API Reference
WorkFlowy API

Workflowy API reference

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Nodes

A node is the fundamental unit of content in WorkFlowy. Each node represents a single bullet point that can contain text, have child nodes, and be organized hierarchically. Nodes can be expanded or collapsed, completed, tagged, and moved around to create flexible outlines and lists.

ENDPOINTS

POST/api/v1/nodes
POST/api/v1/nodes/:id
GET/api/v1/nodes/:id
GET/api/v1/nodes
DELETE/api/v1/nodes/:id
POST/api/v1/nodes/:id/move
POST/api/v1/nodes/:id/mirror
DELETE/api/v1/nodes/:id/mirror
POST/api/v1/nodes/:id/complete
POST/api/v1/nodes/:id/uncomplete
GET/api/v1/nodes-export

The Node object

Attributes

  • id string

    Unique identifier of the node.

  • parent_id string | null

    Unique identifier of the parent node. null for top-level nodes.

  • name string

    The text content of the node. This is the main bullet text that appears in your outline. Supports the following inline HTML tags:

    • <b>text</b>

      Bold

    • <i>text</i>

      Italic

    • <s>text</s>

      Strikethrough

    • <code>text</code>

      Inline code

    • <a href="url">text</a>

      Hyperlink

  • data.layoutMode string

    Display mode of the node.

    • "bullets"

      Bullet point (default)

    • "todo"

      Todo item. Completion state is tracked by completedAt

    • "h1"

      Level 1 header

    • "h2"

      Level 2 header

    • "h3"

      Level 3 header

    • "code-block"

      Code block

    • "quote-block"

      Quote block

  • data.mirror.origin_id string | null

    Present when the node is a mirror. Identifies the mirror's origin — the node whose content the mirror reflects. If the origin isn't accessible, origin_id is null and the response falls back to the mirror node row.

  • data.mirror.mirror_ids array

    Present when the node is a mirror origin. Lists the IDs of mirror roots that point to this origin.

  • note string | null

    Additional note content for the node. Notes appear below the main text and can contain extended descriptions or details.

  • priority number

    Sort order of the node among its siblings. Lower values appear first.

  • completed boolean

    Whether the node is completed. The completion timestamp is available in completedAt.

  • createdAt number

    Unix timestamp indicating when the node was created.

  • modifiedAt number

    Unix timestamp indicating when the node was last modified.

  • completedAt number | null

    Unix timestamp indicating when the node was completed. null if the node is not completed.

The Node object

{
  "id": "6ed4b9ca-256c-bf2e-bd70-d8754237b505",
  "parent_id": "5b401959-4740-4e1a-905a-62a961daa8c9",
  "name": "This is a test outline for API examples",
  "note": null,
  "priority": 200,
  "completed": false,
  "data": {
    "layoutMode": "bullets"
  },
  "createdAt": 1753120779,
  "modifiedAt": 1753120850,
  "completedAt": null
}

Create a node

Parameters

  • parent_id string

    Where to create the new node. Calendar nodes are created on demand if they don't exist yet. If parent_id identifies a mirror root, the new node is created under that mirror's origin so it is visible under every mirror of the origin.

    • "6ed4b9ca-256c-bf2e-bd70-d8754237b505"

      the id of any node you own

    • "d8754237b505"

      the 12-character short id from a WorkFlowy URL for any node you own.

    • "https://workflowy.com/#/d8754237b505"

      the URL of any node you own.

    • "rd"

      a shortcut key you've defined to point at a node

    • "None"

      the top level of your outline (root)

    • "inbox"

      your Inbox node, the built-in destination for quickly captured items at the top of your outline

    • "calendar"

      the root of your calendar

    • "today"

      the calendar node for today's date

    • "tomorrow"

      the calendar node for tomorrow's date

    • "next_week"

      the calendar node for the first day of next week, based on your week-start-day setting

    • "YYYY" (e.g. "2026")

      a year node in the calendar

    • "YYYY-MM" (e.g. "2026-01")

      a month node in the calendar

    • "YYYY-MM-DD" (e.g. "2026-01-15")

      a day node in the calendar

  • name string required

    The text content of the new node.

    Multiline text — when the name field contains multiple lines, the first line becomes the parent node and subsequent lines become child nodes. A single \n is joined into a space; use \n\n (double newline) to create separate children.

