Connectors

Open connector

An Open connector is the link between two steps that lets both steps show up at the same time on mobile. Staff can complete them in any order, which is the right pick whenever the order really does not matter.

What an Open connector is for

When you wire two steps together with an Open connector, both steps appear together in the workflow run on the mobile app. Staff can tap whichever one they want first. There is no gating, no waiting, no hidden step.

The tooltip on the Open button reads: Worker sees both steps at once — any order.

This is the default behaviour of the canvas. Most templates will use Open connectors for most of their steps, since most steps do not depend on the order they are done in.

Good fits include:

Side-by-side checks that can be done in any order, like wiping down the counter and restocking napkins
A set of photos where it does not matter which one is taken first
A group of questions where staff can answer them as they go
Anything where forcing an order would just slow people down

How to pick an Open connector

You pick the connector type when you add a step below an existing step.

Click the + button below the step you want to connect from
The connector picker opens with three options: Open, Gated, and Decision
Click Open (the first option, shown with a down-arrow icon)
A second picker opens showing the element types you can add
Pick the element type for the new step

The new step is added below, and the line between the two steps shows no extra indicator — a plain connector is an Open connector.

How to tell an Open connector on the canvas

An Open connector is the visual default. The line between two steps is just a line, with no padlock and no Yes / No badge. If you see a clean edge, the connector is Open.

A Gated connector shows a padlock at the midpoint. A Decision connector puts a Poppi decision node between the two steps with Yes and No branches. Anything else is Open.

Plan requirements

Open connectors are available on every plan, including Basic. There is no upgrade needed.

Tips

Default to Open whenever you can. Forcing an order only helps if the order genuinely matters
If you find yourself reaching for Gated a lot, consider whether the steps could be grouped instead, with a single group acting as the "must finish this section" boundary
An Open connector is reversible at any time — click the line and you can delete it without losing the steps on either side
Two steps joined with an Open connector still report independently in the run history. You will see which one was completed first and when

Gated connector

A Gated connector is the link between two steps that keeps the second step hidden on mobile until the first step is done. It is the right pick whenever order matters, like making sure a photo is taken before a temperature reading is recorded.

What a Gated connector is for

When you wire two steps together with a Gated connector, the second step does not appear in the workflow run on the mobile app until the first step has been completed. Staff finish step 1, the next step pops in, then they can carry on.

The tooltip on the Gated button reads: Next step stays hidden until this one is completed.

Good fits include:

Enforcing a real-world order, like "take a photo of the cleaned surface before recording the temperature"
Gating a sensitive step so the worker can not skip past prep work, like signing off only after the inspection is filled in
Building a step-by-step procedure where each step builds on the last
Cutting visual clutter on mobile, so staff only see the next thing they need to do

How to pick a Gated connector

You pick the connector type when you add a step below an existing step.

Click the + button below the step you want to connect from
The connector picker opens with three options: Open, Gated, and Decision
Click Gated (the second option, shown with a lock icon)
A second picker opens showing the element types you can add
Pick the element type for the new step

The new step is added below, and the line between the two steps shows a small padlock at the midpoint.

How to tell a Gated connector on the canvas

A Gated connector shows a padlock icon at the midpoint of the line between two steps. Hover over the padlock and a tooltip reads: Gated — next step stays hidden until this one is completed.

When you click the line itself, the padlock is replaced with a small toolbar that lets you insert a step into the middle of the line or delete the connector outright. Clicking elsewhere returns the padlock to view.

Plan requirements

The Gated connector needs the Standard plan or higher. On the Basic plan, the Gated button in the picker is greyed out and the tooltip reads Upgrade to Standard to use.

Tips

Use Gated only where order genuinely matters. Over-using it makes mobile feel slow and rigid
The padlock on the canvas is your at-a-glance signal that a step is gated. If you scan a template and only see plain lines, you can be confident nothing is hidden behind another step
A gate is on the connector, not on the step itself. The same step can be Open in one template and Gated in another
If you change your mind, click the line and delete it, then re-add the step with an Open connector. The step itself stays put

Decision connector

A decision connector drops a Poppi decision node into the workflow flow between two steps and routes the rest of the work onto a Yes branch or a No branch. Poppi reads the upstream workflow context, evaluates the question you have written, and picks the branch at run time.

