---
title: "Developer Guide"
description: "Build custom nodes, extend NodeTool with TypeScript, and integrate workflows programmatically."
canonical: https://docs.nodetool.ai/developer/
markdown: https://docs.nodetool.ai/developer.md
product: NodeTool
source: https://github.com/nodetool-ai/nodetool/blob/main/docs/developer/index.md
---

# Developer Guide

Resources for building custom nodes, extending NodeTool, and integrating workflows programmatically.

---

## Quick Start: Custom Nodes

Creating custom nodes in TypeScript:

```ts
import { BaseNode, prop } from "@nodetool-ai/node-sdk";

export class UppercaseTextNode extends BaseNode {
  static readonly nodeType = "mypackage.text.Upper";
  static readonly title = "Uppercase Text";
  static readonly description = "Convert text to uppercase.";
  static readonly metadataOutputTypes = { output: "str" };

  @prop({ type: "str", default: "", title: "Input Text" })
  declare inputText: string;

  async process(): Promise<Record<string, unknown>> {
    return { output: String(this.inputText ?? "").toUpperCase() };
  }
}
```

Export a `register(registry)` function from your package and NodeTool discovers the node automatically.

**-> [Full Custom Nodes Guide (TypeScript)](custom-nodes-guide.md)** -- End-to-end walkthrough: packaging, governance, streaming, testing, distribution.

---

## Guides

### Provider & Model Guides

- **[Provider Guides](providers/index.md)** -- **Add models & nodes to any provider.** Per-provider runbooks (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, xAI, FAL, Replicate, KIE, Together, AtlasCloud, Topaz, MiniMax, Reve, ElevenLabs, HuggingFace, Ollama, local inference, OpenAI-compatible) with exact files, commands, and how past PRs did it. Written for coding agents and contributors.

### Custom Node Development (TypeScript)

- **[Custom Nodes Guide](custom-nodes-guide.md)** -- **Start here!** End-to-end guide for authoring, packaging, and distributing TypeScript node packs.
- [TypeScript DSL Guide](ts-dsl-guide.md) -- Type-safe workflow definitions with auto-generated factory functions.

### Custom Node Reference (TypeScript)

- [Node Implementation Quick Reference](node-reference.md) -- Templates and common `@prop` / `process()` patterns.
- [Node Implementation Patterns](node-patterns.md) -- Architectural patterns: multi-output, streaming, stateful, secrets.

### Python Nodes

- [Node Implementation Examples](node-examples.md) -- Python node examples for the Python bridge.

### Advanced

- [Suspendable Nodes](suspendable-nodes.md) -- Build nodes that can pause and resume workflows.

### Programmatic Workflows

- [TypeScript DSL Guide](ts-dsl-guide.md) -- Type-safe workflow definitions with auto-generated factory functions

### API Integration

- [API Reference](../api-reference.md) -- REST API endpoints and authentication
- [Headless Mode](../api-reference.md#headless-mode-running-workflows-via-cliapi) -- Run workflows via CLI and HTTP API
- [Chat API](../chat-api.md) -- OpenAI-compatible chat endpoints
- [Workflow API](../workflow-api.md) -- Execute workflows programmatically

---

## Contributing

Contribute to [NodeTool on GitHub](https://github.com/nodetool-ai/nodetool).

### Share Custom Nodes

Options:

1. Publish as a separate package
2. Contribute to the core node library
3. Share workflow examples on Discord