# 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](https://docs.fastn.ai/flows/flow-setup-essentials/flow-settings) — configure flow-level behavior (type, validation, authentication, visuals) * [Debugging & Troubleshooting](https://docs.fastn.ai/flows/debugging-and-troubleshooting) — use the Test button, Logs page, and Logger step to diagnose flow issues * [Connectors](https://docs.fastn.ai/flows/flow-setup-essentials/designing-a-flow/connectors) — connect your flow to external services and APIs