# Flow Step Settings Every flow component in Fastn — connectors, switches, loops, data mappers, and more — includes a **Settings** panel where you control how that step behaves at runtime. These step-level settings help you test, document, organize, and harden your flows. To open the Settings panel, click the **Settings icon** in the **top-right corner** of any component on the canvas.
Flow step Settings panel accessed via the Settings icon in the top-right corner of a component
The panel contains four key features: | Feature | Purpose | Access | | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | -------------------------- | | [Skip](#skip-a-step) | Temporarily disable a step during testing | Three-dot menu on the step | | [Step notes](#step-notes) | Document the purpose or logic of a step | Settings tab | | [Step labels](#step-labels) | Visually group related steps on the canvas | Settings tab | | [Retry mechanism](#retry-mechanism) | Automatically retry a step on failure | Settings tab | *** ## Skip a step Skip lets you temporarily disable a step so the flow bypasses it during test runs. The step stays in the flow but does not execute. ### How to skip a step 1. Hover over the step you want to skip on the canvas. 2. Click the **three-dot menu** (⋮) in the top-right corner of the step. 3. Select **Skip** from the dropdown. The step displays a **dotted border** on the canvas, indicating it is skipped. The flow treats the step as if it does not exist during execution — downstream steps that depend on its output receive no data from it. ### How to unskip a step 1. Click the **three-dot menu** (⋮) on the skipped step. 2. Select **Unskip** to restore normal execution. The dotted border disappears and the step executes normally on the next run. ### When to use skip | Scenario | Example | | -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Isolating a failure** | Skip steps one at a time to find which step causes an error | | **Testing a partial flow** | Skip a Slack notification step while testing data transformation logic | | **Bypassing slow steps** | Skip a step that calls a rate-limited API while iterating on earlier steps | | **Comparing results** | Run the flow with and without a step to compare output | {% hint style="warning" %} Skipped steps do not produce output. If a downstream step maps data from a skipped step, that mapping resolves to empty. Verify your data flow before relying on test results with skipped steps. {% endhint %} {% hint style="info" %} Skip is a **testing and debugging tool**. It does not affect deployed flows. Remove all skips before deploying to production. {% endhint %} *** ## Step notes Step notes let you add free-text documentation directly to a step. Use notes to explain why a step exists, what logic it applies, or any context a collaborator needs. ### How to add a note 1. Click the **Settings icon** on the step to open the Settings panel. 2. Scroll to the **Step Note** field. 3. Enter your note text.
Step Note text field for adding comments about the purpose or logic of a flow step
After you save a note, a **note icon** appears on the step in the canvas. Click the icon to quickly view the note without opening the full Settings panel. ### When to use step notes | Scenario | Example note | | ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Explaining business logic** | "Filters orders over $500 per compliance policy CP-204" | | **Flagging workarounds** | "Uses v1 endpoint because v2 does not support bulk queries yet" | | **Documenting decisions** | "Switch added to handle both JSON and XML responses from vendor" | | **Onboarding collaborators** | "This loop processes each line item from the Shopify webhook payload" | {% hint style="info" %} Clear notes make debugging faster. When a flow fails at 2 AM, the on-call engineer sees your note and understands the intent immediately. {% endhint %} *** ## Step labels Step labels let you visually group related steps on the canvas. A label creates a named region that surrounds the steps you assign to it, making complex flows easier to scan and navigate. ### How to add a label 1. Click the **Settings icon** on a step to open the Settings panel. 2. Find the **Step Label** field. 3. Enter a label name (for example, "Data Validation" or "Notification Block"). All steps that share the same label name are grouped together visually on the canvas under that label. ### How labels appear on the canvas Steps with the same label display inside a shared visual boundary with the label name shown above them. This grouping is purely visual — it does not change execution order or data flow. ### When to use step labels | Scenario | Example label | | --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | | **Identifying logical phases** | "Input Validation", "Data Transformation", "Output" | | **Grouping by integration** | "Salesforce Sync", "Slack Notifications" | | **Marking error-handling blocks** | "Error Handling", "Retry Logic" | | **Organizing large flows** | "Phase 1: Fetch Data", "Phase 2: Process", "Phase 3: Store" | {% hint style="info" %} Labels are especially valuable in flows with 10 or more steps. They turn a flat sequence of steps into a readable, self-documenting flow diagram. {% endhint %} *** ## Retry mechanism The retry mechanism configures automatic retries when a step fails. This is critical for connector and API steps where transient errors (network timeouts, rate limits, temporary service outages) are common. ### How to configure retries 1. Click the **Settings icon** on the step to open the Settings panel. 2. Locate the **Retry Settings** section.
Retry Settings panel with Make Step Required checkbox to stop flow on step failure
### Make step required Enable the **Make Step Required** checkbox to mark a step as critical to the flow. | Setting | Behavior | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Enabled** | The flow stops immediately if this step fails after all retry attempts are exhausted. No downstream steps execute. | | **Disabled** (default) | The flow continues to the next step even if this step fails. | Use **Make Step Required** for steps where failure means the rest of the flow produces invalid results — for example, an authentication step or a primary data fetch. ### When to use retries | Scenario | Recommended approach | | ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Calling external APIs** | Enable retries to handle rate limits and transient network errors | | **Database writes** | Enable retries with the step marked as required to prevent partial data | | **Sending notifications** | Enable retries but leave the step as not required — a failed Slack message should not block the flow | | **Data transformation steps** | Retries are usually unnecessary — transformation failures are logic errors, not transient | {% hint style="warning" %} Retries are most effective for **transient** errors. If a step fails due to incorrect configuration (wrong endpoint, missing field), retrying produces the same error. Fix the root cause instead. {% endhint %} {% hint style="info" %} Combine retries with the **Make Step Required** checkbox for critical integration steps. This ensures the flow retries on transient failures and stops cleanly if the step ultimately fails. {% endhint %} *** ## Feature summary Use this table to decide which features to apply during flow development: | Development phase | Feature | Action | | ----------------- | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Building** | Step labels | Group steps into logical sections as you add them | | **Building** | Step notes | Document each step's purpose while the context is fresh | | **Testing** | Skip | Disable steps to isolate and debug specific parts of the flow | | **Hardening** | Retry mechanism | Add retries to connector and API steps before deploying | | **Hardening** | Make step required | Mark critical steps that must succeed for the flow to produce valid results | *** ## Related * [Flow Settings](/flow-setup-essentials/flow-settings.md) — configure flow-level behavior (type, validation, authentication, visuals) * [Debugging & Troubleshooting](/debugging-and-troubleshooting.md) — use the Test button, Logs page, and Logger step to diagnose flow issues * [Connectors](/flow-setup-essentials/designing-a-flow/connectors.md) — connect your flow to external services and APIs --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.fastn.ai/flow-setup-essentials/flow-settings/flow-step-settings.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.