Counter node configuration

Counter Node

Overview

The Counter Node maintains a persistent numeric counter that increments by a configurable step on every execution. The count survives pipeline restarts, making it ideal for tracking production totals, sequencing records, or triggering logic after a fixed number of events. When a threshold is configured, the counter automatically resets to its initial value once reached, enabling batch-cycling workflows without extra nodes.

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Core Functionality

What It Does

1. Persistent Count Tracking The counter state is stored per pipeline and node, so the value survives pipeline restarts and redeployments. Each execution atomically reads, increments, and writes back the count.

2. Configurable Step Set the Step parameter to any non-zero integer. Positive values count up, negative values count down. The step is applied on every normal execution and on manual Increment/Decrement actions.

3. Threshold Auto-Reset When Threshold is greater than zero and the counter reaches or exceeds it, the node sets threshold_reached to true in the output and resets the counter to Initial Value. If no threshold is configured, an internal safety limit of 1 billion prevents overflow.

4. Concurrent Safety Counter updates use atomic read-modify-write operations at the storage layer, so concurrent pipeline executions or manual actions cannot cause lost updates.

5. Manual Actions Operators can increment, decrement, inspect, or reset the counter at any time through the node's action menu—without triggering a full pipeline execution.

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Configuration Reference

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Required	Constraints	Description
Initial Value	number	0	No	—	Starting value and the value restored after a threshold reset.
Step	number	1	No	Cannot be zero	Amount added to the counter on each execution. Use a negative number to count down.
Threshold	number	0	No	Cannot be negative (0 = disabled)	When the counter reaches this value it auto-resets to Initial Value and emits threshold_reached: true.

Settings

Setting	Options	Default	Description
Timeout (seconds)	number	Pipeline default	Maximum execution time for this node (1--600).
Retry on Timeout	Pipeline Default / Enabled / Disabled	Pipeline Default	Whether to retry on timeout.
Retry on Fail	Pipeline Default / Enabled / Disabled	Pipeline Default	Whether to retry on failure. When Enabled, shows Advanced Retry Configuration.
On Error	Pipeline Default / Stop Pipeline / Continue Execution	Pipeline Default	Behavior when node fails after all retries.

Advanced Retry Configuration

Only visible when Retry on Fail is set to Enabled.

Field	Type	Default	Range	Description
Max Attempts	number	3	1--10	Maximum retry attempts.
Initial Delay (ms)	number	1000	100--30,000	Wait before first retry.
Max Delay (ms)	number	120000	1,000--300,000	Upper bound for backoff delay.
Multiplier	number	2.0	1.0--5.0	Exponential backoff multiplier.
Jitter Factor	number	0.1	0--0.5	Random jitter.

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Input / Output

Input

The Counter Node accepts any payload. The input data is passed through to the output unchanged under the input key.

Output

Every execution produces a JSON object with three fields:

{
  "count": 42,
  "input": { "...original payload..." },
  "threshold_reached": false
}

Field	Type	Description
count	number	The counter value after the current step is applied.
input	any	The original input payload, passed through unchanged.
threshold_reached	boolean	true when the counter reached the threshold and was auto-reset during this execution; false otherwise.

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Manual Actions

Actions can be triggered from the node's context menu without running the pipeline.

Action	Description
Increment	Add the configured step (or a custom value) to the counter. Respects threshold auto-reset.
Decrement	Subtract the configured step (or a custom value) from the counter.
Get Count	Return the current counter value and threshold status without modifying state.
Reset	Set the counter back to the configured Initial Value.

note

Increment and Decrement actions accept an optional custom value. When provided, the custom value is used instead of the configured Step.

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Usage Examples

Example 1: Production Line Unit Counter

Field	Value
Initial Value	0
Step	1
Threshold	0 (disabled)

Each sensor event triggers the pipeline. The counter increments by 1 and the output's count field tracks the running total of units produced. Because the threshold is disabled, the counter grows indefinitely (up to the internal safety limit).

Example 2: Batch Counter with Threshold

Field	Value
Initial Value	0
Step	1
Threshold	50

Every item passing through increments the counter. On the 50th item, threshold_reached becomes true and the counter resets to 0. Downstream nodes can branch on threshold_reached to trigger batch-completion logic—e.g., sending a summary report or closing a work order.

Example 3: Countdown Timer

Field	Value
Initial Value	100
Step	-1
Threshold	0 (disabled)

The counter starts at 100 and decrements by 1 on each execution, enabling countdown-style logic. A downstream Condition node can check count == 0 to fire an alert when the countdown completes.

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Best Practices

• Use threshold auto-reset for batch cycling. Instead of adding a separate Condition + Reset flow, set a threshold to let the counter self-manage.
• Negative steps are useful for countdowns. Pair them with a downstream condition that checks count reaching zero.
• Use Get Count during development to inspect the counter without side effects.

note

The counter state is scoped to a specific pipeline and node. Cloning a pipeline creates an independent counter that starts from the configured Initial Value.