Use variables in a flow

Flow variables carry information between steps. Refer to a value with {{name}}, for example {{caller_email}}. Use a clear name and identify which step supplies it before another step reads it.

Where values come from

Flow variables: initial values configured in the flow.
Variable nodes: literal or composed text.
Extraction nodes: values collected from conversation history.
Request nodes: response text and status under the response name you choose.
Runtime context: session information and values supplied by the assistant or connected channel.

The variable picker lists useful names; it does not prove every listed value is present in every session. A standalone editor test and a conversation attached to a contact can have different context.

Built-in flow variables

Use the exact, case-sensitive name inside double braces: {{system.flow_id}}. Values are text. Names can contain letters, digits, underscores, and dots; dots are part of a flat name, not automatic nested-object lookup. Unknown placeholders remain unchanged. Do not put spaces or hyphens in a variable name you intend to substitute. The flow computes the following 28 values each turn. Date/time values use the flow’s timezone; without a supplied timezone, the engine uses UTC. The assistant’s channel can supply a timezone when the flow has none. Examples below illustrate 20 October 2026 at 02:03:04 PM in New York; they are not current-time values.

Variable	Meaning and example
`{{system.session_id}}`	Session key, such as `conv:abc123`; empty when no session key is supplied.
`{{system.conversation_id}}`	Session key with a leading `conv:` removed; otherwise the unchanged session key. It is not always a CRM conversation ID.
`{{system.flow_id}}`	ID of the running flow.
`{{system.flow_name}}`	Flow display name; empty if absent.
`{{system.start_node_id}}`	Configured entry node ID.
`{{system.current_node_id}}`	Node currently being processed; refreshed when the flow changes node.
`{{system.current_node_label}}`	Current node’s label; empty if absent.
`{{system.message_count}}`	Number of retained history entries at turn start, including assistant/tool entries; not a lifetime count of customer messages.
`{{system.turn_count}}`	Number of user entries in retained history at turn start; not a lifetime counter.
`{{right_now.current_date}}`	Full display date and time: `Tuesday October 20, 2026 02:03:04 PM EDT`.
`{{right_now.current_time}}`	Time with seconds, AM/PM, and zone: `02:03:04 PM EDT`.
`{{right_now.date}}`	Date: `2026-10-20`.
`{{right_now.time}}`	Time with seconds and AM/PM: `02:03:04 PM`.
`{{right_now.date_time}}`	`2026-10-20 02:03:04 PM`.
`{{right_now.timezone}}`	Timezone identifier, such as `America/New_York`.
`{{right_now.timezone_abbr}}`	Formatted timezone abbreviation, such as `EDT`; can change with daylight saving time.
`{{right_now.second}}`	Two-digit second: `04`.
`{{right_now.minute}}`	Two-digit minute: `03`.
`{{right_now.hour}}`	Two-digit 12-hour clock hour: `02`.
`{{right_now.am_pm}}`	`AM` or `PM`.
`{{right_now.day_of_the_week}}`	Full weekday name, such as `Tuesday`; not a number from 0–6.
`{{right_now.day_name}}`	Full weekday name; same value as `day_of_the_week`.
`{{right_now.day}}`	Two-digit day of month: `20`.
`{{right_now.month}}`	Full month name: `October`.
`{{right_now.month_number}}`	Two-digit month: `10`.
`{{right_now.year}}`	Four-digit year: `2026`.
`{{right_now.tomorrow_date}}`	Next calendar date in the flow timezone: `2026-10-21`.
`{{right_now.day_after_tomorrow_date}}`	Calendar date two days later: `2026-10-22`.

These built-ins overwrite same-named defaults at the start of a turn. Keep your own state under distinct names. The history window is capped at 40 entries and repaired to keep valid tool-call pairs, so message and turn counts can stop growing or decrease.

Context names shown in the picker

The picker also lists the following names. They are not computed by the flow engine: a channel integration, initialization webhook, or explicit value must supply them. For example, a standalone editor test does not automatically fetch a GHL contact.