    Inline styles — markdown is parsed into HTML tags:

    Markdown HTML Result
    **text** <b>text</b> bold
    *text* <i>text</i> italic
    ~~text~~ <s>text</s> strikethrough
    `text` <code>text</code> inline code
    [text](url) <a href="url">text</a> hyperlink
    [YYYY-MM-DD] — date
    [YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM] — date with time (24-hour, user's timezone)

    Node layout — markdown prefix sets the node's layoutMode:

    Markdown layoutMode Result
    # text "h1" level 1 header
    ## text "h2" level 2 header
    ### text "h3" level 3 header
    - text "bullets" bullet point (default)
    - [ ] text "todo" uncompleted todo
    - [x] text "todo" completed todo
    ```code``` "code-block" code block
    > text "quote-block" quote block

  • layoutMode string

    The display mode of the node. See the name field above for the markdown equivalents.

    • "bullets"

      Bullet point (default)

    • "todo"

      Todo item. Completion state is tracked by completedAt

    • "h1"

      Level 1 header

    • "h2"

      Level 2 header

    • "h3"

      Level 3 header

    • "code-block"

      Code block

    • "quote-block"

      Quote block

  • note string

    Additional note content for the node. Notes appear below the main text.

  • position string

    Where to place the new node. Options: "top" (default) or "bottom".

POST /api/v1/nodes 

curl -X POST https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/nodes \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -d '{
    "parent_id": "inbox",
    "name": "Hello API",
    "position": "top"
  }' | jq

Response

{
  "item_id": "5b401959-4740-4e1a-905a-62a961daa8c9"
}

Update a node

Updates the specified node by setting the values of the parameters passed. Any parameters not provided will be left unchanged.

When id identifies a mirror, the API follows the mirror to its origin and updates the shared content.

Parameters

  • id string required

    The identifier of the node to update.

  • name string

    The text content of the node.

    Inline styles:

    HTML Result
    <b>text</b> bold
    <i>text</i> italic
    <s>text</s> strikethrough
    <code>text</code> inline code
    <a href="url">text</a> hyperlink

  • layoutMode string

    The display mode of the node.

    • "bullets"

      Bullet point (default)

    • "todo"

      Todo item. Completion state is tracked by completedAt

    • "h1"

      Level 1 header

    • "h2"

      Level 2 header

    • "h3"

      Level 3 header

    • "code-block"

      Code block

    • "quote-block"

      Quote block

  • note string

    The note content of the node.

POST /api/v1/nodes/:id 

curl -X POST https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/nodes/:id \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Updated node title"
  }' | jq

Response

{
  "status": "ok"
}

Retrieve a node

Retrieves the details of an existing node. Supply either the full node ID, short node ID, or an existing calendar target and WorkFlowy will return the corresponding node information.

When id identifies a mirror, the response combines the mirror's location with the origin's visible content: id, parent_id, priority, and createdAt describe the mirror node, while name, note, data.layoutMode, completion fields, and modification time come from the origin. The node's data.mirror.origin_id identifies the origin.

Parameters

  • id string required

    The node ID, short node ID, or calendar target to retrieve. Calendar targets resolve existing calendar structure nodes and do not create missing nodes.

    • "6ed4b9ca-256c-bf2e-bd70-d8754237b505"

      the full id of any node you own.

    • "4237b505abcd"

      the 12-character short id from a WorkFlowy URL for any node you own.

    • "calendar"

      the root of your calendar.

    • "today"

      the calendar node for today's date.

    • "tomorrow"

      the calendar node for tomorrow's date.

    • "next_week"

      the calendar node for the first day of next week, based on your week-start-day setting.

    • "YYYY" (e.g. "2026")

      a year node in the calendar.

    • "YYYY-MM" (e.g. "2026-01")

      a month node in the calendar.

    • "YYYY-MM-DD" (e.g. "2026-01-15")

      a day node in the calendar.

GET /api/v1/nodes/:id 

curl -X GET https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/nodes/:id \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" | jq

Response

{
  "node": {
    "id": "6ed4b9ca-256c-bf2e-bd70-d8754237b505",
    "parent_id": "5b401959-4740-4e1a-905a-62a961daa8c9",
    "name": "This is a test outline for API examples",
    "note": null,
    "priority": 200,
    "completed": false,
    "data": {
      "layoutMode": "bullets"
    },
    "createdAt": 1753120779,
    "modifiedAt": 1753120850,
    "completedAt": null
  }
}

List nodes

Returns a list of child nodes for a given parent. The nodes are returned unordered - you need to sort them yourself based on the priority field.

When parent_id is a mirror root, this endpoint returns the origin node's children as visible under the mirror. Returned child nodes use the requested mirror root as parent_id, and the response includes top-level mirror.origin_id metadata.

