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A hard-coded value is a literal string, number, or boolean that you set directly on a step field. It does not come from a run input, a variable, or any external source — it is exactly what you typed, every time the journey runs.

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When to use it

Use hard-coded values when:
  • The value is a constant that will never differ between runs, environments, or users (for example, an API version header like v2, a fixed page size, or a content type).
  • The step always needs the same value and there is no scenario where you would want to override it.
  • You want to make it obvious in the journey definition that a particular field is intentionally fixed.
Avoid hard-coding values that:

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Key concepts

Inline literals. A hard-coded value is typed directly into the field in the step’s value configuration. There is no declaration step — you set it and it stays. Immutable by default. The value does not change unless you edit the journey definition. It cannot be overridden by a run input, case, or preset without changing the step configuration first. Visible in YAML. Hard-coded values appear as plain literals in the YAML editor, making them easy to spot during review.

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How it works

In Build mode, open the step you want to configure. For the field you want to fix, choose the hard-coded source and type the literal value. The journey stores that value as part of the step definition. In YAML, hard-coded values appear as plain strings or numbers — no template syntax needed: 
steps:
  - name: List products
    request: list-products
    values:
      pageSize: 25
      apiVersion: "v2"
      includeArchived: false
Compare this to a variable reference, which uses template syntax: 
values:
  userId: ${{ variables.base_user_id }}
If a field has a hard-coded value, it will not appear as a required input in the Values panel or the Run check — there is nothing to fill in.

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Examples

Fixed pagination parameters: 
values:
  page: 1
  limit: 50
Fixed request headers in a step: 
values:
  accept: "application/json"
  apiVersion: "2024-01"
A constant flag: 
values:
  dryRun: false
If you find yourself hard-coding the same value in several steps, consider promoting it to a variable. That way you only have one place to update if the value ever changes.