Placeholder Referencing

Reference input values, step outputs, and Brand Kit attributes inside Slate Workflows using placeholder syntax.

Overview

Placeholders pass data between blocks in your workflow. They connect user inputs, step outputs, and brand information throughout the execution sequence.

Three types of placeholders:

1. Input Placeholders: Values defined by the user in the Input block
2. Step Output Placeholders: Data returned by previous workflow steps

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Input Placeholders

Input placeholders are defined in your workflow’s Input Block.

Syntax:

{{input.<input_name>}}

Example

If your Input Block defines a placeholder called keyword, reference it in any later step:

{{input.keyword}}

You can define multiple custom inputs (topic, url, audience). They automatically appear in the placeholder selector inside each block.

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Step Output Placeholders

Each step generates an output you can reference in later steps.

Syntax:

{{step_<n>.output}}

Where <n> is the step number (step_1, step_2, etc.).

Example

If Step 1 is a Google Search block and Step 2 is an LLM block, reference Step 1’s results in your Step 2 prompt:

Here's the Google search result of the search term {{input.keyword}}. 
{{step_1.output}}
Now write a summary of the top pages for {{input.keyword}}.

Accessing Structured Data

If a step returns structured data (JSON), access specific properties:

{{step_2.output.title}}
{{step_3.output.keywords[0]}}

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Best Practices

• Use the Placeholder Selector ({ } icon on the top left) to insert placeholders without typing manually
• Check the Test Panel to preview step outputs before referencing them
• For JSON outputs, expand the result in the Test Panel to confirm the correct structure (keys, arrays)
• Placeholders can only reference previous steps, not future ones

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Common Use Cases

Goal	Example
Pass user input into an AI prompt	Generate a blog outline for {{input.keyword}}.
Include brand tone or persona	Write this in {{input.brandkit.writingSample.outLine}} style.
Reuse output from a previous step	Summarize {{step_1.output}} into three key points.
Extract specific data from an API response	Analyze {{step_3.output.results[0].url}}.
Combine results for formatted output	The final headline is {{step_2.output.headline}}.

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What’s Next

Now that you understand placeholder referencing:

• See placeholders in action in Building Workflows
• Learn about block types in Advanced Features
• Explore real examples in Examples & Tutorials