The NodeTool Workflow Editor is surrounded by four dockable panels that host the workflow explorer, inspector, runtime diagnostics, and quick actions. This page covers each panel in depth.
Left Panel
Opens from the icons down the left edge. It’s a tabbed drawer — click an icon to expand, click the same icon to collapse.
Workflows Tab
Your saved workflows grouped by workspace. Search, filter by tag, and double-click to open in a new tab.
Chat Tab
A compact Global Chat embedded in the editor drawer. Perfect for asking the workflow assistant questions without leaving the canvas.
Assets Tab
Folder tree plus file grid. Drag a file onto the canvas to instantly create the matching input node.
Collections Tab
Grouped documents used by RAG and search nodes. See Collections.
Packs Tab
Installed node packs and their health status. Click a pack to open its README.
VibeCoding Tab
AI-assisted UI generator for mini-apps. See VibeCoding.
Right Panel (Inspector)
Press i or click the icon in the top right to toggle. Contents switch based on what’s selected on the canvas.
Inspector — Node Properties
When a node is selected, the Inspector renders every property with the right input type (number, slider, model picker, asset selector, dropdown, color picker, and so on).
Inspector — Workflow Properties
When no node is selected, the Inspector shows workflow-level metadata: title, description, tags, thumbnail.
Logs Tab
Raw logs from the current run. Filter by level (debug, info, warn, error) and search.
Jobs Tab
Background jobs queued by your workflows — long-running fine-tunes, downloads, and batch runs.
Agent Tab
When Agent Mode is active, the agent plan, steps, and tool calls surface here.
Trace Tab
Per-node execution timing and cache hits. Useful for spotting slow nodes.
Version History Tab
Every save is versioned. Diff two versions, roll back, or branch a workflow into a new one.
Workspace Tree
File hierarchy of the backing workspace (on local installs) or the assigned workspace (on server installs).
Bottom Panel
The bottom panel docks a terminal plus runtime diagnostics. Drag its top edge to resize.
Terminal
A full-featured terminal (xterm.js) connected to the server-side workspace. Run shell commands, git operations, and scripts without leaving NodeTool.
Execution Trace
The full call tree of the most recent run. Click a node to jump to it on the canvas.
System Stats
Live CPU, RAM, GPU, and disk IO. Helpful when debugging slow local models.
Floating Toolbar
An overlay on the canvas with the most-used runtime controls.
| Button | State | Action |
|---|---|---|
| ▶ Run | Idle | Start the workflow |
| ⏸ Pause | Running | Pause without losing state |
| ▶ Resume (blue) | Paused | Continue from the pause point |
| ▶ Resume (purple) | Suspended | Resume a workflow waiting on external input |
| ⏹ Stop | Running/Paused/Suspended | Cancel |
| ⇄ Layout | Any | Auto-layout the graph |
| 🔍 Fit | Any | Fit all nodes in the viewport |
| ⋯ More | Any | Align, group, bypass, run from selection |
Right Side Buttons
A stack of toggles along the right canvas edge:
- Inspector — open / close the right panel.
- Run as App — jump to the Mini-App view for this workflow.
- Notifications — pending warnings and agent messages.
- System Stats — inline CPU/RAM preview.
App Toolbar and App Header
Together these form the fixed top chrome of the editor:
- App Header — logo, workspace switcher, models, assets, chat, settings, downloads.
- App Toolbar — workflow title, run controls, save status, share.
See User Interface → App Header for details.
Customizing the Layout
Every panel is a dockview tab — drag tabs between panels, out of panels to float them, or onto other tabs to stack them. The editor remembers your layout per workspace.
To reset: open the command menu (⌘K), type “reset layout”, and hit Enter.
Next Steps
- Workflow Editor — building on the canvas
- Global Chat — how the in-editor chat works
- VibeCoding — generate custom UIs from a workflow
- Configuration — settings that affect the editor