Parameters

  • parent_id string

    Whose children to list. Calendar keys return 404 if the node hasn't been created yet; use Create or Move to materialize it first.

    • "6ed4b9ca-256c-bf2e-bd70-d8754237b505"

      the id of any node you own.

    • "d8754237b505"

      the 12-character short id from a WorkFlowy URL for any node you own.

    • "https://workflowy.com/#/d8754237b505"

      the URL of any node you own.

    • "rd"

      a shortcut key you've defined to point at a node.

    • "None"

      the top level of your outline (root).

    • "inbox"

      your Inbox node, the built-in destination for quickly captured items at the top of your outline.

    • "calendar"

      the root of your calendar.

    • "today"

      the calendar node for today's date.

    • "tomorrow"

      the calendar node for tomorrow's date.

    • "next_week"

      the calendar node for the first day of next week, based on your week-start-day setting.

    • "YYYY" (e.g. "2026")

      a year node in the calendar.

    • "YYYY-MM" (e.g. "2026-01")

      a month node in the calendar.

    • "YYYY-MM-DD" (e.g. "2026-01-15")

      a day node in the calendar.

GET /api/v1/nodes 

curl -G https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/nodes \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -d "parent_id=inbox" | jq

Response

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "ee1ac4c4-775e-1983-ae98-a8eeb92b1aca",
      "parent_id": "5b401959-4740-4e1a-905a-62a961daa8c9",
      "name": "Bullet A",
      "note": null,
      "priority": 100,
      "completed": false,
      "data": {
        "layoutMode": "bullets"
      },
      "createdAt": 1753120787,
      "modifiedAt": 1753120815,
      "completedAt": null
    }
  ]
}

Delete a node

Permanently deletes a node. This cannot be undone.

When id identifies a mirror, this deletes the mirror root and leaves the origin node intact. Deletion returns an error when the node — or any node in its subtree — is a mirror origin that still has mirrors; delete those mirror roots first. If a deleted subtree contains mirror roots, those mirrors are detached from their origins as the subtree is deleted.

Parameters

  • id string required

    The identifier of the node to delete.

DELETE /api/v1/nodes/:id 

curl -X DELETE https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/nodes/:id \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" | jq

Response

{
  "status": "ok"
}

Move a node

Moves the persisted node to a new location.

When id identifies a mirror, this moves the mirror root location and does not move the origin node. If parent_id identifies a mirror root, the node is moved under that mirror root as a persisted child; use the origin node ID as parent_id when you want the moved node to appear under every mirror.

Parameters

  • parent_id string

    The new parent for the node. Calendar nodes are created on demand if they don't exist yet.

    • "6ed4b9ca-256c-bf2e-bd70-d8754237b505"

      the id of any node you own.

    • "d8754237b505"

      the 12-character short id from a WorkFlowy URL for any node you own.

    • "https://workflowy.com/#/d8754237b505"

      the URL of any node you own.

    • "rd"

      a shortcut key you've defined to point at a node.

    • "None"

      the top level of your outline (root).

    • "inbox"

      your Inbox node, the built-in destination for quickly captured items at the top of your outline.

    • "calendar"

      the root of your calendar.

    • "today"

      the calendar node for today's date.

    • "tomorrow"

      the calendar node for tomorrow's date.

    • "next_week"

      the calendar node for the first day of next week, based on your week-start-day setting.

    • "YYYY" (e.g. "2026")

      a year node in the calendar.

    • "YYYY-MM" (e.g. "2026-01")

      a month node in the calendar.

    • "YYYY-MM-DD" (e.g. "2026-01-15")

      a day node in the calendar.

  • position string

    Where to place the node. Options: "top" (default) or "bottom".

POST /api/v1/nodes/:id/move 

curl -X POST https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/nodes/<NODE_ID>/move \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -d '{
    "parent_id": "inbox",
    "position": "top"
  }' | jq

Response

{
  "status": "ok"
}

Mirror a node

Creates a mirror of a node under a new parent. A mirror is a live copy: editing the origin node or any of its mirrors updates the same underlying content everywhere.

When id identifies an existing mirror, the API follows it to the true origin and creates another mirror of that origin. The response's item_id is the new mirror node and origin_id is the origin node whose content it shows; origin_id can differ from the requested id when you mirror an existing mirror.

To remove a mirror, call DELETE /api/v1/nodes/:id/mirror with the mirror node's id. This removes the mirror root, leaves the origin node intact, and returns an error when the node is not a mirror. Deleting the mirror node has the same effect.

