Copying and pasting a group of nodes is the way to reuse part of a workflow: there's no separate "node group" or template feature. This is straightforward for the nodes themselves, but a few things carry over exactly as they were, which is worth understanding before you paste a group that can immediately start doing something.
Copy and paste a selection#
- Select several nodes (drag a selection box, or shift-click each one).
- Copy (
Ctrl/Cmd+C) or cut (Ctrl/Cmd+X). - Paste (
Ctrl/Cmd+V) where you want the copy.
Every pasted node gets a fresh ID, so there's never a collision with the originals. Edges between two nodes that were both part of your selection come along with the paste; an edge connecting a selected node to something outside the selection is simply left behind: no warning, no broken-edge placeholder, it's just not copied.
Understand what's shared vs. regenerated#
- Workflow variables declared inside the copied selection get a new, unique key automatically (appending
_2, _3, and so on if needed), and any variable-read/write nodes in the same selection are updated to point at the new key, so a copied variable and its readers/writers stay correctly wired to each other, not to the originals. - Secret bindings are not regenerated: a pasted node keeps pointing at the exact same secret as the original. This is usually what you want, since a secret is a shared, centrally managed value, not something private to one node.
- Plain configuration values (like a REST Server node's port number or bearer tokens) are copied verbatim too. Two REST Server nodes with the same port will collide the moment both are enabled, so change the port (and tokens, if they should differ) on the copy before applying.
Review before enabling a copied action#
This is the most important step. Pasting a node doesn't disable it or ask for confirmation: a copied Action node keeps whatever Enabled, Execute on startup, and Execute on change settings the original had. If the original was set to execute on startup, the pasted copy will do exactly that the moment you select Apply; there's no extra safety step in between.
The same applies to a copied Scheduler node: if it has a valid schedule, it starts running on that schedule as soon as you apply, exactly like the original.
Before applying a paste that includes any Action or Scheduler node:
- Check each one's Enabled switch, and Action nodes' Execute on startup/Execute on change toggles.
- Turn off anything that shouldn't fire immediately, and turn it back on deliberately once you're ready.
If you get stuck#
What you see | What to try |
|---|
An edge you expected didn't come along with a paste. | That's expected if it connected to a node outside your selection: only edges fully inside the copied selection are preserved. |
A pasted workflow variable isn't showing the value you expect. | Confirm you're reading the new, automatically-renamed variable, not assuming it kept the original's exact key. |
Two REST Server (or similar) nodes conflict right after pasting. | Change the copy's port (and any tokens): plain configuration values are copied as-is, including ones that need to be unique. |
An action fired immediately after applying a pasted group. | Check Execute on startup and Execute on change on every copied Action node before applying: these carry over exactly as they were on the original. |
A copied node's credentials stopped working. | They shouldn't: secret bindings are preserved, not regenerated. If it's failing, check the secret itself rather than assuming the copy broke the reference. |
Where to go next#
