Learn how to build powerful AI workflows with our visual node-based editor. From basic concepts to advanced automations.
đ Getting Started
The Canvas
EmergentFlow uses a visual canvas where you build workflows by placing and connecting nodes. Each node performs a specific function - from AI processing to data manipulation to external integrations.
đąī¸ Basic Navigation
Pan: Click and drag on empty canvas space, or use middle mouse button
Zoom: Scroll wheel or pinch gesture on trackpad
Select Node: Click on any node
Multi-Select: Hold Shift and click nodes, or drag a selection box
Delete: Select node(s) and press Delete or Backspace
Interface Overview
đ Left Sidebar - Node Palette
Contains all available node types organized by category. Drag nodes from here onto the canvas, or double-click to add at center.
⥠Top Bar - Run Controls
Contains the Run button to execute your flow, status indicators, and access to settings.
âī¸ Settings Panel
Access via the gear icon. Configure API keys, default providers, voice settings, and more.
đ Console
Toggle with C key. Shows execution logs, errors, and debug information.
Your First Flow
Let's create a simple AI chat flow:
Drag a Text Input node onto the canvas
Drag an LLM node next to it
Drag a Viewer node to see the output
Connect: Text Input â LLM (Prompt) â Viewer
Type a question in the Text Input
Click Run or press Enter
Text Input
â
LLM
â
Viewer
đ˛ Working with Nodes
Adding Nodes
Drag & Drop: Drag from the left sidebar onto the canvas
Double-Click: Double-click a node type in sidebar to add at canvas center
Right-Click Menu: Right-click on canvas for quick add menu
Search: Press / to open quick search and type node name
Node Anatomy
Every node has these components:
Title Bar: Shows node type and name (double-click to rename)
Input Ports (left): Receive data from other nodes - shown as colored circles
Output Ports (right): Send data to other nodes
Body: Contains configuration options, text fields, dropdowns
Inspector Button (đ): Toggle debug panel showing last inputs/outputs
Configuring Nodes
Click on a node to select it and access its settings. Each node type has different options:
Text fields for prompts, queries, or values
Dropdowns for selecting models, modes, or options
Checkboxes for enabling features
Sliders for numeric values
Node States
Visual
State
Meaning
đĩ Blue pulse
Processing
Node is currently executing
đĸ Green flash
Success
Node completed successfully
đ´ Red border
Error
Node encountered an error - check inspector
âĒ Idle
Waiting
Node hasn't run yet or is waiting for input
Use the Inspector (đ button on each node) to see exactly what data is flowing through. This is invaluable for debugging!
đ Connections & Data Flow
Creating Connections
Click on an output port (right side of a node)
Drag to an input port (left side of another node)
Release to create the connection
You can also drag from input to output - it works both ways!
Connection Rules
One output can connect to multiple inputs (fan-out)
One input can only receive from one output
Connections create the execution flow - nodes run when their inputs are ready
Deleting Connections
Click the line to select it, then press Delete
Drag from port - dragging from an already-connected port breaks the existing connection
Understanding Data Flow
When you click Run:
Flow starts from nodes with no inputs (Start, Text Input, etc.)
Each node processes its inputs and produces outputs
Connected downstream nodes receive data and execute
This continues until all paths complete
Port Types
Different ports expect different types of data:
Port Name
Expected Data
Prompt / Text / In
Text string
System
System prompt for AI
Image
Base64 image or URL
Trigger / Run
Any value (acts as signal)
Query
Search query text
URL
Web URL
Hover over ports to see their names. Color-coded ports help identify compatible connections.
đ¤ AI & LLM Nodes
LLM Node
Core AI
The main node for AI text generation. Sends prompts to language models and returns responses.
Inputs
Prompt: The user message/question
System: System prompt defining AI behavior (optional)
Image: Image for vision models (optional)
Trigger: Manual trigger signal
Options
Provider: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq, Ollama, etc.
Model: Specific model (GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, etc.)
Stream: Show response as it generates
Remember History: Maintain conversation context
Chat Node
Interactive
A conversational interface node with built-in chat UI. Great for testing prompts interactively.
Features
Built-in chat interface with message history
System prompt input for personality/instructions
Automatic conversation memory
Export chat log functionality
Agent Node
Autonomous
An autonomous AI agent that can use tools to accomplish goals. Uses ReAct-style reasoning.
Inputs
Goal: What the agent should accomplish
Tools: JSON array of tool definitions
Trigger: Start execution
Outputs
Result: Final answer/output
Trace: Step-by-step reasoning log
Browser Agent
Autonomous
An AI agent that can browse the web, click links, fill forms, and extract information.
Capabilities
Navigate to URLs
Click buttons and links
Fill out forms
Extract text and images
Take screenshots
Answer questions about page content
Report Generator
Documents
Generates formatted PDF reports from data and images using AI.
AI nodes require API keys. Set these in Settings â API Keys. You can use the default server credits or bring your own keys (BYOK).
đ Data & Input Nodes
Text Input / Prompt
Input
Simple text input field. Type or paste text that flows to connected nodes.
Image
Media
Upload or paste images. Outputs base64 data for AI vision or display nodes.
You can paste images directly from clipboard (Ctrl/Cmd + V) when the node is selected.
