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The system Snapshot

The system_snapshot carries the run's global context and parameters — the operator's system context and system-wide configuration, plus metadata about the workflow and how it was dispatched. Some of it the Agent node uses for you (system context); the rest is available when your workflow needs a global value or wants to know its own guardrails.

What's inside​

{
  "system_context": {
    "brand_guidelines": "...",
    "target_audience": "..."
  },
  "system_config": { "MAX_REVISION_ROUNDS": "3", "DEFAULT_COST_LIMIT": "5.00" },
  "system_config_overrides": { "MAX_REVISION_ROUNDS": "5" },
  "resolved_config": { "MAX_REVISION_ROUNDS": "5", "DEFAULT_COST_LIMIT": "5.00" },
  "workflow": {
    "max_cost_per_run": "10.00",
    "max_execution_time_seconds": 300,
    "resulting_status": { "slug": "text_generated" }
  }
}
  • system_context — the enabled context entries as key/value pairs (brand, tone, audience, and so on). This is what the Agent node injects into a prompt when you enable system context; you can also read it directly if a non-AI step needs it.
  • system_config, system_config_overrides, resolved_config — the global parameters. The snapshot keeps all three so you can see the raw global value, any workflow-level override, and the resolved value that actually applies. When you want a system-wide parameter, read it from resolved_config — that's the effective value.
  • workflow — metadata about this workflow, including its guardrails (max_cost_per_run, max_execution_time_seconds) and its resulting_status. You don't enforce the limits yourself — the platform tells you via the log response — but they're here if you want to reason about them.

No secrets​

One deliberate omission: the system snapshot contains no secrets — no auth headers, no environment-variable values. Snapshots are safe to log and inspect. Anything sensitive your workflow needs at runtime comes from your own n8n credentials, not from the snapshot.