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Workflow Studio helps you connect steps with template variables — placeholders like {{input.topic}} or {{steps.<step-id>.result.message}} that fill in at run time from start input or upstream step output. Template intellisense is the inline helper in text fields: type {{, search by step name or field, pick a suggestion, and Studio inserts the correct path for you.

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Where you’ll see it

Template intellisense appears anywhere Workflow Studio accepts template text, including:
LocationTypical fields
Workflow configuration → TriggerStarting input for selected steps — agent prompt, tool arguments, shared run input
Agent Call structured inputCatalog agent fields that support templates
Look for the small variable icon inside the field. It opens the same list of suggestions you get while typing.
Open Workflow configuration (click empty canvas) → Variables for a read-only cheat sheet of every step and common paths on the current graph.

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Quick start

1

Open a template field

In Workflow configuration, open the Trigger tab and expand a step — for example an Agent Call entry step. Click a field like Task text or template for the agent turn.
2

Type {{

Type two opening braces. Suggestions appear when your cursor is inside an unfinished {{ … segment (before the closing }}).
3

Search naturally

Keep typing a step name, field name, or path fragment. You do not need special symbols — see What you can type.
4

Pick a suggestion

Click a row, or press Enter or Tab while it is highlighted. Studio inserts the full variable and adds the closing }} when needed.
Example: you type {{prepare news context message and choose Prepare news context · message. Studio saves something like: 
{{steps.f79e84fa-609c-485e-83f1-acb3db67f856.result.message}}
The list showed the step’s display name; the saved text uses that step’s real Step ID (the UUID shown in the step config header).

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What the dropdown shows

Each suggestion has two lines:
LineWhat it means
Bold textFriendly label — step name · field, e.g. Prepare news context · message, or input.topic for start input
Gray pathExact template that will be inserted, e.g. {{steps.<uuid>.result.message}}
The middle dot in the label is for reading only — you never type it.

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What you can type

While your cursor is inside {{ … (before }}), Studio filters suggestions as you type:
You typeFinds
input or input.topicWorkflow start input
prepare newsSteps whose display name matches
prepare news context messageStep name plus field, with or without spaces
messageField names on steps or start input
steps.f79e84fa…A step by the start of its Step ID
steps.prepare newsA step by display name after steps.
Think in plain language: prepare news context message is enough to surface Prepare news context · message — you do not need to know the UUID first.

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Two kinds of variables

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Start input — {{input.*}}

Values provided when a run starts — from Run setup, the API, or a webhook. 
{{input.topic}}
{{input.message}}
If you defined an input schema when you published the workflow, those fields appear in suggestions. Per-step start input uses the same {{input.*}} syntax on that step’s fields; the engine applies the right payload for the step that is running.

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Step output — {{steps.<step-id>.result.*}}

Data returned by an earlier step on the canvas. 
{{steps.505d4d95-dcb2-4a9f-a3a7-007c062898f4.result.message}}
  • <step-id> — the step’s Step ID (UUID in the step config panel).
  • .result.<field> — a field on that step’s output.
You can reference nested data when the runtime provides it — for example {{steps.<id>.result.items.0.title}} — even if Studio does not list every nested key in the dropdown.

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Common fields in suggestions

Studio builds suggestions from published input schema, MCP tool output schemas, and catalog agent output_schema when available. Otherwise it falls back to common fields per step type.
Step typeOutput fields often suggested
Agent CallCatalog output_schema fields, or message / result
MCP CallTool outputSchema properties (including nested paths like data.title)
LLM Call, Lua transformmessage, result, content, response
Approval Gateapproved
Shared start inputmessage, topic, data, plus your published input schema
Nested JSON paths beyond the dropdown still work at run time — type them manually when needed.

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Variable picker

Click the variable icon in the field to open Available variables:
  • Browse all start-input and step-output suggestions for the workflow
  • Click a row to insert at the cursor
  • Use Insert trigger input placeholder for a quick {{input.message}} starter

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Mixing text and variables

Templates can be part of a normal sentence: 
Write a newsletter about {{input.topic}} using this research:

{{steps.<step-id>.result.content}}
When the field contains {{…}} blocks, Studio shows how many variable(s) detected under the field.

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Inside a For each loop

In a For each body step, the runtime also supports loop variables: 
{{item}}
{{index}}
These work at run time inside the loop body. They are not in the Studio suggestion list today — type them directly when you need them.

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Good to know

TopicGuidance
Display namesSearch by step name in Studio; saved templates always use the step’s Step ID (UUID).
Deep JSON pathsSuggestions cover common top-level fields; nested paths can be typed by hand.
Valid syntaxOne {{, a path, one }}. Broken text like {{input.topic{{input.topic}}}} will not resolve — fix before you run.
Undo (Ctrl+Z)Restores the previous whole field value. Use Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y to redo.
Malformed templates fail silently at run time — the unresolved {{…}} text is left as-is. Use Validate (dry-run) before important runs, and check the payload preview under run setup fields.