Overview
An Information block holds a piece of text, context, or files in one place so that several steps can use the same thing. You write it once, and any step that comes after it can reference its content.
It does not run an AI model and does not cost anything — think of it as a shared note your workflow keeps handy. It's the right choice whenever two or more steps need the exact same instructions, background, or files.
Information vs. Workflow Inputs
These two sound alike but do different jobs. The quick rule: a Workflow Input is collected each time the workflow runs; an Information block is fixed content you write once and reuse.
| Information block | Workflow Input | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A step in your workflow | A value provided when the workflow runs |
| When it's set | Once, while building the workflow | Every run (by you, a trigger, or a schedule) |
| How to reference it | ${steps.<id>.output} | ${inputs.<name>} |
Which one do I want?
If you need to collect a value at run time (a topic, a recipient, an uploaded file), add a Workflow Input. If you want the same text or files reused across several steps, use an Information block. They work well together: an Information block often holds a workflow input value (like ${inputs.topic}) so it can be passed to many steps at once.
A Workflow Input can also be a file. When you run the workflow you upload or pick a file, and any step that references it with ${inputs.<name>}will have the model read the file directly — PDFs and images included.
How It Works
Add an Information block to your workflow, give it a clear name, and write its content in the task field. That content becomes available to any step that runs after it.
Because it does no AI work, it runs instantly and adds nothing to your run cost. It simply passes its content along for other steps to use.
Referencing It in Other Steps
To use an Information block's content in a later step, reference it by its step ID. In any text field that supports variables, open the Use input menu and pick it from Step Outputs— you don't have to type the syntax by hand.
Follow these rules carefully:
${steps.guidelines.output}A common pattern is to put a workflow input value into an Information block, then share it with several steps:
${inputs.topic}Two different variable styles
${steps.<id>.output} references another step's result. ${inputs.<name>} references a value collected when the workflow runs. The Use input menu lists both, grouped under Step Outputs and Workflow Inputs.
Attaching Files
An Information block can include files from your file library, making them available to all downstream steps. This is useful for sharing reference documents, images, or data files that several steps will use.
How to Add Files
Open Configuration
Click the "Configure" button on your Information block.
Find Files Section
Scroll to the "Files" section in the configuration modal.
Select from Library
Click "Add Files" to browse your file library and select files to attach.
Files Flow Downstream
Files attached to an Information block are automatically available to all connected downstream steps. You don't need to re-attach them to each step — they flow through the workflow just like the text content.Use Cases
Reach for an Information block whenever more than one step needs the same thing.
- Give the same instructions or tone-of-voice to several AI steps
- Share background context across a multi-step workflow
- Pass one workflow input value into many downstream steps at once
- Attach reference documents that several steps need to read
- Keep a shared prompt template in one editable place
Best Practices
- Give it a clear name:The name is how you reference it later, so make it descriptive (for example, "guidelines" or "brand_voice").
- Use it for genuinely shared content: If only one step needs the text, just put it in that step instead.
- Collect run-time values with a Workflow Input: An Information block is fixed content. To ask for a value each run, add a Workflow Input and reference it with
${inputs.<name>}.
Key Takeaways
- An Information block is reusable content that several steps can share
- It runs no AI model and adds nothing to your run cost
- Reference its content with
${steps.<id>.output}via the Insert variable menu - For values collected at run time, use a Workflow Input (
${inputs.<name>}) instead - Attached files flow automatically to downstream steps