Picker name	Meaning when your integration supplies it
`{{system.contact_id}}`	Contact identifier.
`{{system.location_id}}`	Location/account identifier; choose the identifier your receiver expects.
`{{system.assistant_id}}`	Assistant identifier.
`{{system.calendar_id}}`	Booking calendar identifier.
`{{contact.id}}`	Contact identifier in the contact namespace.
`{{contact.first_name}}`	First name.
`{{contact.last_name}}`	Last name.
`{{contact.name}}`	Full name.
`{{contact.email}}`	Email address.
`{{contact.phone}}`	Phone value supplied by the integration.
`{{contact.phone_raw}}`	Alternate/raw phone value; format depends on the supplying integration.
`{{contact.timezone}}`	Contact timezone.
`{{contact.address1}}`	Street address.
`{{contact.city}}`	City.
`{{contact.state}}`	State or region.
`{{contact.postal_code}}`	Postal code.
`{{contact.country}}`	Country.
`{{contact.company_name}}`	Company.
`{{contact.website}}`	Website.
`{{contact.source}}`	Contact source.
`{{contact.tags}}`	Tags in the representation supplied by the integration.
`{{contact.notes}}`	Notes, if explicitly supplied.
`{{contact.date_of_birth}}`	Birth date, if explicitly supplied.

For the full channel-specific CRM maps and their actual formats, see assistant and CRM variables. A name appearing in both lists does not make its availability identical.

Values produced by nodes

Source	Output and behavior
Default Variables	Your chosen name and initial text value. New sessions start from these defaults.
Variable node	Each assignment stores literal text or substituted text under its configured name.
Extraction node	Each configured name receives extracted text; unknown/sentinel answers become empty text.
API Call node	A configured name such as `lookup` receives response text; `lookup_status` receives the HTTP status; `lookup_error` is written when a request error occurs. Check status on every run: an earlier error value is not automatically cleared by a later successful request.
Tool node	`_last_function_result` contains the most recent JSON-serialized result. `_last_function_error` can contain a caught error. These are transient diagnostics and can retain earlier values; inspect the current tool result before branching on them.

Initialization webhook options

Open Variables, then use the webhook controls in Default Variables.

Setting	Choices, default, and behavior
Enabled	Off by default. Enable to load values on the first turn of a new session.
URL	Publicly reachable endpoint. Use a literal URL; this initializer does not substitute variables in its URL or headers.
Method	GET or POST; default POST. POST sends JSON with `session_key`, `flow_id`, and current `variables`. GET sends no JSON body and does not automatically append those fields to the URL.
Timeout (ms)	Default 3000. The editor offers 500–30000 in steps of 500; this is the initializer setting, separate from an API Call node’s timeout.
Headers	Add/remove name/value pairs, for example `Authorization: Bearer …`. Values are sent as configured.

Return {"variables":{"caller_name":"Sarah","plan":"premium"}}. Returned keys overwrite existing keys before built-ins are refreshed. Each returned value is converted to text with string conversion, so use scalar values or explicitly serialized JSON strings when a later node needs structured data. Failure or invalid/missing variables does not stop the flow. Check required values before an external action and provide a recovery branch.

Check values before use

An unknown placeholder can remain visible as {{name}}. If that appears in a message, confirm the spelling and ensure the assignment ran before the message. Check required data with Logic and ask for it when missing. Treat _last_function_result as a transient tool-result value, not durable application storage. For a record that must outlive the conversation, write it through an explicit integration and verify that write. See Extraction and Variable nodes and Request nodes.

Start here

Build assistants

Connect channels

Manage & troubleshoot

Where values come from

Built-in flow variables

Context names shown in the picker

Values produced by nodes

Initialization webhook options

Check values before use

​Where values come from

​Built-in flow variables

​Context names shown in the picker

​Values produced by nodes

​Initialization webhook options

​Check values before use

Where values come from

Built-in flow variables

Context names shown in the picker

Values produced by nodes

Initialization webhook options

Check values before use