---
title: Limits
description: 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](/guide/workflows/triggers#on-a-schedule). |
| 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.**