File
Media
Upload files of any type. Outputs file content (text, base64, or raw data).
Folder
Batch
Process multiple files in batch. Upload a folder and iterate through files one by one.
Outputs
Current File: Content of current file in batch
Filename: Name of current file
All Files: Array of all filenames
Done: Fires when batch completes
List
Batch
Collect items into a list and process them in batch. Useful for iterating over multiple inputs.
Video (Webcam)
Media
Capture frames from your webcam. Use with vision AI models for real-time analysis.
Web Fetch
Web
Fetch content from URLs. Extracts text and images from web pages.
Search
Web
Web search using DuckDuckGo. Returns search results for a query.
Document Loader
Documents
Load and parse documents (PDF, DOCX, TXT). Automatically chunks for RAG pipelines.
Options
Chunk Size: Characters per chunk (default 1000)
Overlap: Character overlap between chunks
⥠Logic & Control Nodes
Start / Button
Trigger
Manual trigger button. Click to start a flow branch. Useful for testing or manual activation.
Timer
Automation
Fires at regular intervals. Set interval in seconds for automated recurring tasks.
Scheduler
Automation
Run flows at specific times. Schedule tasks for specific times of day.
Router
Conditional
Conditional routing based on text matching. Directs flow based on content.
Conditions
Contains: Text includes value
Equals: Exact match
Starts with: Text begins with value
Ends with: Text ends with value
Regex: Regular expression match
Outputs
Match: Fires if condition is true
No Match: Fires if condition is false
Counter
Utility
Counts triggers. Useful for tracking iterations or limiting loops.
String Operations
Transform
Combine, split, or transform text. Operations include concat, replace, split, uppercase, etc.
Date/Time
Utility
Get current timestamp in various formats.
Python
Code
Run custom Python code. Access inputs via in1, in2 variables.
Example
# Available: in1, in2 (inputs)
# Return value becomes output
result = in1.upper() + " - " + str(len(in1))
return result
Memory
State
Store and retrieve information across flow runs. Maintains context for AI conversations.
đī¸ Voice & Audio Nodes
Microphone
Input
Speech-to-text input. Converts your voice to text using various STT engines.
STT Engines
Fast Local (Moonshine): Local processing, ~40-75MB model, English optimized
Web Speech API: Browser-native, instant but sends to Google
Define AI personality and behavior. Generates system prompts for voice conversations.
Personas
Assistant, Friend, Teacher, Expert
Coach, Therapist, Comedian, Storyteller
Custom character with name and background
Traits
Friendly, Professional, Humorous, Empathetic
Analytical, Creative, Patient, Enthusiastic
And more...
Audio Player
Playback
Play audio files or URLs. Control playback with trigger inputs.
Voice Conversation Setup
Build a complete voice assistant:
Personality
â
LLM (System)
â
Microphone
LLM
â
TTS
đ Integrations
Email Nodes
đ§ Gmail
Read and send emails via Gmail API. Requires OAuth connection.
Fetch inbox messages
Send emails
Search emails
Label management
đŦ IMAP
Read emails from any IMAP server.
Works with any email provider
Batch processing
New email detection
đ¤ SMTP Email
Send emails via SMTP.
âī¸ Email Action
Perform actions on emails (archive, delete, label).
Communication
đą Twilio Phone
Make and receive phone calls. Voice conversations with AI.
đŦ Discord
Send messages to Discord channels via webhook.
đŧ Slack
Send messages to Slack channels.
âī¸ Telegram
Send messages via Telegram bot.
đ Ntfy
Push notifications to your devices.
Databases
đ PostgreSQL
Query PostgreSQL databases.
đŦ MySQL
Query MySQL/MariaDB databases.
đĻ SQLite
Local SQLite database operations.
đ MongoDB
NoSQL document database.
⥠Redis
Key-value store operations.
đĨ Supabase
Supabase database queries.
Productivity
đ Airtable
Read/write Airtable records.
đ Notion
Create and update Notion pages.
Hardware
đ Serial
Communicate with serial devices (Arduino, etc.).
đŽ HID
Communicate with HID USB devices.
đ RAG & Embeddings
What is RAG?
Retrieval-Augmented Generation lets you give AI access to your own documents. Instead of relying only on training data, the AI can search your content and use it to answer questions.
RAG Pipeline
Document Loader
â
RAG Node (Ingest)
Query
â
RAG Node (Search)
â
LLM (with context)
RAG Node
Vector Store
Inputs
Ingest: Text to add to the knowledge base
Query: Search query to find relevant content
Trigger: Manually trigger search
Output
Returns relevant text chunks that match the query, ready to be used as context for an LLM.
Embedding Node
Vectors
Convert text to vector embeddings. Useful for custom similarity search or vector database integration.
Vector Databases
đ˛ Pinecone
Managed vector database. Store and query embeddings at scale.
đˇ Qdrant
Open-source vector search engine. Self-hostable.
For simple use cases, the RAG node handles everything internally. Use dedicated vector DB nodes for production or large-scale applications.
âī¸ Settings & Configuration
Accessing Settings
Click the gear icon in the top bar or press S to open the Settings panel.
API Keys
Server Credits (Default)
EmergentFlow provides credits for using AI services without your own API keys. Check your balance in Settings.
Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)
For unlimited usage or specific providers, add your own API keys: