view | Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F | Zooms and centres so the whole workflow fits on screen |
Mover vs Pointer
The first item is a mode selector: it shows the icon of the mode you're in, and clicking the little chevron next to it opens the choice.
| Mode | Icon | What dragging on empty canvas does |
|---|---|---|
| Mover | Hand | Pans the canvas — you move the view around |
| Pointer | Arrow | Draws a selection box — you pick blocks |
Press H for Mover (hand) and V for Pointer at any time, without opening the menu.
Undo and Redo dim out when there's nothing left to undo or redo, so the pill always reflects what's actually available.
:::tip Zooming Zoom with your mouse wheel, or pinch on a trackpad. There are no separate zoom buttons — Fit to view is the fastest way back when you've zoomed off somewhere. :::
Right-click menus
Right-clicking gives you the quick actions for whatever is under the cursor. There are two menus.
On empty canvas
| Item | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | ⌘Z | Steps back one change |
| Redo | ⌘⇧Z | Steps forward again |
| Paste | ⌘V | Drops in the block you last copied |
| Auto-layout | ⇧L | Rearranges every block into a tidy layout |
| Fit to View | — | Fits the whole workflow on screen |
| Variables | — | Opens the workflow's variables panel |
Paste is unavailable until you've copied something, and Auto-layout is unavailable until there are enough blocks to be worth arranging.
On a block
| Item | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Copy | ⌘C | Copies this block |
| Paste | ⌘V | Drops in the block you last copied |
| Duplicate | — | Makes a second copy of this block on the canvas |
| Delete | ⌫ | Removes this block |
:::tip Auto-layout is the fix for a messy canvas
If a workflow has grown sideways and blocks overlap, right-click the canvas and choose Auto-layout (or press Shift + L). It repositions blocks into a tidy layout.
:::
Block action tray
Hover a block and a small tray of buttons appears just above it. This is the fastest route to everything you can do to a single block.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Open details | Opens the block's full-screen configuration view |
| Run from here | Coming soon — greyed out |
| Disable / Enable | Switches the block off without deleting it. A disabled block stays on the canvas, dimmed, and is skipped when the workflow runs |
| Lock | Coming soon — greyed out |
| Duplicate | Makes a copy of the block |
| Horizontal / Vertical ports | Flips which sides of the block its connection points sit on, so you can lay a flow out left-to-right or top-to-bottom |
| Remove from container | Takes the block back out onto the main canvas. Only appears when the block is currently inside a container |
| Delete | Removes the block |
Two things behave differently depending on the block:
- Duplicate isn't available for every block. The Start block and container blocks show a greyed-out Duplicate marked unavailable.
- Notes are simpler. A Note has no settings, no input and no output, so its tray only offers Disable / Enable, Duplicate and Delete.
:::tip Disable instead of delete while you're testing If a step is getting in the way of a test run, Disable it rather than deleting it. Your configuration stays exactly as it was — enable it again and the step is back, untouched. :::
The empty-canvas launcher
Before you've added your first block, the canvas shows a launcher with the Arketic mark and two commands:
| Command | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| New Agent | ⌘⇧A | Drops an Agent block straight onto the canvas |
| Search Blocks | ⌘K | Opens block search so you can type the name of what you need |
Once the first block exists, the launcher disappears and the canvas takes over. Ctrl/Cmd + K still opens block search from anywhere in the editor.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + S | Save — works even while you're typing in a field |
Ctrl/Cmd + Enter | Run the workflow |
Ctrl/Cmd + Z | Undo |
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z or Ctrl/Cmd + Y | Redo |
Ctrl/Cmd + K | Search blocks |
Ctrl/Cmd + \ or Ctrl/Cmd + I | Open or close the block detail view |
Ctrl/Cmd + C | Copy the selected block |
Ctrl/Cmd + V | Paste |
Ctrl/Cmd + D | Duplicate |
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F | Fit the whole workflow on screen |
Shift + L | Auto-layout |
V | Pointer (select) mode |
H | Mover (pan) mode |
⌫ | Delete the selected block — the shortcut shown on the block right-click menu |
:::tip Shortcuts get out of your way while you type
The moment your cursor is in a text field, the single-key and editing shortcuts stop firing — so typing "v" in a prompt won't switch canvas modes, and Ctrl/Cmd + Z undoes your text instead of your workflow. Save is the one exception: it always saves.
:::
Coming soon
These controls are visible in the editor but not active yet. They're shown greyed out with a "coming soon" tooltip rather than hidden, so nothing surprises you later:
| Control | Where |
|---|---|
| More | Panel header, left group |
| Deploy | Panel header, right group |
| Run from here | Block action tray |
| Lock | Block action tray |
Related pages
- Creating Workflows — adding, connecting and configuring blocks
- Running Workflows — starting a run, watching it, stopping and resuming
- Variables — the panel behind the Variables button
- Copilot — the AI builder in the panel's first tab
- Logs — reading a finished run step by step
- Workflows Overview — the Workflows tabs at a glance