A surface-by-surface map of current Flowgen navigation and controls: canvas views, typed field noodles, Add/Discover/Library, Make/Agent, sidebars, node editors, and project settings.
Where: Open a Flowgen project from the dashboard.
Key ideas
- Canvas is the workspace: A canvas contains connected nodes, groups, lists, areas, routes, comments, and run state. A flow is the connected node graph on that canvas.
- Cards and node graph are two views: Card mode reduces wiring chrome for outcome-first work; Node graph shows handles and connections. The project preference changes presentation, not the saved nodes.
- Make and Agent are complementary: Make is the compact command/composer path. Agent exposes planning, conversation context, and assisted construction. The MCP host can instead call the same tools directly without starting the in-app assistant.
- Editors are deliberate surfaces: Eligible nodes open f0 document editors; Designer nodes open Designer. Opening a surface does not flatten the project into an image or detach it from Flowgen.
Steps
- Start from the project header and canvas switcher; check the current project/canvas and save state before editing.
- Use Add to search the node catalog, Discover for ready-made flows, and Library for saved assets and resources.
- Use the canvas rail for Outline, Activity, Annotate, Assistant, Assets, Brain, Comments, Flows, and Prompt Library. Each panel has its own job; canvas tools do not replace node settings.
- Choose Make for one concrete node/output or Agent → Assist/Plan & Build when you want conversational graph work or a staged plan.
- Use Card mode to hide noodles for a card-focused view; switch to graph view to see and edit connections. A node’s Show on canvas control hides only that compact card.
- Select a node to see its quick actions and properties sidebar. Read the node card and sidebar together because some controls are compact on the card and expanded in the sidebar.
- Wire typed sources to named input fields. Connect a Text source to prompt fields, the linked Brand’s exact compatible property to Brand fields, and assets to their semantic media/reference inputs.
- Use Outline or Activity to find offscreen nodes and follow work. Use comments for review notes and Activity for execution progress.
- Open supported editors from their node, use Detach editor for a floating window when offered, and return with Full screen editor. Confirm the node’s save/upstream state after closing.
- Use Items/List + List Iterator + Results List for repeated rows. Group Repeater, loop-enabled Groups, and Batch authoring are deprecated and remain only for existing-flow repair.
- Run one node or a specific group while authoring; run the full flow only after checking inputs, routes, approvals, destinations, and costs.
Canvas view and wire visibility
- Card mode intentionally hides connections; it does not remove them.
- Use node graph mode when a workflow depends on exact socket routing or needs debugging.
- Show on canvas applies to a node’s card presentation and does not remove the node from the saved flow.
Left rail and Make bar
- The left rail gathers canvas navigation, resources, reusable flows, prompts, collaboration, annotations, and the Flowgen Assistant.
- Open the in-product AI Agent by clicking Assistant in the left rail. The bottom Make composer creates one chosen node or output.
- The MCP API has no command for opening the in-product Agent panel. An MCP host should use its own model with the canonical flowgen_* tools directly; a person who wants the in-product conversation opens it from the left rail.
Tips
- Build and test one branch before selecting Run flow.
- Keep automatic settings-on-selection off when the sidebar interrupts spatial canvas work; turn it on during property-heavy setup.
Limitations and important notes
- The Flowgen canvas itself is not the f0 document editor.
- Cards view can hide connection detail; switch to Node graph when diagnosing propagation.
- A completed upstream edit does not automatically prove every downstream result is current.
Troubleshooting
A control described for a node is missing.
Select the node and check both its card and right properties panel. Some controls appear only after an input or mode makes them relevant.
An editor opens blank or refuses the node.
Only nodes that report an editor surface can open one. Use the node reference and its current editor indicator rather than guessing from the name.