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Delay
Delay node for pausing a run for a duration or until a scheduled datetime.
Pauses the workflow for a set duration or until a specified date and time. Use it to introduce a wait between steps — for example, to give an external system time to process before polling it, or to schedule a downstream action for a specific moment.
Configuration
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Yes | duration — wait for a fixed amount of time. datetime — wait until a specific date and time. |
| Duration | Yes (if mode = duration) | How long to wait. Specify as a duration string in International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 8601 format — for example, PT30S = 30 seconds, PT5M = 5 minutes, PT1H = 1 hour. |
| Until | Yes (if mode = datetime) | The date and time to wait until. Accepts an ISO 8601 datetime string or an expression that resolves to one. |
Output
The Delay node does not produce output. Downstream nodes receive the same variables that were in scope before the Delay.
Examples
Wait 30 seconds before retrying a request:
A Delay node with mode duration and value PT30S placed between an HTTP Request node and a retry branch pauses the run for 30 seconds before the retry.
Wait until a scheduled time:
A Delay node with mode datetime and its value set to an expression that resolves to a datetime — such as $vars.scheduledAt — pauses the run until that moment.
Common issues
| Issue | Resolution |
|---|---|
| The workflow times out before the Delay completes | A run must finish within 24 hours. For a delay of many hours or days, use a Scheduled Trigger to start the workflow at the right time instead. |
| ISO 8601 duration format error | Duration values must follow ISO 8601 format. PT30S = 30 seconds, PT5M = 5 minutes, PT1H30M = 1 hour 30 minutes. Plain numbers are not accepted. |
Next steps
- Wait for event: the other nodes that pause a workflow.
- Limits and fair use: a run must finish within 24 hours, including any delay.
- Community: ask questions and share workflows with other builders on the UiPath Forum.