Placeholder Node

Overview

The Placeholder node is a planning and mock testing tool that lets you map out workflow structure before building all the logic. It represents a step that's designed but not yet implemented, so you can visualize the complete workflow and test how steps connect before all integrations are ready.

In this article, we'll be covering how to add a Placeholder node, how to use it to mock API responses for testing, and when to replace it with a real node.

Add a Placeholder node

Placeholder nodes are available in the Utilities section of the node picker.

1. Open a workflow in the builder.
2. Click the + button in the graph or select Add Node from the toolbar.
3. Navigate to Utilities in the node picker.
4. Select Placeholder.
5. In the node configuration panel, add an optional Description explaining what this step should do (for example, "Call provisioning API for device X").
6. Wire the Placeholder node into your workflow like any other node.
7. Save or publish the workflow.

When the workflow executes, the Placeholder node completes successfully without performing any action. It's marked as SUCCESS in execution logs but does no work.

Use Placeholder nodes to mock API responses

Placeholders support output mappers and error handlers just like other workflow nodes. This lets you test downstream logic before real integrations are ready.

Configure a mock output

1. Select the Placeholder node in the workflow graph.
2. Open the Output Mapper configuration.

3. Define the output structure that the real node would return. For example, if mocking a device provisioning API:

     "deviceId": "mock-device-123",
     "status": "provisioned",
     "ipAddress": "192.168.1.100"

4. Wire downstream nodes to reference the placeholder's output (for example, state.steps['provision-device'].output.deviceId).
5. Test the workflow end-to-end with the mocked data.

Without an output mapper, the Placeholder node returns an empty output. Downstream nodes referencing the placeholder's output will receive an empty object.

When to use mock outputs

Mock outputs are useful when:

• An external API isn't available yet but you need to test downstream steps
• You're building a workflow incrementally and want to validate the structure before implementing all nodes
• You're demonstrating a workflow to stakeholders and need realistic outputs without live integrations

Replace a Placeholder node

Once the real integration or logic is ready, replace the Placeholder with the actual node.

1. Open the workflow containing the Placeholder.
2. Add the real node (for example, HTTP REST Request, gaiia GraphQL API, or TypeScript Code).
3. Configure the real node's inputs and outputs. If downstream nodes reference the placeholder's output, use the same output structure.
4. Wire the new node to the same connections the Placeholder had.
5. Delete the Placeholder node.
6. Test and publish the workflow.

Placeholders are designed to be temporary. They help you plan and test workflow structure, but they don't perform real work. Replace them with functional nodes before moving workflows to production.