Executions

When you hit Run, NickAI validates your workflow, executes each node in the correct order, streams results to you in real time, and stores a complete record for later review.

Execution Lifecycle

Every execution follows this path:

1. Trigger — You click Run (or a schedule fires)
2. Validate — NickAI checks the workflow before running anything:
   • Exactly one Start node exists
   • All nodes are reachable (no orphans)
   • Required fields are configured (exchange selected, LLM model chosen, etc.)
   • Credentials exist and are accessible
3. Execute — Nodes run level by level based on their connections. Nodes with no dependencies run first; downstream nodes wait for their inputs.
4. Result — The execution completes as Success, Failed, or Cancelled.

How Nodes Execute

NickAI analyzes your workflow graph and groups nodes into execution levels based on dependencies. Watch how execution flows through the graph level by level:

In this example:

• Level 0: Trigger fires
• Level 1: BTC Price and ETH Price run in parallel (both depend only on the trigger)
• Level 2: Analyze runs after both price nodes complete (it needs both outputs)
• Level 3: Alert runs after analysis is done

This parallel execution makes workflows significantly faster when nodes don't depend on each other.

Node States

Each node moves through states during execution:

State	Visual	Meaning
Pending	Grey	Waiting to execute
Running	Blue glow + spinner	Currently executing
Completed	Green glow + checkmark	Finished successfully
Failed	Red glow + X	Encountered an error
Skipped	No highlight	Downstream of a false conditional branch

Real-Time Streaming

As your workflow runs, NickAI streams updates to the editor via Server-Sent Events (SSE). You see:

• Node highlights update live on the canvas — blue while running, green on success, red on failure
• Execution logs appear in the bottom panel as each step completes
• Progress counter tracks how many nodes have finished (e.g., "3/5 nodes")

Data Flow

Data passes between nodes through their connections. When a node completes, its output becomes available to downstream nodes as input.

For example, the Price Data node outputs price information. The next node can access it via the connection label — like price_data.prices[0].current in a template field.

Click any completed node in the execution view to inspect its inputs (what it received) and outputs (what it produced).

Failsafe Mode

Any node can be marked as failsafe. When a failsafe node fails:

• The error is logged but execution continues
• Downstream nodes still run (they receive null for that input)
• The node shows a dimmed red indicator instead of stopping the workflow

This is useful for non-critical steps like notifications — you don't want a Slack webhook failure to kill your entire trading strategy.

Cancellation

You can cancel a running workflow at any time by clicking the Stop button. The execution:

• Stops at the next level boundary (currently running nodes finish, but no new nodes start)
• Is marked as Cancelled in the history
• Logs a "Cancelled by user" entry

Auto-Iteration

When the Workflow Assistant is open with auto-iterate enabled, NickAI can automatically fix and retry failed executions:

1. Workflow runs and fails
2. The assistant analyzes the error
3. It modifies the workflow (adjusts config, fixes connections)
4. Reruns the workflow automatically
5. Repeats up to 5 times or until success

Execution History

Every execution is stored with a complete audit trail. Navigate to a workflow's Execution History to see:

• List view — all past runs with status, duration, and timestamp
• Flow tab — visual graph replay showing which nodes ran and their status
• Logs tab — full structured logs, searchable and downloadable
• Results tab — JSON output from each node
• Credits tab — cost breakdown (LLM tokens, API calls)

Next Steps

• Scheduling — set up automatic execution on intervals or cron schedules
• Workflows — learn how to build and wire workflows
• Nodes — explore all available node types