Can a workflow run steps in parallel or merge branches back together?
No. Every workflow follows a single linear path, one step after another. A step cannot start several branches at once, and there is no merge step to bring branches back together.
How steps connect
Workflows are built from three step types.
- Action steps do one thing, such as assigning, labeling, sending a message or firing a webhook, and then connect to one next step.
- Condition steps run a true or false check and branch into exactly two paths, Yes and No. Both paths continue independently and cannot rejoin.
- Wait steps pause the workflow and end in one of two outcomes: Completed, when the timer runs out, or Cancelled, when a cancel condition is met. Each outcome connects to one next step.
In every case a step has one outgoing connection per outcome.
Limits
- Steps only move forward. There are no loops.
- No parallel execution paths.
- No fan-in, so branches cannot converge into a single step.
- Wait durations range from 1 second to 1 year.
The workflows overview has a Limits section covering other boundaries to check before you design around this one.
Workaround
To model something like fan-out, chain condition steps one after another so each branch handles one case before passing control forward. True parallel execution is not possible.