Execution order in multi-branch workflows

In a workflow with branches, you may wonder: “Which node runs first?”

Understanding execution order helps you avoid surprises, especially when two branches need to finish before a later node can run.

Execution overview

Agentic WorkFlow uses a “level by level” execution order (often called breadth‑first).

In plain terms:

It starts from the trigger
It runs the first set of connected nodes
Then it moves one step deeper and runs the next set

flowchart TB
    B["Extract Data"] L_B_D_0@--> D["Transform Data"]
    C["Load Config"] L_C_D_0@--> D
    D L_D_E_0@--> E["Send Email"]
    n1[" "] L_n1_B_0@--> B & C

    B@{ shape: rounded}
    D@{ shape: rounded}
    C@{ shape: rounded}
    E@{ shape: rounded}
    n1@{ icon: "fa:circle-play", pos: "b"}
    style B fill:#E8F5E9
    style D fill:#E1F5FE
    style C fill:#FFF3E0
    style E fill:#E8EAF6

    L_B_D_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_C_D_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_D_E_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_n1_B_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_n1_C_0@{ animation: slow }

Step-by-step

The workflow starts from the trigger node.
Agentic WorkFlow finds all nodes directly connected to it and runs them.
Once all first-level nodes finish, it proceeds to their connected nodes.
The process repeats until all reachable nodes complete execution.

Execution priority

Each node waits for all its predecessors to finish before running. If one of the required nodes fails or is skipped, dependent nodes won’t execute until all prerequisites are completed.

This helps maintain data consistency across the workflow and prevents nodes from running with incomplete inputs.

Example: multi-branch workflow

flowchart TB
    n2["Extract user data"] L_n2_n4_0@--> n4["Combine results"]
    n3["Fetch order history"] L_n3_n4_0@--> n4
    n4 L_n4_n5_0@--> n5["Send report"]
    n6[" "] L_n6_n2_0@--> n2 & n3

    n2@{ shape: rounded}
    n4@{ shape: rounded}
    n3@{ shape: rounded}
    n5@{ shape: rounded}
    n6@{ icon: "fa:circle-play", pos: "b"}
    style n4 stroke:#00C853,fill:#C8E6C9

    L_n2_n4_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_n3_n4_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_n4_n5_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_n6_n2_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_n6_n3_0@{ animation: slow }

In this example:

“Extract user data” and “Fetch order history” run first (the exact order can depend on how the nodes were created).
“Combine results” will wait for both branches to finish before running.
“Send report” will only execute after “Combine results” completes.

Example: complex multi-branch workflow

flowchart TB
    B["1"] L_B_B1_0@--> B1["4"] & n2["5"]
    D2["6"] L_D2_E_0@--> E["7"]
    E L_E_F_0@--> F["Continue Workflow"]
    n1[" "] L_n1_B_0@--> B & D["3"] & C["2"]
    B1 L_B1_E_0@--> E
    C L_C_E_0@--> E
    D L_D_D2_0@--> D2

    B@{ shape: rounded}
    B1@{ shape: rounded}
    n2@{ shape: rounded}
    D2@{ shape: rounded}
    E@{ shape: rounded}
    n1@{ icon: "fa:circle-play", pos: "b"}
    D@{ shape: rounded}
    C@{ shape: rounded}
    style E stroke:#00C853,fill:#C8E6C9

    L_B_B1_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_B_n2_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_D2_E_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_E_F_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_n1_B_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_n1_D_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_n1_C_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_B1_E_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_C_E_0@{ animation: slow } 
    L_D_D2_0@{ animation: slow }

Browser context considerations

When your workflow runs inside a browser, keep these in mind:

Page state changes: Some nodes interact with a webpage (clicks, scrolls) — ensure timing is handled properly.
Timing dependencies: Wait for page updates (e.g., after form submissions) before the next step.
Performance constraints: Your browser has limited CPU/memory; avoid doing too many heavy things at the same time.