What a decision connector is for

A decision connector is the third type of link you can place between two steps. Where an Open connector lets staff do both steps in any order and a Gated connector hides the next step until the first is done, a decision connector splits the workflow in two and follows only one path.

The branches go down the main column. Each branch starts empty, and you can add as many downstream steps to each branch as you need. Only one branch runs in any given workflow run — Poppi picks.

Good fits include:

Routing a complaint check onto a "minor" or "major" path based on the photo and the worker's note
Splitting an opening procedure into "open as normal" or "open with reduced staff" paths based on yesterday's chat handover
Branching after an inspection so the No branch runs an escalation sequence and the Yes branch runs a sign-off sequence
Picking between two genuinely different chains of work based on live context, not just on a yes / no answer

How to pick a decision connector

You pick the connector type when you add a step below an existing step.

Click the + button below the step you want to connect from
The connector picker opens with three options: Open, Gated, and Decision
Click Decision (the third option, shown with a target icon)
A Poppi decision node is added below the step, with empty Yes and No branches ready to be filled in

The decision node sits in the main column. Its top connects up to the step you came from. Its bottom shows a green Yes handle on the left and a pink No handle on the right, each with its own + button to start building out the branch.

Decision connector vs Poppi decisions attached to a step

A decision connector and a Poppi decision attached to a step are not the same thing, even though they both use the same kind of node.

A decision connector sits BETWEEN steps. It routes the main workflow onto a Yes or No branch. You add it from the connector picker when you click the + below a step. This is the focus of this page.
A Poppi decision (right satellite) attaches to a single step and routes a follow-up Poppi action Yes or No. It sits off to the side of a step, not in the main column. See Poppi decisions for this placement.
A Poppi decision (left gate) attaches to a single step and decides whether the step runs at all. It sits to the left of a step. Also covered in Poppi decisions.

The connector is the option for "the rest of the workflow forks". The right-satellite is for "after this step, do one of two things". The left-gate is for "should this step run at all".

How to fill in the decision question

Click the new Poppi decision node to focus it and fill in the prompt field.

What should Poppi decide? (textarea, required) -- the yes or no question for Poppi to answer. The placeholder reads e.g. Were all critical items ticked? Was the photo clean and well-lit?

Write the question so the Yes branch is the "happy path". Poppi reads the worker's answers from the step above and any other upstream context, then picks Yes or No based on your prompt.

The header reads Poppi (AI) decision. The test button (the play icon in the header) is disabled until you have written a prompt. Hover the disabled button for the tooltip Add a question first.

How to build out the Yes and No branches

Each branch starts empty. To start adding steps to a branch:

Click the + button on the bottom of the Yes or No handle of the decision node
A small picker opens with two options: Action and Element
Action adds a Poppi action node (a Slack message, calendar event, and so on)
Element opens a submenu of element types to pick from (text input, photo input, choices, and so on)
Once you pick something, the new node spawns on the branch already connected

From there, you can keep adding to that branch using the same connector picker on the new step.

How to delete a branch

To clear a branch back to empty, click the line between the decision node and the first step on the branch, then click the delete (trash) icon in the line's toolbar. The + button on the decision node reappears and you can add a different first step.

Plan requirements

Decision connectors are available on the Pro plan and higher. On Basic and Standard, the Decision button in the picker is greyed out and the tooltip reads Upgrade to Pro to use.

The same Pro plan rule applies to right-satellite Poppi decisions that use external integration data sources. The Poppi decision evaluation itself runs on Pro and Enterprise.

Tips

Use a decision connector when the rest of the workflow truly forks. If you only need a single different follow-up action, a right-satellite Poppi decision is lighter
Phrase the Yes branch as the happy path. It makes a quick scan of the canvas easier to follow
Both branches can be as long as you like, but each branch only sees the steps on its own path on mobile. Staff never see the other branch
Test the decision with the play button in the header before publishing, so you can see how Poppi answers on real upstream context
A decision can be deleted like any other step. The branches and their downstream chains are removed with it, so be deliberate before deleting one in a published template