> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.opencompany.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The canvas

> The workflow editor: palette, modes, console, shortcuts, and the Command Palette

The canvas is where you build. This page names every part of the editor so the rest of the docs can say "press **Start**" and you know exactly where to look.

## The component palette

The palette on the left lists every node you can drag onto the canvas, grouped into sections. A search box at the top matches node names and descriptions.

### Normal mode vs Dev mode

<Info>
  The palette has two views, switched by the **Mode:** toggle in the top toolbar. **Normal** shows only the four AI sections. **Dev** shows everything — including **Utilities**, home of the Chat Trigger and Console nodes the [quickstart](/quickstart) uses. Dev mode changes nothing else; it just reveals more nodes.
</Info>

| Section                                              | Visible in     |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | -------------- |
| AI Agents, AI Models, AI Skills, AI Tools            | Normal and Dev |
| Utilities (Chat Trigger, Console, HTTP, webhooks...) | Dev            |
| Workflows, Triggers, Schedulers                      | Dev            |
| WhatsApp, Social, Chat, Email                        | Dev            |
| Google Workspace, Search, Scrapers, Browser          | Dev            |
| Code, Filesystem, Documents, Text, Memory            | Dev            |
| Android, Location, Proxy, Services                   | Dev            |
| Payments, Deployment, Version Control                | Dev            |

## Working with nodes

* **Add** a node by dragging it from the palette onto the canvas.
* **Connect** nodes by dragging from the small circle on one node's right edge to the circle on the next node's left edge. Agents have extra left-edge handles for memory and tools.
* **Configure** a node by clicking it. The parameter panel opens with three areas: **Input** (what flows in from connected nodes), **Parameters** (the node's settings), and **Output** (what it produced last run). The panel's own **Run** button executes just that node for testing.
* **Rename** a node with F2, or double-click its label. Clear names keep big workflows readable.
* **Copy** with Ctrl+C, **delete** with the Delete key, and right-click for the context menu with the same actions.

## Node states

| What you see              | What it means                                                 |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Plain node                | Idle — not running                                            |
| Gentle pulse on a trigger | Listening — the workflow is started and waiting for its event |
| Glow / highlight          | Running right now                                             |
| Green tint                | Finished successfully                                         |
| Red tint                  | Failed — click the node to read the error in its Output       |

## The top toolbar

* **Start** (green) deploys the workflow: triggers begin listening and stay on until you press **Stop**.
* **Save** stores your changes; the pill next to it reads **Modified** or **Saved**.
* **Mode:** toggles the palette between **Normal** and **Dev**.
* The key icon opens **API Credentials** ([Credentials](/credentials)).
* **File** menu: **New Workflow**, **Open**, **Export**, **Import**, **Copy as JSON**.
* Click the workflow name to rename it.

## The Chat / Console panel

The collapsible bar at the bottom of the screen opens the panel:

* **Chat** (left) sends messages to Chat Trigger nodes. The input reads **Type a message...**; Enter or **Send** submits. With several Chat Triggers, a dropdown (default **All Triggers**) picks the target.
* **Console** tab (right) shows everything your Console nodes print — including AI replies in the quickstart pipeline. Empty state: "Add a Console node to see debug output."
* **Terminal** tab (right) streams the server's own logs, useful when something misbehaves.

## The Command Palette

Press **Ctrl+K** (Windows/Linux) or **Cmd+K** (macOS) to open the Command Palette — a searchable list of editor actions. Type to filter, Enter to run.

## Keyboard shortcuts

| Shortcut        | Action                                        |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Ctrl+K / Cmd+K  | Open the Command Palette                      |
| F2              | Rename the selected node                      |
| Ctrl+C          | Copy the selected node                        |
| Delete          | Delete the selected node                      |
| Enter (in Chat) | Send the message (Shift+Enter for a new line) |

## Run vs Start, and testing one node

**Start** (toolbar) runs the whole workflow continuously — triggers listen until you press **Stop**. The **Run** button inside a node's parameter panel executes only that node once, with whatever input it currently has — handy for testing a single step without starting everything.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Your first workflow" icon="diagram-project" href="/quickstart">
    Put the canvas to work in ten minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Node catalog" icon="cubes" href="/nodes/overview">
    Every node, grouped the way the palette groups them.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>