Skip to main content
With the Pause node you stop the flow execution for a set amount of time. Use it to simulate natural wait times, give the user time to read a long message, or wait for an external process.

​
Configuration

1

Define the time

Enter the pause duration as a numeric value (minimum 1). This value is combined with the unit you choose in the next step.
2

Select the unit

Choose the time unit to apply to the configured value:
Use pauses of 1–3 seconds between consecutive text messages to simulate a natural conversation and avoid them all arriving at once.
Pauses in hours or days keep the flow execution active. Make sure your session expiration configuration is compatible with the configured pause time.

​
Example

3-second pause between messages

If you configure Time = 3 and Unit = Seconds, the flow waits 3 seconds before continuing to the next node. This allows you to give a brief breathing room between two consecutive text messages.

​
Block the flow during the pause

By default the pause leaves the user free: if they write while the flow waits, their message is handled by the project router instead of the paused workflow, and the pending pause may be cancelled in the process, leaving the execution in Processing without continuing. With Block flow enabled, the user stays inside this execution for the whole pause: every message they send gets the Waiting message you configured and never leaves the workflow.
Messages the user sends while blocking is active do not enter the flow: they are always discarded, so an AI Agent further down the workflow will not see what they wrote. They get a reply only if you configured a waiting message; if you left it empty, they get none.

​
How long the block lasts

The block lasts as long as the pause, capped at 1 hour. If you configure a longer pause, the block lifts at the cap and the user goes back to talking to the router; the pause keeps running and the flow continues when it ends. As soon as the pause ends and the flow advances to the next node, the block is released automatically.

​
When it does not apply

  • Tests from the canvas: debug executions never block the user.
  • Conversations with an operator: if a human agent takes over the conversation, their messages do not go through the block.
  • Pauses inside a Tool: only the workflow that talks to the user can hold them, so blocking configured on a Pause that runs inside a Tool is ignored.
On router bots, a message the analyzer considers off-topic can take the user to another skill. That releases the block, exactly as it does today with a blocking Question node.
The Tool node has the same option while the Tool runs. See What is a Tool.

​
Resume an execution that did not continue after the pause

If an execution does not continue after a Pause node —the pause does not advance on its own and the execution stays in Processing status— you can resume it manually from the Brain Logs.
1

Open the execution detail

In the Logs section, open the execution in Processing status that did not continue after the Pause.
2

Resume from the Pause node

On the Pause node card, next to the debug button, click Resume and confirm.
The flow continues from the node right after the pause, preserving the execution’s accumulated context.
The Resume button is only enabled when the last node in the log is a Pause node and the execution is in Processing status.