The Krom Automation workflow builder is a full-screen visual editor where you create and manage your automations. Everything you build lives on a canvas: a drag-and-drop workspace where triggers, actions, and conditions appear as connected nodes.

This page covers the canvas interface, how to navigate it, and what each part of the editor does.

Opening the builder #

Go to Krom Automation > Workflows in your WordPress admin. Click on any existing workflow to open it, or click Add New Workflow to start a fresh one.

The builder opens full-screen, replacing the standard admin layout. Your workflow canvas fills the main area, and a configuration panel slides in from the right whenever you select a node.

The canvas #

The canvas is an infinite workspace. You can pan in any direction and zoom in or out freely. Your workflow nodes sit on this canvas and connect to each other with arrows that show the flow of execution from top to bottom.

Panning: Click and drag on any empty area of the canvas to move around.

Zooming: Use your mouse scroll wheel, or use the zoom controls in the bottom-left corner of the canvas. You can also pinch to zoom on a trackpad.

Fit to screen: Double-click on an empty canvas area, or use the fit-to-screen button in the controls, to snap the view back to show your entire workflow at once. This is useful when you’ve panned too far or zoomed in too close.

Minimap: A small overview map appears in the bottom-right corner of the canvas. It shows your entire workflow at a reduced size. Click anywhere on the minimap to jump to that area of the canvas.

Nodes #

Every element in your workflow is a node. There are three types.

Trigger node. There is always exactly one trigger node per workflow. It sits at the top of the canvas and defines the event that starts the workflow. Click it to open the trigger configuration panel on the right, where you choose which trigger to use and set the delay.

Action nodes. These sit below the trigger and represent the tasks your workflow performs. Each action node does one specific thing: send an email, update a record, make an HTTP request, run an AI prompt. You can have as many action nodes as you need. They connect in sequence, top to bottom, and run in that order.

Condition nodes. These sit between other nodes and split the workflow into two branches: Yes and No. Click a condition node to configure the field, operator, and value it tests. Each branch connects to its own set of action nodes below.

Adding nodes #

Click the + button that appears below any node to add a new node after it. A panel opens listing the available node types: Trigger (only available if no trigger exists yet), Action, or Condition.

For action nodes, the panel shows all 21 available free actions grouped by category: Email, User, Post, Comment, Integration, AI, and WooCommerce. Select one to add it to the canvas and open its configuration panel automatically.

You can also drag nodes to reposition them on the canvas if you want to adjust the visual layout manually.

Configuring a node #

Click any node on the canvas to open its configuration panel on the right side of the screen.

The panel shows all the fields specific to that trigger or action. Required fields are marked. Most text and textarea fields support merge tags, meaning you can type {{ to reference live data from the triggering event.

Changes you make in the panel apply to that node immediately. Krom Automation saves your workflow automatically as you work, so you don’t need to click a separate Save button for individual field changes.

Auto-layout #

When you add multiple nodes, Krom Automation arranges them automatically using a layout engine that keeps connections clean and nodes well-spaced.

If you manually drag nodes out of position and the layout looks messy, use the Auto-layout button (in the top toolbar or the canvas controls) to reset everything to a clean, readable arrangement.

Auto-layout is especially useful after adding condition branches, which can create multiple parallel paths that are hard to arrange by hand.

The toolbar #

The top toolbar sits above the canvas and contains the main workflow controls.

Workflow name. Click the workflow name at the top to rename it. Use a descriptive name that makes it obvious what the workflow does and when it runs.

Status toggle. Switches the workflow between Active and Paused. An Active workflow responds to trigger events. A Paused workflow does not run, even if its trigger fires.

Simulate. Runs a dry-run of the workflow using real data from your site, without sending emails, creating posts, or making API calls. Use this before activating any new workflow.

Save indicator. Shows whether the current canvas state is saved. Krom Automation saves automatically, but the indicator confirms the last save completed.

The simulator #

The simulator is one of the most useful features in the builder. Before you activate a workflow, click Simulate to run a complete test of the workflow logic.

The simulator executes every step using real data from your site. It resolves all merge tags to actual values, evaluates all conditions, and shows you the outcome of each action node — without any real side effects. No emails get sent. No posts get created. No API calls go out.

After the simulation runs, the canvas highlights each node with a pass or fail indicator. Click any node to see the full detail: what input data it received, what the resolved merge tags looked like, what it would have done, and whether it would have succeeded.

Run the simulator every time you create or significantly edit a workflow. It catches problems with merge tags, missing required fields, and logic errors before they affect real users.

Keyboard shortcuts #

Shortcut	What it does
Scroll wheel	Zoom in and out
Click + drag (empty area)	Pan the canvas
Backspace or Delete	Delete a selected node
Ctrl + Z / Cmd + Z	Undo last change

Saving and leaving the builder #

Krom Automation saves your workflow automatically as you make changes. You’ll see a “Saved” indicator in the toolbar confirm each save.

If you make changes and navigate away before they’ve saved, Krom Automation prompts you to confirm. Wait for the save indicator before closing the tab or navigating to a different admin page if you’ve just made significant changes.

To leave the builder and return to the Workflows list, click the back arrow in the top-left corner of the screen or use your browser’s back button.