Workflows

How to test a workflow step

September 15, 2026
How to test a workflow step

In TeleportHQ, you can run a single workflow step from the editor to check that it works before you publish. Click the step, click Test in the right panel, type sample values for the data it needs, and click Run test. The Output tab shows the result, and the workflow's Test runs tab keeps every test you ran on its steps.

Before you start

  • Only the project owner and workspace Admins can run tests and see test runs.
  • Not every step can be tested. Testable steps include the AI, Data, Email, SMS, Transform and Integrations steps, HTTP Request, Hash Password, Compare Passwords and many Utilities steps. On the canvas, a testable step has a small round play button above its top-right corner. Navigation, browser and payment steps can't be tested. See the full list in the Workflow triggers and steps reference.
  • Fill in the step's settings first, including any API key it needs.

Steps

This example tests an HTTP Request step that sends a new bakery order to a delivery service.

  1. Open the workflow in the Workflows panel.
  2. On the canvas, click the HTTP Request step.

  3. In the right panel, next to the step's name above its settings, click Test (tooltip "Run this node with mock inputs"). You can also click the round play button on the step (tooltip Run test), or right-click the step and choose Test this node….

    The top of the TeleportHQ workflow right panel for a selected step, with the Test button highlighted
  4. A window titled Testing followed by the step's name opens. It runs the step alone, with your project's real secrets and the sample values you give it.
  5. Under Inputs from previous nodes, type a sample value for each input, for example Chocolate cake for the product name. Plain text is used as text; write lists and objects as valid JSON, for example {"name": "Alice"}.
  6. Optional: click Fill all with AI to fill every input with realistic sample values, or use the AI button next to one field (tooltip "Generate a realistic mock value with AI").

  7. Click Run test. The button shows Running….

    The TeleportHQ test window of a workflow step, with its inputs from previous steps and the Run test button highlighted
  8. Read the result on the Output tab. The History tab lists this step's earlier test runs, with their output and a Copy button.

See every test of a workflow (Test runs)

In the TeleportHQ workflow editor, the Test runs tab in the right panel lists every test run of the workflow's steps, newest first. A summary at the top gives the number of runs and the share that succeeded. Each run shows the step, its result (Run succeeded, Run failed, Run cancelled or Run timed out), when it ran, how long it took and, for AI steps, the tokens it used. A failed run also shows its error.

  • Click a run to open the step it tested.
  • Click Refresh to load runs you made since the tab opened, and Load older runs to see earlier ones.
  • A deleted step's runs stay in the list, marked deleted.
The Test runs tab of a TeleportHQ workflow, listing the test runs of its steps

The Test runs tab only lists tests from the editor. It doesn't show the workflow's runs on your live site.

Check that it worked

The Output tab shows a status, such as Run succeeded, and the data the step returned. For AI steps, an AI cost card also shows the Tokens, the Estimated cost and the Model used. Use Copy to copy the output.

If the test fails, the Output tab shows Run failed with the error and, when TeleportHQ knows one, a How to fix section.

Troubleshooting

"This node is not fully configured" The step is missing settings. Close the window, fix the issues it lists in the right panel, then test again.

The Test button is greyed out: "Testing this step in the editor is coming soon" Testing that step type isn't available yet, for example Generate QR Code or Generate PDF. Test it on your published site instead.

I don't see a Test button for a step Either the step type can't be tested, for example navigation or payment steps, or you are not the project owner or a workspace Admin.

The Test runs tab says "Only the project owner and admins can see test runs." Ask the project owner or a workspace Admin to run the test, or to change your role.

"AI mock-data was unavailable; default values applied." Fill all with AI couldn't create sample values, so defaults were used. Check the inputs and edit them by hand if needed.

The test fails with an authentication or API key error The key for the service is missing or wrong. Enter it in the step's settings, or click the yellow issues chip at the top left of the editor and fill it in under Missing Credentials. See What do the warnings at the top of the editor mean?.

Good to know

  • Your sample inputs are saved as drafts in your browser, one set per step.
  • The Secrets section lists the project secrets the step uses. The window says: "Project secrets are never sent to the browser; the server reads them at run time."
  • Fill all with AI uses AI tokens from your workspace. Testing an AI step calls your AI provider with the step's own key, and also uses AI tokens from your workspace.
  • Email steps also have a Test Email Integration button in their settings, to send a test email. See How to send emails and text messages from a workflow.
  • A test checks one step, not the whole workflow. TeleportHQ doesn't keep a log of workflow runs on your live site, so test each important step before publishing.
Share

Related Articles

What are workflows?

A workflow in TeleportHQ is a visual recipe that makes your web app do something, one trigger (like a button click or a form submission) followed by steps (like saving to a database, sending an email or opening a page), built without writing code; adding one makes a website a web app.

How to use data from one workflow step in the next

In a TeleportHQ workflow, every step can use the results of the trigger and earlier steps (the workflow Context), by dragging a value from the Context panel onto a field or picking it with the Select from context button.

How to send emails and text messages from a workflow

In a TeleportHQ workflow, add a Send Email step (SendGrid, Mailgun, Mailersend, Postmark or Resend) or a Send SMS step (Twilio, TextMagic, Infobip or SMSAPI), enter your provider's API key, then fill in the sender, recipient and message; the provider you set up becomes the project's provider.

How to connect other apps with workflow integrations

In a TeleportHQ workflow, open Add node → Integrations, pick an app such as Slack, Google Sheets, HubSpot or Stripe, paste your API key or token, then choose the Action and fill in its fields.

Why does my workflow show missing configuration or security warnings?

TeleportHQ shows a yellow "N issues" button at the top left of the editor when workflow steps still need keys, pages, elements or states (it opens the Issues window), a "N security issues" button when workflow code could leak secrets or run unsafe SQL (critical ones block publishing), and a "Not exported" badge on a workflow that can never run; each one leads you to the step to fix.