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Flow Activation lets you run your workflows directly from the canvas to verify they work as expected before deploying. When you activate a flow, VibeFlow executes each node in sequence, captures inputs and outputs at every step, and provides real-time visual feedback so you can debug issues instantly.

How It Works

Every flow starts with an entry node (such as a Start Node, Webhook, or Cron) and connects through action nodes. Flow Activation runs this entire pipeline with test data so you can see exactly what happens at each step. Flow canvas showing a Start Node connected to a Create Todo mutation node, connected to a Return node, with a play button to test the flow

Running a Flow

1

Click the play button

Click the play button on the Start Node of your flow. This opens the Test Flow dialog where you can configure the input data for your test run.
2

Configure test data

Choose between Use Test Data (auto-generated mock data based on your node configuration) or Custom JSON Input to provide your own payload. VibeFlow analyzes downstream nodes and generates realistic mock values — for example, a text field gets "Mock text" as a default value.Test flow dialog showing Input Mode toggle between Use Test Data and Custom JSON Input, with auto-generated test data preview showing a JSON object with a text field
3

Observe execution

Once you click Run Test, VibeFlow executes each node in topological order. Nodes light up as they execute — transitioning from idle to executing to completed (or error). Edges animate to show data flowing between nodes.
4

Inspect captured data

After execution, click any node to see its Captured Input and Captured Output. This shows the exact data that flowed in and out of each node, along with timestamps.

Captured Input & Output

Every node in an activated flow captures the data it received and the data it produced. This makes it straightforward to trace how data transforms as it moves through your workflow.

Captured Input

The input panel shows the exact payload a node received from its upstream connection. In this example, the Create Todo mutation node receives the text field from the Start Node input. Captured Input panel for the Create Todo mutation node, showing a Mutation Insert with the JSON input containing a text field with Mock text value

Captured Output

The output panel shows what a node returned after execution. For a mutation insert, this includes the newly created document with its generated _id and id fields alongside the input data. Captured Output panel for the Create Todo mutation node, showing the resulting document with _id, id, and text fields after the insert mutation

Auto-Generated Test Data

When you select Use Test Data, VibeFlow automatically generates mock values based on your node configuration:
Field PatternGenerated Value
emailtest@example.com
nameJohn Doe
text, descriptionMock text
Number fields42
Boolean fieldstrue
Date fieldsCurrent ISO timestamp
ID fieldsmock_<field>_<random>
This means you can test flows immediately without manually crafting input payloads. For more control, switch to Custom JSON Input and provide your own JSON.

Authentication Toggle

Nodes that support authentication display an Auth toggle at the bottom. When enabled, the node requires a valid user session to execute. During flow activation, authentication is automatically simulated — VibeFlow stubs auth calls with a simulated user identity, so auth-enabled nodes execute normally without requiring a real login session.

Error Handling

If a node fails during activation, it shows an error state with the error message. Downstream nodes are automatically skipped when an upstream node fails, so you can quickly identify the root cause of issues without wading through cascading errors.
Flow Activation uses a sandboxed environment for execution. Database mutations during testing use convex-test and do not affect your production data.

Next Steps