This glossary defines key terms used in NebulaFlow documentation and the extension interface.
Approval
A security feature that requires user confirmation before executing potentially dangerous operations, such as CLI commands. Approval requests appear as VS Code notifications.
Amp SDK
The Amp Software Development Kit, used by NebulaFlow to interact with LLM providers. It provides APIs for creating LLM sessions, streaming responses, and handling tool calls.
Accumulator Node
A node that concatenates text from multiple inputs into a single output, accumulating values across multiple executions (e.g., in loops).
CLI Node
A node that executes shell commands or scripts. It can run in command mode (single command) or script mode (multi‑line script), with configurable safety levels and approval requirements.
Condition Node
See If/Else Node.
Connection
See Edge.
Edge
A visual connection between two nodes in the workflow graph. Edges define data flow and execution dependencies: data flows from the source node’s output to the target node’s input.
Execution
The process of running a workflow. Execution starts from nodes with no incoming edges and proceeds according to dependencies. NebulaFlow supports parallel execution of independent nodes.
Extension
The VS Code extension that hosts NebulaFlow. It manages the webview, handles workflow execution, and communicates with the underlying LLM SDKs.
If/Else Node
A logic node that branches workflow execution based on a condition. It evaluates a JavaScript expression (using template variables) and routes data to either the true or false output branch.
Input Node
See Text Node.
LLM Node
A node that interacts with Large Language Models. It sends a prompt (optionally with images) to an LLM provider (Amp SDK or OpenRouter) and streams the response.
Loop Node
A pair of nodes (Loop Start and Loop End) that enable iterative processing. The Loop Start node defines the iteration variable and maximum iterations; the Loop End node marks the end of each iteration.
Node
A building block of a workflow. Each node performs a specific operation (e.g., LLM, CLI, condition, variable). Nodes are connected by edges to form a graph.
Node Execution Status
The current state of a node during execution: running, completed, error, interrupted, pending_approval.
Preview Node
A node that displays its input data for debugging purposes. It shows the raw text or JSON output of the previous node.
Protocol
The message contract between the VS Code extension (backend) and the webview (frontend). It defines the types of messages exchanged, such as node execution status, errors, and user actions.
Safety Level
A setting for CLI nodes that determines how strictly commands are sanitized. safe uses a denylist to block dangerous commands; advanced disables sanitization (use with caution).
Script Mode
A mode for CLI nodes where the content is treated as a shell script (multi‑line) rather than a single command. Supports stdin piping and environment variable mapping.
Subflow
A reusable workflow component that can be embedded in a main workflow. Subflows have their own graph of nodes and define input/output ports for data exchange.
Subflow Input Node
A node that defines an input port for a subflow. It receives data from the parent workflow and makes it available inside the subflow.
Subflow Output Node
A node that defines an output port for a subflow. It sends data from the subflow back to the parent workflow.
Text Node
A node that provides static text input to a workflow. Formerly called “Input Node”.
Tool Call
A request from an LLM to execute a tool (e.g., Bash, filesystem operation). NebulaFlow can approve or reject tool calls based on user input or the dangerouslyAllowAll setting.
Tool Result
The output of a tool call, which is sent back to the LLM as part of the conversation thread.
Variable Node
A node that stores a value in a named variable. The variable can be referenced in other nodes using template syntax (${variableName}).
Variable State
The collection of all variables and their current values during workflow execution. Variables are scoped to the workflow session.
Webview
The graphical user interface of NebulaFlow, built with React and React Flow. It runs inside a VS Code webview panel and communicates with the extension via the protocol.
Workflow
A directed graph of nodes and edges that defines a sequence of operations. Workflows can be saved, edited, and executed.
Workflow Execution
The runtime process of a workflow, managed by the extension. It handles node scheduling, parallel execution, approval requests, and error handling.
Last Updated: 2026-01-21