> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cogniagent.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Workflow Nodes Overview

> The building blocks for automating your work with CogniAgent

Think of nodes as steps in a recipe. Each node does one thing, and you connect them together to create an automated workflow. Just like a recipe has steps for prep, cooking, and plating, workflows have steps for triggering, doing work, and making decisions.

## Three Types of Nodes

CogniAgent has three types of nodes, each with a different job:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Triggers" icon="bolt" href="/nodes/triggers/overview">
    **Start your workflow.** Like an alarm clock that kicks things off - when an email arrives, when a form is submitted, or at a scheduled time.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Actions" icon="play" href="/nodes/actions/overview">
    **Do the work.** Send emails, ask AI to analyze text, update spreadsheets, or post messages to Slack.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Logic" icon="code-branch" href="/nodes/logic/overview">
    **Make decisions.** Choose different paths based on conditions - like "if the email is urgent, do this; otherwise, do that."
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How Nodes Work Together

<Frame caption="A workflow built from triggers, actions, and logic — connected on the canvas.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/glorium/eqWkhSfBUec9afZU/images/applications/app-canvas-with-nodes.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=eqWkhSfBUec9afZU&q=85&s=cb693d96a8f70a60ed83fe3b5dbd138e" alt="Workflow canvas with mixed node types" width="1440" height="1200" data-path="images/applications/app-canvas-with-nodes.png" />
</Frame>

Nodes connect with lines to create a flow. Data moves from one node to the next, like an assembly line:

1. **Trigger nodes** kick things off and bring in the initial information
2. **Action nodes** do things with that information
3. **Logic nodes** decide what happens next based on rules you set

### Passing Information Between Nodes

Every node can use information from nodes that came before it. You use a simple format to grab that data:

```
{{node_name.output_name}}
```

For example, if you have an AI node that analyzes an email, you can use its response in the next node:

```
{{ask_ai_1.response}}
```

<Tip>
  When you type `{{` in any text field, the editor shows you all the available information from previous nodes. No need to memorize anything!
</Tip>

## What Every Node Has

All nodes share these basic parts:

### Settings

* **Name** - What you call it (shown on the canvas so you can remember what it does)
* **Key** - A short code used behind the scenes (auto-created, but you can change it)
* **Description** - Optional notes for yourself about what this step does

### Connection Points

* **Left side** - Where lines from previous nodes connect
* **Right side** - Where lines to the next nodes connect

<Note>
  Trigger nodes only have a right-side connection since they're always first. Some decision nodes (like Condition) have multiple outputs for different paths.
</Note>

### Configuration Panel

Click any node to see its settings on the right side of the screen. This is where you tell the node exactly what to do.

## Node Status Colors

When your workflow runs, nodes show their status with colors:

| Color        | What It Means           |
| ------------ | ----------------------- |
| Gray         | Waiting to run          |
| Spinning     | Working on it right now |
| Green border | Finished successfully   |
| Red border   | Something went wrong    |

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Trigger Nodes" icon="bolt" href="/nodes/triggers/overview">
    Learn about workflow triggers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Action Nodes" icon="play" href="/nodes/actions/overview">
    Explore what your workflows can do
  </Card>

  <Card title="Logic Nodes" icon="code-branch" href="/nodes/logic/overview">
    Master workflow logic and branching
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build a Workflow" icon="hammer" href="/applications/create-workflow-example">
    Follow a hands-on tutorial
  </Card>
</CardGroup>