Parameters

  • id string required

    The identifier of the node to mirror.

  • parent_id string required

    Where to create the mirror. Must be the full id of an existing node you own; target keys like "inbox", calendar keys like "today", and "None" are not supported by this endpoint. If parent_id identifies a mirror, the new mirror is created under that mirror's origin. The destination cannot resolve to the origin node being mirrored.

  • position string

    Where to place the mirror. Options: "top" (default) or "bottom".

Create a mirror POST /api/v1/nodes/:id/mirror 

curl -X POST https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/nodes/<NODE_ID>/mirror \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -d '{
    "parent_id": "5b401959-4740-4e1a-905a-62a961daa8c9",
    "position": "top"
  }' | jq

Response

{
  "item_id": "ee1ac4c4-775e-1983-ae98-a8eeb92b1aca",
  "origin_id": "6ed4b9ca-256c-bf2e-bd70-d8754237b505"
}

Delete a mirror DELETE /api/v1/nodes/:id/mirror 

curl -X DELETE https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/nodes/<NODE_ID>/mirror \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" | jq

Response

{
  "status": "ok"
}

Complete a node

Marks a node as completed. This sets the completion timestamp and updates the node's status.

When id identifies a mirror, the API follows the mirror to its origin and completes the shared content.

Parameters

  • id string required

    The identifier of the node to complete.

POST /api/v1/nodes/:id/complete 

curl -X POST https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/nodes/:id/complete \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" | jq

Response

{
  "status": "ok"
}

Uncomplete a node

Marks a node as not completed. This removes the completion timestamp and updates the node's status.

When id identifies a mirror, the API follows the mirror to its origin and uncompletes the shared content.

Parameters

  • id string required

    The identifier of the node to uncomplete.

POST /api/v1/nodes/:id/uncomplete 

curl -X POST https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/nodes/:id/uncomplete \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" | jq

Response

{
  "status": "ok"
}

Export all nodes

Returns all user's nodes as a flat list. Each node includes its parent_id field to reconstruct the hierarchy. The nodes are returned unordered - you need to build the tree structure yourself based on the parent_id and priority fields.

Mirror roots use the same mirror-aware Node object shape as retrieve and list responses: the mirror row keeps its location fields, while visible content comes from the origin when the origin is accessible.

Note: This endpoint has a rate limit of 1 request per minute due to the potentially large response size.

GET /api/v1/nodes-export 

curl https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/nodes-export \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" | jq

Response

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "ee1ac4c4-775e-1983-ae98-a8eeb92b1aca",
      "name": "Top Level Item",
      "note": "This is a note",
      "parent_id": null,
      "priority": 100,
      "completed": false,
      "data": {
        "layoutMode": "bullets"
      },
      "createdAt": 1753120787,
      "modifiedAt": 1753120815,
      "completedAt": null
    },
    {
      "id": "ff2bd5d5-886f-2094-bf09-b9ffa93c2bdb",
      "name": "Child Item",
      "note": null,
      "parent_id": "ee1ac4c4-775e-1983-ae98-a8eeb92b1aca",
      "priority": 200,
      "completed": false,
      "data": {
        "layoutMode": "bullets"
      },
      "createdAt": 1753120820,
      "modifiedAt": 1753120830,
      "completedAt": null
    }
  ]
}

Targets

Targets provide quick access to specific nodes in your outline. They include both system targets (like "inbox") and custom shortcuts you create (like "home").

Learn more about shortcuts in the shortcuts documentation.

ENDPOINTS

GET/api/v1/targets

The Target object

Attributes

  • key string

    The unique identifier for this target (e.g., "home", "inbox", "today").

  • type string

    The type of target:

    • "shortcut" - User-defined shortcuts.
    • "system" - System-managed locations like inbox. Always returned, even if the target node hasn't been created yet.

  • name string | null

    The name of the node that this target points to. Returns null only for system targets when the target node hasn't been created yet.

User-defined shortcut

{
  "key": "home",
  "type": "shortcut",
  "name": "My Home Page"
}

System target (before node created)

{
  "key": "inbox",
  "type": "system",
  "name": null
}

List targets

Returns all available targets, including user-defined shortcuts (like "home") and system targets (like "inbox").

Parameters

No parameters required.

GET /api/v1/targets 

curl https://beta.workflowy.com/api/v1/targets \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" | jq

Response

{
  "targets": [
    {
      "key": "home",
      "type": "shortcut",
      "name": "My Home Page"
    },
    {
      "key": "inbox",
      "type": "system",
      "name": "Inbox"
    }
  ]
}