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A variable is a named value of an automation workspace. Any step of any flow in the workspace can read it. Use variables for values that several flows share and that you may need to change: a chat channel id, an address, a feature switch, a fixed project key. A variable is not the place for the credentials of a plug. Those belong in a connection, which a plug is built to use.

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Create a variable

1

Open the Variables tab

Open an automation workspace and select Variables.
2

Create it

Select New variable, enter a name and a value and save. A name has letters, numbers and underscores only, such as SLACK_CHANNEL_ID. The value may have up to 10,000 characters.
A workspace holds up to 500 variables. Names are case sensitive and unique in a workspace.

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Use a variable in a step

Write the reference in any input of a step:
In the data picker of a step, the group Variables lists the variables of the workspace. Select one to insert its reference at the cursor. In the list on the Variables tab, Copy reference copies it. The value is read when the step runs. Replacing a variable therefore reaches every flow on its next run, without editing or publishing anything.

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Values stay hidden

Collabase stores the value encrypted. The list never shows it, and neither does the dialog to replace it. A run log shows *** in place of the value wherever it turns up in the input or the output of a step, so a value does not leak through a log.

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Delete with care

Deleting a variable does not change the flows that use it. Their steps fail with a message at their next run, because the variable no longer exists. Search your flows for the reference and update them before you delete.

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Variables, exports and Git

An export, a template and a Git push contain the reference, such as {{variables['SLACK_CHANNEL_ID']}}, and never the value. After an import into another workspace, create the variables the flow names.

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Audit trail

The audit trail of the workspace records when a variable is created, when its value is replaced, when it is shown and when it is deleted. An entry names the variable and never holds the value.
Last modified on October 26, 2026