Use Wait Nodes to Split Long-Running Workflows into Async Phases

Some business processes span hours or days -- submit an order, wait for payment, then fulfill. The Wait node pauses a workflow and resumes it later, after a delay or when an external webhook callback arrives. This frees resources during idle periods and models real async processes without polling loops or external schedulers.

What does the Wait node do?

Some business processes span hours or days -- submit an order, wait for payment confirmation, then fulfill. The Wait node pauses execution and resumes it later, either after a time delay, or when an external webhook callback arrives. This avoids holding resources during idle periods and models real-world async processes naturally.

Real-world example: An order fulfillment workflow that submits a payment, waits for the payment processor's webhook confirmation, then proceeds to fulfillment.

How do you pause and resume a workflow?

Workflow structure:

[Webhook: New Order] → [Validate Order] → [Submit Payment to Stripe]
    → [Wait: Resume on Webhook] → [IF: payment_succeeded]
        →── yes ──→ [Reserve Inventory] → [Generate Shipping Label] → [Notify Customer]
        └── no ──→ [Notify Customer: Payment Failed] → [Cancel Order]

Wait node configuration:

Setting	Value
Resume	On Webhook Call
Limit Wait Time	24 hours
On Timeout	Continue (to failure branch)

After submitting the payment, store the Wait node's resume URL in your database alongside the order:

// Code node — after Submit Payment, before Wait
const resumeUrl = $execution.resumeUrl;
const orderId = $json.order_id;

// Pass to a database node to store:
return [{
  json: {
    order_id: orderId,
    stripe_payment_intent: $json.payment_intent_id,
    resume_webhook_url: resumeUrl,
    status: 'awaiting_payment'
  }
}];

Configure your payment processor (Stripe) to send its webhook to a relay workflow:

Stripe Webhook Relay workflow:

[Webhook: Stripe Events]
    → [IF: event.type === "payment_intent.succeeded"]
    → [Postgres: Lookup resume_webhook_url by payment_intent_id]
    → [HTTP Request: POST to resume_webhook_url with payment data]

The relay's HTTP Request node POSTs to the stored resume URL:

// The HTTP Request node POSTs to the stored resume URL:
// URL: {{ $json.resume_webhook_url }}
// Body:
{
  "payment_status": "succeeded",
  "payment_intent_id": "pi_abc123",
  "amount_received": 9999,
  "currency": "usd"
}

Why must you set a timeout?

Warning: Always Set a Timeout. Without a timeout, the Wait node holds the execution open indefinitely, consuming resources. Set a reasonable limit (24 hours for payments, 7 days for approvals) and handle the timeout case explicitly -- send a reminder, cancel the order, or escalate.

Wait nodes let you model real business processes faithfully without polling loops or external scheduling systems.

Related: Always Set an Error Workflow on Every Production Workflow · Use "Pin Data" to Freeze Node Output