Toolbar & Controls
The workflow editor doesn't put everything in one long bar across the top. Its controls sit next to the thing they act 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, a small action tray that appears when you hover a block, and a Logs dock along the bottom for the run you just started. On a workflow that is switched on, a publish strip also appears next to the title.
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, settings, variables, saving, running |
| Unpublished changes strip | Next to the workflow title, top-left | Putting saved edits live on a workflow that is switched on |
| 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 |
| Block details view | Opens over the editor | One block's settings, with its input and output beside them |
| Logs dock | Along the bottom of the editor | The latest run: status, stop and resume, a log per 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. With unsaved edits it first asks Discard unsaved changes? |
| Workflow settings (the … button) | Opens the settings panel for this workflow — see Workflow settings |
| Variables | Opens the workflow's Variables panel |
Right group
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| 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 |
There is no Deploy or Publish button in the header. A workflow is published when you switch it on from the Workflows page; after that, edits go live from the Unpublished changes strip described below.
Workflow settings
The … button opens a small Workflow settings panel. It holds one setting today.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Error workflow | The workflow that runs when an automatic run of this workflow fails — for example to notify someone or open a task |
To set it:
- In another workflow, add an Error Trigger block and build what should happen after a failure. That block receives which workflow failed, which run, and the error.
- Back in this workflow, click …, choose that workflow under Error workflow, and click Save. The panel confirms with "Saved."
- Choose None and save to remove it again.
Things to know:
- The list offers only workflows that contain an Error Trigger and that you are allowed to edit. If there are none, the panel says "Add an Error Trigger to another workflow to pick it here."
- Only automatic runs are reported — a schedule, a webhook, a form and so on. Runs you start yourself with Run, and test runs, are not.
- If the chosen workflow later loses its Error Trigger, or you can no longer edit it, the setting shows "A workflow you can no longer pick". Choose another one.
- The panel may instead read "Your organisation's server must be updated before an error workflow can be set." In that case ask your administrator.
Close the panel with its × or with Escape.
The Unpublished changes strip
When a workflow is Active and you have saved edits that are not live yet, an amber strip appears next to the workflow title at the top-left of the editor. It reads Unpublished changes and carries one button: Publish changes. Hover the label to see which version the triggers are running now.
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| No strip | The workflow is switched off, or everything you saved is already live |
| Unpublished changes + Publish changes | Saved edits are waiting. Click the button to put them live |
| Publishing… | The edits are being published right now |
| Changes published · version N | Done — triggers now run the new version |
Publish changes is greyed out when it can't work yet. Hover it to see why:
| Tooltip you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Save your changes before publishing | You have unsaved edits. Press Save first — publishing takes the saved state |
| You can't publish while the assistant is editing the workflow | The Copilot is building. Let it finish |
| You don't have permission to publish this workflow | Ask someone who can edit this workflow to publish it |
If publishing is refused, a message starting "Couldn't publish:" names what to fix and stays on screen until you close it.
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 |
If you aren't allowed to edit the workflow, Save stays greyed out and its tooltip reads "You don't have permission to edit this workflow".
:::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 |
| You don't have permission to run this workflow | Running is a separate permission. Ask your administrator |
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. Without permission to stop runs, Stop is greyed out with "You don't have permission to cancel this execution".
:::info Stopping is not the only place runs are controlled The Run/Stop button starts and cancels. The Logs dock at the bottom of the editor shows the run while it is in progress — that's where you Resume a paused run and watch each block. See The Logs dock. :::
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 in their own view 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 large view with the block's input and output side by side. See The block details view. :::
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 | — | 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 |
The menus show Mac-style key symbols; on Windows and Linux use Ctrl where the menu shows ⌘.
:::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 details 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 ports / 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 block details view
Double-click a block, choose Open details in its tray, or select it and press Ctrl/Cmd + \ (or Ctrl/Cmd + I). The view opens over the editor with three columns: Input on the left, the block's settings in the middle, Output on the right. Close it with the ×, with Escape, or by clicking outside it.
