# Flow Basics (/docs/workflows/flow-basics)
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A workflow (or "flow") is a graph of **nodes**, where each node represents a
single step. Execution begins at the **initiator** node and follows the
connections between nodes based on each node's output. A flow runs once per
conversation — a call, message, or other interaction — carrying its own set of
variables from start to finish.
## Anatomy of a flow
Every flow is built from three things:
- **Nodes** — the steps. Each node does one thing (send a message, branch on a
condition, query data) and is configured through its fields.
- **Exits** — the labeled outputs on a node. A node like Condition has `true`
and `false` exits; most action nodes have a single `default` exit. Each exit
is a possible path the flow can take next.
- **Connections (edges)** — the wires from one node's exit to the next node's
input. They define the order steps run in.
A node's exits are fixed by its type. You don't create exits, you wire the ones the node already
has. The [node reference](/docs/workflows/reference) lists the exits for every node.
## Adding nodes
There are multiple ways to add nodes:
- **Click the `+` beside an exit** that isn't connected yet. Search for a node, and it's added
to the right of that node and connected to that exit.
- **Add Node**, at the left of the controls at the bottom of the canvas, searches for a node and
adds it to the canvas unconnected. An empty workflow also shows **Add Node** in the middle of
the canvas.
- **Right-click the canvas** to search and add a node by name.
- Press `Cmd/Ctrl+P` to open the **Node Library** and drag nodes onto the canvas.
- **Drag from a node's exit handle** onto empty canvas to create and connect a
node in one step.
- Press `Cmd/Ctrl+K` to search and add from the keyboard.
## Connecting nodes
Drag from a node's exit handle to another node's input to create a connection.
Each **exit** represents a possible path the flow can take.
A single exit connects to exactly one next node, but many exits (from different
nodes, or the different exits of one node) can point into the same node — that's
how branches rejoin. To remove a connection, select the edge and press `Delete`
or `Backspace`.
## The initiator node
Every flow must have an **initiator** node to define where execution begins. Set
any node as the initiator from its context menu.
An initiator must be set for a workflow to pass validation and be published.
## Branching
Use **Condition** or **Switch** nodes to send the flow down different paths:
- **Condition** evaluates a true/false test (optionally combining several checks
with AND/OR) and routes to a `true` or `false` exit.
- **Switch** matches a single value against many cases and routes to the exit for
the first match — reach for it instead of chaining Conditions when one value
selects among several outcomes.
A branch doesn't have to stay separate forever: wire two exits into the same
downstream node to bring the paths back together once the branch-specific work
is done.
## A worked example
A simple after-hours voice flow ties these ideas together:
**Initiator** — the call arrives and starts the flow.
A **Time Control** node checks the current time against your business hours. It routes to a
matching event's exit, or to `default` when no event matches.
During hours, wire the exit to a **Transfer to Queue** node so a live agent picks up. After
hours, wire it to a **Play Message** node that states your hours.
End the after-hours path with a **Disconnect** node to hang up.
## Next steps