> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.verbose.cx/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Flow Builder > How flows work, and what every node does. A **flow** is an automation you build on a canvas: contacts enter through a **trigger**, move through **steps** you connect together, and finish at an **end**. Flows send texts, place calls, wait, branch on what a contact does, tag and segment them, and call out to other systems — all without code. ## How a flow runs * **One trigger, at the start.** It decides who enters and when (a list, a campaign action, a reply, a click, a webhook, or a website event). * **Steps run in order**, following the wires you draw. A node with one output passes the contact to the next step; branching nodes send them one way or another. * **A flow can have several ends** — each branch can finish on its own. * **Re-enrollment** (set on the trigger) decides whether a contact can go through again: never, after they finish, or always. * **Compliance is automatic.** Every send respects opt-outs, quiet hours, and frequency limits — a contact who opted out is never messaged, whatever the flow says. Selecting any node in the builder shows a short description of what it does right in the panel. This page is the fuller reference. ## Build your first flow A simple speed-to-lead flow: text a new lead, wait, then branch on whether they replied. Open the **trigger** node and choose how contacts enter — e.g. *Contacts are in a list* and pick the list, or *An external webhook fires* to enroll leads your site POSTs in. Add a **Send SMS** node and wire `trigger → send_sms`. Write the text with `{first_name}` and a `{link}` if you have one. Add a **Wait** node (e.g. 10 minutes) after the message, to give them time to respond. Add a **Condition** on `replied`. Wire the **yes** branch to an *Add tag* (`engaged`) then **End**, and the **no** branch to a second **Send SMS** nudge then **End**. Fix any validation errors the builder flags, then switch the flow to **Active**. Contacts start entering per the trigger; nothing sends while it's a draft. ## How key mechanics work * **Wait timing** — a wait can be a fixed delay (*after the previous step*), a fixed time *after the contact entered* (so earlier delays can't push it later), or *a time of day in the contact's timezone*. Later steps resume when the wait elapses. * **Condition vs Switch** — a **Condition** is a yes/no test on one attribute (replied, clicked, a field value) with two outputs. A **Switch** routes on a custom field's *value* into several named branches plus a default — use it when there are more than two paths. * **Split** runs its branches **in parallel** — every connected branch fires at once. Every other node passes the contact down a single path. * **Re-enrollment** (set on the trigger) decides whether a contact can go through again: **never** (once per contact), **after they finish**, or **always**. Pick this deliberately — *always* can re-message the same person. * **Sub-flows** — a **Call sub-flow** node runs another flow to completion, then returns to continue. Build shared logic (a standard opt-in, a compliance step) once and reuse it. Flows can't loop back on themselves. * **Compliance is automatic** — every messaging node honors opt-outs, quiet hours, and frequency limits, so you never have to add guard steps for them. ## Triggers How contacts enter the flow — a lead list, a campaign action (sent / replied / clicked), a reply, a link click, an inbound webhook, or a website event from the pixel. Every flow has exactly one. ## Messaging Sends a text to the contact. Personalize with tokens like `{first_name}` and `{link}`. Opt-outs, quiet hours, and frequency limits are enforced automatically. Places an outbound call handled by a voice agent you choose — for contacts who respond better to a call, or to escalate after texts go unanswered. ## Timing Pauses the contact before the next step — a fixed delay, a set time after they entered, or until a time of day in their timezone. The backbone of drip timing. Holds the contact until they reply, then continues — optionally only on a specific keyword/code, with a separate timeout path if they never respond. ## Branching A yes/no fork. Contacts matching the attribute (replied, clicked, a custom field value…) take the yes branch; everyone else takes no. Routes the contact down one of several branches by a custom field's value, with a default branch for anything unmatched. Good for routing by state, plan, or source. Runs every connected branch at the same time — do two things at once, e.g. tag the contact and send a text. Only contacts matching the condition continue past it; the rest stop here. Use it to keep a flow to a specific audience. ## Data & actions Writes a custom field (or adds/removes a tag) so later steps, conditions, and segments can act on it — e.g. record `stage = nurtured` mid-flow. Adds a tag — a lightweight label you can later segment or filter on. Adds the contact to a lead list, to build an audience for a later campaign or flow. Adds the contact to a segment explicitly. Most segments update from rules; use this when you want to place a contact in one from within the flow. POSTs the contact's data to a webhook — notify a CRM, a Slack channel, or your own backend when a contact reaches this point. Runs a reusable sub-flow, then returns to continue here. Build shared logic (a standard opt-in, a compliance step) once and reuse it. ## Finishing & layout Finishes the flow for the contact. A flow can have several ends. Organizational only. A **group** is a container you drag to move steps together; a **note** is a sticky comment. Neither changes how contacts flow.