The top bar
| Item | What it shows or does |
|---|---|
| Status | How this block did in the latest run — for example Completed or Failed — or "Not run yet" |
| Reset layout | Appears once you have collapsed a side column; puts the three columns back |
| Run / Stop | The same button as in the panel header, with the same reasons for being greyed out. Its tooltip here reads "Runs all blocks from the start" — it always runs the whole workflow |
| × | Closes the view |
The Input column
A switch at the top of the column chooses what you look at.
| View | What it shows | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Upstream | Every block that runs before this one, with its output fields | Drag a field into a setting in the middle column — the reference is written for you. Hover a field to see the exact reference first |
| Resolved | What this block actually received in the latest run, after every reference was filled in | Check that a reference delivered the value you expected |
What the Upstream view tells you:
| You see | What it means |
|---|---|
| "No upstream blocks yet" | Nothing is connected into this block. Connect a block first |
| "Fields below come from each block's schema. Run once to populate real values and previews." with Run to populate | The workflow hasn't run yet, so you see the fields each block is expected to produce, not real values. They can still be dragged |
| "Block failed — schema fields shown." / "No output in the last run — schema fields shown." | That block produced nothing in the latest run, so its expected fields are listed instead |
| "3 iterations — latest shown" | The block ran several times (in a loop or parallel branch); the last result is the one listed |
In the Resolved view a small "sensitive hidden" label reminds you that secret values show as [redacted] — hidden, not missing. When the block ran several times, a selector lets you pick the iteration.
The Output column
The Output column shows what the block produced in the latest run.
| You see | What it means |
|---|---|
| "No output yet" with Run entire workflow | There is no run to show. The button runs the workflow from the start |
| "Waiting for this run…" | A run has started and hasn't reached this block yet |
| "Running…" | The block is working right now |
| "Not run in the last execution" | The latest run never reached this block — it may sit on a branch that wasn't taken |
| The result | An expandable tree, or formatted text for an AI step — the same display as in Logs |
Adjusting the layout
Drag the divider between two columns to resize them, or use the small arrow in a column's header to fold Input or Output down to a narrow rail. Your layout is remembered. On a narrower screen only one side column opens at a time, so the settings always keep room.
The Logs dock
Along the bottom of the editor sits a dock titled Logs. It follows the run you started from this editor.
| To do this | Do this |
|---|---|
| Open or collapse the dock | Click its header |
| Make it taller or shorter | Drag its top edge |
Before you've run anything it reads "No runs yet — Run the workflow to see execution logs." When a run pauses, the dock opens by itself so the Resume and Stop buttons are never out of sight.
The status row
The first row summarises the run and holds its controls.
| Item | What it shows or does |
|---|---|
| Status | A coloured badge: Queued, Running, Completed, Failed, Cancelled or Paused |
| "n steps recorded" | How many steps have been recorded so far |
| Duration | Shown once the run has finished |
| Error message | Shown when the run failed |
| Resume | Only while the run is Paused and can be continued by you |
| Stop | While the run is Queued, Running or Paused |
| × | Hides the run from the dock. It does not stop it |
Under the status row, a coloured banner explains a run that is waiting or was refused — a connection that needs attention, a person who has to answer a form or an approval, or an outside address that isn't allowed. Each one is described in Running Workflows.
The block log
Below the status row every block that ran gets its own row, in the order it ran. Until the first block reports, the dock reads "Waiting for the first block…".
- Each row shows the block's name and how long it took. A block still working shows a Running badge; a step waiting for a person shows Waiting for a response; a failed block is red.
- Loops and parallel branches nest: a Loop or Parallel row folds open into Iteration 1, Iteration 2 and so on. Click it to fold or unfold.
- The line above the rows counts them — for example "4 of 9 blocks" when a filter is on.
Filtering. Click the filter icon at the right of that line and tick Errors, Info, or one or more block names. Clear filters resets it. You can also right-click a row and choose Filter by this block or Copy block name.
Reading a block's data. Click a row and a panel opens on the right with two views: Output (what the block produced) and Input (what it received). A copy button copies what you are looking at, and the × closes the panel. Drag the panel's left edge to resize it.
The dock shows the run you started in this editor. For runs started by a schedule, a webhook or another person — and for the full detail of any past run — open the Logs tab on the Workflows page. See Logs.
The empty-canvas launcher
Before you've added your first block, the canvas shows a launcher with the Arketic mark and two commands:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| New Agent | Drops an Agent block straight onto the canvas |
| Search Blocks | 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 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 details view of the selected block |
Ctrl/Cmd + C | Copy the selected block |
Ctrl/Cmd + V | Paste |
Ctrl/Cmd + D | Duplicate the selected block |
Shift + L | Auto-layout |
V | Pointer (select) mode |
H | Mover (pan) mode |
Delete or Backspace | Delete the selected block or connection |
Escape | Close the block details view, a settings panel or an open 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.
:::
:::note Two key hints that are only hints
The editor shows ⌘⇧F next to Fit to view and ⌘⇧A next to New Agent. Neither key combination does anything — click the button or the launcher row instead.
:::
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 |
|---|---|
| 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