The GetCustomFile Node

The GetCustomFile Node

Overview

The GetCustomFile node is a utility node that loads the content of a local text file directly into a workflow. This allows you to inject large blocks of static text—like character bios, instructions, or world-building lore—without cluttering the workflow JSON itself.

The content of the file is returned as a string, which can then be used by subsequent nodes through the workflow's variable system (e.g., {agent1Output}).

Configuration

Here is the complete JSON structure for a GetCustomFile node.

{
  "title": "A descriptive name for this node (Optional)",
  "type": "GetCustomFile",
  "filepath": "C:\\Path\\To\\Your\\File.txt",
  "delimiter": "\\n---\\n",
  "customReturnDelimiter": "\\n***\\n"
}

Fields

Each field is explained in detail below.

• title

  • Type: String
  • Required: No
  • Description: An optional, human-readable name for the node. It's used for logging and makes the workflow easier to understand. It doesn't affect the node's execution.

• type

  • Type: String
  • Required: Yes
  • Description: This must be the exact string "GetCustomFile" to identify the node's function.

• filepath

  • Type: String
  • Required: Yes
  • Description: The full, absolute or relative path to the text file you want to load. The file path resolution is case-insensitive, meaning C:\Docs\file.txt will match C:\docs\File.TXT. This field supports variable substitution, allowing you to use placeholders like {Discussion_Id} and {YYYY_MM_DD} to create dynamic, per-conversation or date-based file paths.
  • Example: "D:\\WilmerAI\\Public\\lore\\world_history.txt"
  • Example with variables: "/Users/socg/sessions/{Discussion_Id}_notes.txt" or "/data/logs/{YYYY_MM_DD}_actions.txt"

• delimiter

  • Type: String
  • Required: No
  • Description: An optional string of characters that the node will search for within the file's content. This is the text you want to find and replace. If you want to use special characters like newlines, be sure to escape them properly in the JSON (e.g., \\n).
  • Default Behavior: If omitted, it defaults to the value of customReturnDelimiter. If both are omitted, it defaults to a single newline (\n).

• customReturnDelimiter

  • Type: String
  • Required: No
  • Description: An optional string of characters that will replace every instance of the delimiter found in the file.
  • Default Behavior: If omitted, it defaults to the value provided in delimiter. This effectively makes the replacement a no-op, preserving the original delimiters.

Example

Let's illustrate how the delimiters work together.

Input File (C:\Users\User\Desktop\character_sheet.txt):

Name: Captain Eva "Vortex" Rostova
---
Background: A former corporate pilot for OmniCorp, framed for a crime she didn't commit. Now she flies a freighter on the outer rim, taking any job that pays.
---
Goal: Clear her name and expose the conspiracy.

Workflow Node:

This node will find each --- separator and replace it with a more decorative one.

{
  "title": "Load Character Sheet",
  "type": "GetCustomFile",
  "filepath": "C:\\Users\\User\\Desktop\\character_sheet.txt",
  "delimiter": "---",
  "customReturnDelimiter": "\n**********\n"
}

Resulting Output:

If this is the first node in a workflow, the following string will be available in the {agent1Output} variable for the next node:

Name: Captain Eva "Vortex" Rostova

**********

Background: A former corporate pilot for OmniCorp, framed for a crime she didn't commit. Now she flies a freighter on the outer rim, taking any job that pays.

**********

Goal: Clear her name and expose the conspiracy.

Dynamic Filepath Example

The filepath field supports workflow variable substitution, allowing you to create dynamic, per-conversation or date-based file paths. This is useful for loading session-specific notes, daily logs, or user-specific data.

Available Variables for Filepaths

• {Discussion_Id}: The unique identifier for the current conversation. Useful for per-session files.
• {YYYY_MM_DD}: Today's date in underscore-separated format (e.g., 2025_12_07). Useful for daily logs.
• Any other workflow variable (e.g., {agent1Output}, custom variables defined in the workflow JSON).

Example: Loading Per-Conversation Notes

{
  "title": "Load Session Notes",
  "type": "GetCustomFile",
  "filepath": "/data/sessions/{Discussion_Id}_notes.txt"
}

If the Discussion_Id is conv-abc-123, this will load the file /data/sessions/conv-abc-123_notes.txt.

Example: Loading Daily Action Items

{
  "title": "Load Today's Actions",
  "type": "GetCustomFile",
  "filepath": "/data/logs/{YYYY_MM_DD}_actions.txt"
}

If today is December 7, 2025, this will load the file /data/logs/2025_12_07_actions.txt.

Example: Combining Multiple Variables

{
  "title": "Load Session-Specific Daily Log",
  "type": "GetCustomFile",
  "filepath": "/data/{YYYY_MM_DD}/{Discussion_Id}_log.txt"
}

Behavior and Edge Cases

It's crucial to understand how the node behaves in specific situations:

• Output Variable: The entire text content of the file (after delimiter replacement) is returned as a single string. This output is then assigned to a variable based on the node's position in the workflow (e.g., {agent1Output}, {agent2Output}, etc.).
• Variable Substitution: The filepath field is processed through the workflow variable manager before the file is loaded. This means you can use any available workflow variable in the path.
• File Not Found: If the path in filepath does not lead to an existing file (after variable substitution), the node will return the string: "Custom instruction file did not exist".
• Empty File: If the file is found but is completely empty, the node will return the string: "No additional information added".
• Missing filepath: If the filepath field is missing from the configuration, the node will return the string: "No filepath specified".
• Empty Discussion_Id: If {Discussion_Id} is used but no discussion ID is present in the context, it will be replaced with an empty string, which may result in an invalid filepath.