---
title: Unknown
description: Stands in for a step that AWFlow no longer recognises, so you can swap in the right node.
---

Unknown is a placeholder that appears in place of a step AWFlow can't recognise, so the rest of your workflow still opens and you can swap in the right node.

## What it does

When AWFlow loads a workflow and can't match one of its steps to a node it knows, it shows that step as **Unknown** (a red question-mark icon) instead of failing to open the workflow. This happens when:

* the workflow was made with another version of AWFlow, and a node has since been renamed or removed;
* the workflow was imported from a file or the marketplace and uses a node your version doesn't have;
* a [Lambda Workflow](/nodes/builtin/lambda/lambdaworkflow/) step points to a workflow that can't be identified.

Unknown keeps its place and its connections, but does no work: when the run reaches it, it outputs an empty item, `{}`.

## When to use it

You never add Unknown yourself. When you see one, treat it as a to-do: pick the node it should be and migrate it, then check the steps after it.

## Inputs and settings

| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Target Node Type** | A list of every node available in your version. Pick the node this step should be. |

After you pick a node, click **Migrate Node** at the bottom of the settings window. The step becomes that node, in the same place and with the same connections. Then open it and fill in its settings.

## Outputs

One output port. It sends an empty item, `{}`, so steps after it that read fields from it get nothing until you migrate it.

## Dependencies and credentials

None. This node needs no credential and has no slots for other nodes.

## Example workflow

You import a workflow and one step shows as Unknown:

1. Click the Unknown step to open its settings.
2. In **Target Node Type**, pick the node that matches what the step should do, for example [Edit Fields](/nodes/builtin/datatransformation/editfields/).
3. Click **Migrate Node**, then fill in the new node's settings.
4. Click **Test step**, and check that the steps after it still read the right fields.

## Troubleshooting

* **The Migrate Node button is greyed out.** No node is picked in **Target Node Type** yet. Pick one first.
* **Steps after the Unknown step get empty values.** Unknown outputs `{}`. Migrate it to the right node, then update expressions in later steps if the new node names its fields differently.
* **I don't know which node it should be.** Look at the step's name on the canvas, the steps around it, or the original author's description. The [node reference](/nodes/) lists every node by family.
* **Many steps show as Unknown after an import.** The workflow was probably made with a newer version of AWFlow. Update the extension, then import it again.

## Related nodes

* [Lambda Workflow](/nodes/builtin/lambda/lambdaworkflow/): if the missing step called one of your workflows.
* [No Operation](/nodes/builtin/flow/nooperation/): a placeholder you add on purpose.
* [Workflow import and export](/app/workflows/export-import/): bringing workflows in from files.