State Management System for Long-Running Workflows with Wait Nodes

## How it works This template is a powerful, reusable utility for managing **stateful, long-running processes**. It allows a main workflow to be paused indefinitely at checkpoints and then be resumed by external, asynchronous events. This pattern is essential for complex automations and I often call it the **Async Portal** or **Teleport** pattern. The template consists of two distinct parts: 1. **The Main Process (Top Flow):** This represents your primary business logic. It starts, performs some actions, and then calls the Portal to register itself before pausing at a `Wait` node (a Checkpoint). 2. **The Async Portal (Bottom Flow):** This is the state-management engine. It uses **Workflow Static Data** as a persistent memory to keep track of all paused processes. When an external event (like a new chat message or an approval webhook) comes in with a specific `session_id`, the Portal looks up the corresponding paused workflow and teleports the new data to it by calling its unique `resume_url`. This architecture allows you to build sophisticated systems where the state is managed centrally, and your main business logic remains clean and easy to follow. ## When to use this pattern This is an advanced utility ideal for: * **Chatbots:** Maintaining conversation history and context across multiple user messages. * **Human-in-the-Loop Processes:** Pausing a workflow to wait for a manager's approval from an email link or a form submission. * **Multi-Day Sequences:** Building user onboarding flows or drip campaigns that need to pause for hours or days between steps. * **Any process that needs to wait for an unpredictable external event** without timing out. ## Set up steps This template is a utility designed to be copied into your own projects. The workflow itself is a live demonstration of how to use it. 1. **Copy the Async Portal:** In your own project, copy the entire **Async Portal** (the bottom flow, starting with the `A. Entry: Receive Session Info` trigger) into your workflow. This will be your state management engine. 2. **Register Your Main Process:** At the beginning of your main workflow, use an `Execute Workflow` node to call the Portal's trigger. You must pass it a unique `session_id` for the process and the `resume_url` from a `Wait` node. 3. **Add Checkpoints:** Place `Wait` nodes in your main workflow wherever you need the process to pause and wait for an external event. 4. **Trigger the Portal:** Configure your external triggers (e.g., your chatbot's webhook) to call the **Portal's entry trigger**, not your main workflow's trigger. You must pass the same `session_id` so the Portal knows which paused process to resume. **To see it in action, follow the detailed instructions in the How to Test This Workflow sticky note on the canvas.**

Platform

n8n

Category

Business Operations & ERPs

Price

Free

Creator

Lucas Peyrin

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