API

The API node lets you communicate with external services from your conversation flow. You can query data, send information, authenticate against APIs, and process responses — all without writing code. Think of this node as a messenger: you tell it where to go (URL), what to carry (body), and what to bring back (response).

URL and HTTP method

At the top of the panel you configure the two essential fields: HTTP Method — defines what type of operation you will perform:

Method	Purpose	Example
GET	Retrieve data	Query a customer’s balance
POST	Create a resource	Register a new order
PUT	Replace a complete resource	Update all data in a profile
PATCH	Partially update	Change only a user’s email
DELETE	Delete a resource	Cancel a subscription

URL — the address of the service. You can inject variables directly:

https://api.example.com/users/{{$user.id}}/orders/{{$memory.orderId}}

If you paste a URL that already contains parameters (such as ?key=value), the node automatically extracts them and moves them to the Parameters tab.

Import from cURL

If you have a cURL command ready (for example, from an API’s documentation), you can paste it directly into the URL field. The node automatically interprets the method, headers, body, and authentication from the command.

Configuration tabs

The panel has 6 tabs to configure all aspects of the request:

Parameters

Add query string parameters as key-value pairs. Each parameter has a checkbox to enable or disable it without deleting it.

user: {{$user.id}}
date: {{$context.date}}

Parameters are automatically appended to the URL in ?param1=value1&param2=value2 format.

Authentication

Two authentication methods available:

Method	Configuration
Basic Auth	Username and password. Automatically encoded in base64
Bearer Token	Access token sent in the `Authorization: Bearer <token>` header

Both methods support variables in their fields, allowing the use of dynamically stored credentials.

Credentials are kept in context during workflow execution. You can edit them from the credentials modal if they are already stored.

Headers

Add custom HTTP headers as key-value pairs. Each header has a checkbox to enable or disable it.

Content-Type: application/json
X-API-Key: {{$memory.apiKey}}

The Content-Type header is automatically updated when you change the body type.

Body

For methods that send data (POST, PUT, PATCH), configure the request body in different formats:

Format	Typical use
JSON	The most common for REST APIs. Editor with real-time validation
XML	SOAP APIs or legacy services
Plain text	Unstructured data
Multipart Form	Sending files along with text data
Form URL Encoded	Traditional web forms

The JSON editor validates the structure in real time and supports variables within the content:

{
  "user_id": "{{$user.id}}",
  "email": "{{$memory.email}}",
  "name": "{{$user.names}}"
}

Settings

Advanced settings to control the behavior of the request:

Timeout

The maximum time the node waits for the service’s response, in milliseconds. If the response does not arrive within that time, the request is cut off and the flow continues through the error output.

Plan limit

In self-service companies the timeout cannot exceed the maximum the plan grants:

Plan	Maximum time per request
Free	10 seconds
Builder	20 seconds
Growth	30 seconds

When you create an API node, the initial timeout is your plan’s maximum. If you enter a higher value, the field shows the current limit and offers to upgrade your plan.

A node that already had a value above the limit keeps working: the request runs with the plan’s maximum.

What the execution log says

When a request is cut off on time, the log states the cause in error.cause and the detail in error.timeout:

Cause	When it appears
`PLAN_TIMEOUT_EXCEEDED`	The plan’s limit cut the call
`REQUEST_TIMEOUT`	The timeout configured on the node ran out
`UPSTREAM_TIMEOUT`	The service you call responded with a timeout of its own

{
  "error": {
    "message": "timeout of 10000ms exceeded",
    "phase": "request",
    "cause": "PLAN_TIMEOUT_EXCEEDED",
    "timeout": {
      "appliedMs": 10000,
      "configuredMs": 30000,
      "limitMs": 10000,
      "planTier": "FREE",
      "source": "plan"
    }
  }
}

Field	Description
`appliedMs`	Time actually applied to the request
`configuredMs`	Value configured on the node
`limitMs`	Maximum the plan grants
`planTier`	The company’s plan
`source`	`plan` if the plan imposed the limit, `node` if the node’s value was applied

When the limit does not apply

Enterprise companies: the limit is exclusive to self-service plans.
Databases node: it queries Jelou’s database, not an external service.
Nodes with an mTLS certificate: they keep their own timeout.

SSL Certificate

Enables SSL/TLS verification for secure connections.

mTLS Certificates

Mutual TLS authentication with the server. This option only appears if your company has at least one certificate configured.

