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Debug mode runs a journey the same way a regular run does, but pauses before each step executes so you can inspect the current state — values in scope, previous step outputs, the request about to be sent — before deciding to continue or stop. It’s the most direct way to understand what’s happening inside a journey at a specific point in the flow.

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When to use it

Debug mode is especially useful when:
  • A step is failing and you want to see exactly what values were resolved before the request went out.
  • You want to reach a specific point in the workflow (for example, after a user is created and authenticated) and inspect the state produced by earlier steps.
  • You’re tracing a value chain and want to confirm that derived values are extracting correctly before they flow into the next step.
  • You need to abandon a run partway through — for example, to avoid side effects after a certain step.

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Key concepts

Pause before each step. When debug mode is active, the run stops before each step executes and waits for you. You can review the current state — variables in scope, derived values from previous steps, and the resolved values that are about to be used in the next request. Continue or abandon. At each pause point, you choose to continue to the next step or abandon the run entirely. Abandoning stops execution without running the remaining steps. State inspection. Debug mode surfaces the full value resolution context at each pause: what run inputs are set, what each prior step returned as derived values, and what the upcoming step’s request will look like once values are applied. Same artifact, different execution. Debug mode works from the same build artifact as a regular run. The journey definition doesn’t change — only the execution pacing does.

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How it works

1

Start a debug run

In the editor, select a case and environment, then choose Debug run instead of the standard Run option. The journey begins executing and immediately pauses before the first step.
2

Inspect state

Review the values currently in scope: run inputs, environment values, variables, and any derived values produced by steps that have already run. Confirm the upcoming request looks correct.
3

Continue or abandon

Click Continue to execute the current step and pause before the next one, or Abandon to stop the run without executing further steps.
4

Review completed step results

After a step executes, its result — request, response, assertions, derived values — is displayed just as in a regular run. Then the runner pauses again before the next step.

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Examples

Reaching a specific workflow state If a journey authenticates a user in step 1 and then performs an action in step 2, you can use debug mode to run step 1 (getting a valid auth token as a derived value), then abandon before step 2. You’ve now confirmed the auth step works and can inspect the token without triggering the downstream action. Tracing a failed derived value If step 3 is failing because it can’t find a value that should have come from step 2, pause after step 2 completes and check the derived values panel. If the expected value isn’t there — or has an unexpected shape — you’ll know immediately where to look.