Message Queue
utility.mq Utility v0.1.0 Publish, consume (FIFO), browse, stats or purge a named queue on the selected provider — flowdrome.mq (built-in, zero config) or Redis. Connection via a shared credential or inline settings.
Finding it in the library
Search the builder's node library for Message Queue (it lives under Utility). A single click opens the in-editor docs panel shown here — description, ports, and every property, without leaving the canvas. Double-click (or drag) to add it to the workflow.
Library capture pending — regenerate with npm run shots:nodes.
Wired up in the builder
Message Queue in a real, runnable flow — captured live from the Studio editor, exactly as it looks on your canvas. This is the same workflow used for the example input & output below.
Canvas capture pending — regenerate with npm run shots:nodes.
How it’s configured
The node’s Configure panel as it opens in the builder when you select the step — every setting laid out with real values. Click any field to edit it.
Config capture pending — regenerate with npm run shots:nodes. See the full property reference below.
Ports
Ports are the node’s contract with its neighbours. In the editor a port label renders bold when wired and italic when optional; ◈ ports accept attachment carriers rather than data wires.
| Direction | Port | Label | What flows through it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input | input | Input | |
| Output | output | Result |
How data flows through it
Message Queue consumes the content of the incoming envelope — when it is fed directly by a trigger, the trigger’s wrapper is unwrapped at the node boundary so the node sees the actual data, not the metadata shell. Its output becomes the payload for the next node, while the envelope (trace ids, correlation, binary refs) rides along untouched. In the Runs view you always see the whole envelope for both sides of this node.
Expressions in the config
String-typed properties accept {{ }} expressions evaluated against the
incoming item at run time — e.g. {{ $json.customer.email }}. On this node
that’s queue, broker, token, host, password. JSON- and code-typed fields never interpolate — they are passed through literally.
Build it with AI
Every node in this reference is reachable through Flowdrome’s
AI Copilot and the
MCP tools — say what you want, and the graph surgery
happens server-side. Node types resolve fuzzily, so the catalog label
(Message Queue) works as well as the exact type id (utility.mq).
In the Copilot panel (or any connected AI):
add a message queue node after the trigger As a step in a create_chain_workflow call:
{"type":"Message Queue","config":{}} Raw MCP call — add this node to a workflow with add_node
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:48170/mcp -H "content-type: application/json" -d '{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "1", "method": "tools/call", "params": { "name": "add_node", "arguments": { "workflowId": "<id>", "type": "Message Queue" } } }' Example input & output
Captured from a real test run of the workflow above — this is what you see in the run data panel after pressing Test workflow.
Input — what the node received
{
"kind": "json",
"contentType": "application/json",
"payload": {
"job": "smoke",
"n": 7
},
"body": {
"job": "smoke",
"n": 7
}
} Output — what the node produced
{
"published": true,
"id": "m_19f43d4aa0a_19",
"queue": "smoke-mq"
} Property reference
Every setting, with its type and default — the same fields shown configured in the panel above.
| Property | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
CredentialcredentialId | credential | "" | Use a stored credential for this connection — its fields are filled in at run start. Pick "None" to enter the connection details manually. accepts credential templates: flowdromeredis |
Providerprovider | select | "flowdrome" | Which broker to talk to. flowdrome = the built-in flowdrome.mq (zero config, blank broker = this engine's own queues); redis = list-backed queues on a Redis server. flowdromeredis |
Operationoperation | select | "publish" | publish = send a message; consume = pop the next message(s) FIFO; browse = peek without removing; stats = queue depth; purge = empty the queue. browseconsumepublishpurgestats |
Queuequeue | string | "default" | Queue name (flowdrome: created on first use; redis: the LIST key). |
Broker URLbroker | string | "" | Blank = this engine's OWN built-in broker (same host, zero config). Set to another Flowdrome engine's base URL to publish/consume ACROSS machines. Shown when (provider ?? "flowdrome") === "flowdrome" |
Broker tokentoken | string | "" | Optional shared token if the target broker requires one (FLOWDROME_MQ_TOKEN) — supports ${credential.NAME.FIELD}. Shown when (provider ?? "flowdrome") === "flowdrome" |
Delete on readdeleteOnRead | boolean | true | Remove consumed messages (at-most-once). Off = leave them (peek-like consume). Shown when (provider ?? "flowdrome") === "flowdrome" && (operation ?? "publish") === "consume" |
Hosthost | string | "localhost" | Redis server hostname. Shown when provider === "redis" |
Portport | int | 6379 | Redis server port. Shown when provider === "redis" |
Passwordpassword | string | "" | AUTH password — supports ${credential.NAME.FIELD}. Leave blank to skip AUTH. Shown when provider === "redis" |
Databasedb | int | 0 | Logical database index — SELECT is sent when greater than 0. Shown when provider === "redis" |
TLStls | boolean | false | Connect over TLS (server certificates verified unless relaxed below). Shown when provider === "redis" |
Verify TLS certificaterejectUnauthorized | boolean | false | Off accepts self-signed certificates (lab setups). Shown when provider === "redis" && tls === true |
Message fieldmessageField | field | "" | Dot-path to the message body to publish. Blank = the whole input payload. Shown when (operation ?? "publish") === "publish" |
Max messagesmaxMessages | int | 1 | How many messages to consume/browse at once. Shown when (operation ?? "publish") === "consume" || operation === "browse" |
Timeout (ms)timeoutMs | int | 30000 | Abort the broker call after this many milliseconds. |
Related nodes
The rest of the Utility group — the same folder you’d scan in the editor’s library.
This page is generated from the node registry by gen-node-docs.mjs on every
site build — ports, properties, defaults and visibility rules cannot drift from the code.
The screenshots and example data are captured from a live Flowdrome by
npm run shots:nodes and npm run gen:examples.