Limits
The sizes, rules and save messages every workflow has to fit.
This page lists the limits a workflow has to fit, and the messages you see when saving finds a problem.
Sizes
| Item | Limit |
|---|---|
| Workflow name | 80 characters |
| Steps in one workflow | 100 |
| Connections in one workflow | 200 |
| Conditions in one workflow | 25 |
| Groups inside groups in an If step | 3 levels |
| Condition value | 200 characters |
| Mailbox search | 200 characters |
| Mailbox “Take at most” | 1 to 100 messages (default 50) |
| Inputs on a Combine or Wait for all step | 16 |
| Ask question text | 500 characters |
| Pick one answer name | 40 characters |
| Pick one “When it applies” note | 200 characters |
| Message body sent to the model by Ask | The first 8,000 characters |
| Try on recent mail | 10 newest inbox messages, up to 10 tries a minute |
| Runs shown under Activity | The latest 100 |
| Retrying a run | Up to 7 days after it finished |
Rules for connections
- Every workflow starts with a trigger, and every other step has to be connected to one.
- A trigger cannot receive a connection.
- A step cannot connect to itself, and steps cannot loop back on themselves.
- Each ordinary step takes one incoming connection. Use Combine or Wait for all to join branches.
- Each branch needs its own input on a Combine or Wait for all step, and those inputs carry mail only.
- Only an If step has Yes and No outputs.
- An Ask step’s outputs connect only to Branch steps, and a Branch step only takes input from an Ask step.
- A Mailbox step set to newly arrived mail works only under a When mail arrives trigger.
- Ask and Branch cannot be used after Before a message is sent.
Fields that must be filled in
Every condition value, question, answer and BCC address has to be filled in. A BCC address also has to be a valid email address. A workflow with an empty one cannot be saved.
Messages when you save
When you click Save or Create workflow, Metis Suite checks the whole workflow first. If something is wrong, the first problem appears in red at the top right, and nothing is saved.
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| “Give your workflow a name” | Type a name in the field at the top left. |
| “Start the workflow with a trigger” | Add a trigger from Add step. |
| “This step is not connected to a trigger” | Connect the step, or remove it. |
| “Connect this step to a trigger” | Connect a trigger to this Mailbox step. |
| “Connect this trigger to exactly one mailbox step that provides incoming mail” | Connect the When mail arrives trigger to one Mailbox step set to newly arrived mail. |
| “Connect this step to a mailbox that provides mail” or “Connect this If step to a mailbox that provides mail” | Put a Mailbox step above this step. |
| “Connect this step to a message being sent” | Connect this Auto-BCC step under a Before a message is sent trigger. |
| “A mailbox set to newly arrived mail only runs under a new-mail trigger. Pick a folder or search instead.” | Change Provides to a folder or search, or use a When mail arrives trigger. |
| “That mailbox is not available in this workspace” | Pick another mailbox in the Mailbox step. |
| “This step receives more than one connection. Give it a single input, or add a Combine or Wait for all step to join branches.” | Remove a connection, or add a Combine or Wait for all step. |
| “Two branches share one Combine input. Give each its own.” | Connect each branch to its own dot on top of the step. Point at a dot to see its number. |
| “Connect an If step from its Yes or No output” | Connect from Yes or No. |
| “Use a five-field cron expression, for example 0 9 * * 1-5” | Fix the Cron (5 fields) value. See Triggers. |
| A time zone “is not a known time zone” | Enter a time zone name such as Europe/Berlin. |
| “Every condition group needs at least one condition” | Add a condition to the empty group, or remove the group. |
| “Maximum 25 conditions per workflow” | Remove some conditions. |
| “Add a question to this Ask step” | Add at least one question. |
| “Set the No threshold below the Yes threshold” | On the Branch step, move No when at most below Yes when at least. |
| “Turn AI on for every mailbox that feeds this Ask step” | Turn AI on for those mailboxes, or feed the Ask step from another mailbox. |
| “Ask and Branch steps are turned off on this instance” | Remove the Ask and Branch steps, or ask your administrator. |
| “Ask and Branch steps cannot run before a message is sent” | Use Ask and Branch with another trigger. |
| “A workflow can hold at most 100 steps” | Split the workflow into two. |
| “A workflow can hold at most 200 connections” | Split the workflow into two. |
Other limits
- A workflow never asks before it acts. There is no approval step inside a workflow.
- Workflows work on mail only. There are no steps for calendars or drives.
- There is no step that sends or replies to mail.
- New mail is not instant. A When mail arrives workflow runs shortly after the mail lands, not at the same moment.
- Mail already in a mailbox is skipped when a When mail arrives trigger starts watching it.
- A workflow can only reach the mailboxes of the person who created it.