When mTLS is enabled, the SSL certificate is automatically disabled (they are mutually exclusive)
If a primary certificate exists, it is automatically selected
You can choose any certificate from the available list
Includes a timeout field configurable between 1000ms (1s) and 120000ms (2min) (default 30000ms)

View mTLS certificate management

Retries

Configure automatic retries when a request fails:

Option	Description
Retry condition	Network errors only (default) or always retry
Number of retries	Number of additional attempts
Wait type	No wait, exponential, or custom (in milliseconds)
Reset timeout	Resets the wait time on each retry

Advanced

Hold the conversation while waiting

By default, while the node waits for the service to respond, the user is free: if they write, their message is handled by the project router and can start another flow in the same conversation. To prevent this, open the Advanced tab and enable Hold the conversation while waiting: the user stays in this workflow until the request finishes.

Field	Description
Hold the conversation while waiting	Keeps the user inside this execution while the request runs. Disabled by default, so the nodes you already have behave exactly as before.
Waiting message	Text the user receives each time they write while the request is in progress, up to 500 characters. It accepts variables. If you leave it empty, the conversation is still held and their messages simply get no reply.

Messages the user sends while the conversation is held do not enter the flow: they are always discarded, so later nodes —including an AI Agent— will not see what they wrote.

How long it lasts

The conversation is released as soon as the request finishes, through either the success or the error output, and the flow continues. As a safeguard, the hold lasts at most the timeout configured in Settings; if you did not set one, it lasts 60 seconds. It never exceeds 1 hour.

The limit is based on the timeout of a single attempt. If you enabled Retries, the request can take longer than that limit: once it is reached, the user goes back to talking to the router even if the node is still retrying.

When it does not apply

Nodes inside a Tool: only the workflow that talks to the user can hold them, so the option is ignored on a API node running inside a Tool. In that case, enable it on the workflow’s Tool node; see What is a Tool.
Conversations with an operator: if a human agent takes over the conversation, their messages bypass the hold.
User already held: if another node —for example, a Pause or a Tool with the same option— is already holding the user, that hold is kept and this node does not replace it.

Saving the response

Enable the “Save response” toggle at the top and define a variable name. The complete API response will be stored in that variable.

Accessing the response without manipulation

Use the variable directly in other nodes:

{{$context.apiResponse}}

Manipulating the response in a Code node

If you need to extract specific data from the JSON:

let apiResponse = $context.getHttpResponse('apiResponse')
apiResponse = apiResponse.json()

let name = apiResponse.data.user.name
$memory.set('name', name)

The key you use in $context.getHttpResponse('apiResponse') must match exactly the one you specified in the “Save response” field.

Test response

After running a test from the panel, the response is shown in a collapsible section with:

Status code (for example, 200 OK)
Body tab — Response formatted as JSON with a copy button
Headers tab — Response headers from the server

Alerts

You can receive an email when this node fails 100 times in 5 minutes against the same endpoint. See Node alerts.

Getting Started

Developer

Jelou CLI

Outbound Messaging

Inbox

Marketplace

Channels

Configuration

Billing

URL and HTTP method

Import from cURL

Configuration tabs

Parameters

Authentication

Headers

Body

Settings

Timeout

Plan limit

What the execution log says

When the limit does not apply

SSL Certificate

mTLS Certificates

Retries

Advanced

Hold the conversation while waiting

How long it lasts

When it does not apply

Saving the response

Accessing the response without manipulation

Manipulating the response in a Code node

Test response

Alerts

​URL and HTTP method

​Import from cURL

​Configuration tabs

​Parameters

​Authentication

​Headers

​Body

​Settings

​Timeout

Plan limit

What the execution log says

When the limit does not apply

​SSL Certificate

​mTLS Certificates

​Retries

​Advanced

​Hold the conversation while waiting

How long it lasts

When it does not apply

​Saving the response

​Accessing the response without manipulation

​Manipulating the response in a Code node

​Test response

​Alerts

URL and HTTP method

Import from cURL

Configuration tabs

Parameters

Authentication

Headers

Body

Settings

Timeout

SSL Certificate

mTLS Certificates

Retries

Advanced

Hold the conversation while waiting

Saving the response

Accessing the response without manipulation

Manipulating the response in a Code node

Test response

Alerts