Ask the user for input at run time
2 min · 5 steps
Drop a User input node to pause the run and pop a form. Available only on manually-triggered agents.
The User input node is a form builder + run-time modal in one. Configure the fields you want — text, long text, number, single-select, multi-select, checkbox, file upload. Each field becomes a key in the node's output, referenced downstream as `{{nodes.<id>.output.values.<fieldId>}}`. The node only runs under a manual trigger because schedule / webhook / email triggers can't drive a blocking modal — the palette greys it out for those triggers, and the runtime refuses to start the run with `E_USER_INPUT_NEEDS_MANUAL`.
Steps
- Confirm the trigger is `manual`.
Settings → Trigger → Manual. (Or skip ahead — the agent-builder AI auto-flips the trigger for you when you describe a workflow that needs runtime input.)
- Drop the User input node.
Builder canvas → palette → Input → User input. Drag onto the canvas right after the trigger so downstream nodes can reference its values.
- Build the form.
Side drawer → Add field. Set a label, pick a kind, mark as required if needed. The drawer renders a live preview of the modal as you edit.
- Reference values downstream.
In any later node, use `{{nodes.<this-node-id>.output.values.<fieldId>}}`. The id auto-syncs from the field label until you touch the id input directly.
- Run it.
When the run hits the User input node it pauses + pops the modal. Fill the form + Continue, or Esc / Cancel — the cancel-behavior on the node decides whether the run aborts or proceeds with each field's default.
Live recipes need the desktop
This article is a static preview. The in-app Help sidecar inside Avery NXR can fire each step against your live project — install the desktop to use it interactively.