Generate Text

ai/generate-text — Generate text using AI models.

Where it appears

The Generate Text block lives in the AI group of the Workflow Builder.

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
`format`	select	No	`text`	Use 'Structured JSON' when you need fields the model must populate. For pick-from-list cases, use the Classify block instead. Options: `text`, `object`.
`system`	text (multi-line, supports references)	No	—	Who the model is and what rules always apply. Cached across runs by the model provider. The per-run task and data belong in 'Prompt'.
`prompt`	text (multi-line, supports references)	Yes	—	The task and data for this execution. Per-run context belongs here (not in the system prompt). Use <StepName.field> to inject upstream values.
`outputPreset`	select	No	`none`	Apply a canonical output contract for a downstream channel. Injects a system prompt prefix and cleans the model output (e.g. strips stray code fences). Options: `none`, `zendesk-comment`.
`files`	text (multi-line, supports references)	No	—	File URLs or an upstream attachment collection for AI analysis. Pass <Get Ticket Context.context.attachments> to analyze Zendesk attachments; secure downloads are authenticated automatically. Supports images, audio, PDFs, Word documents, and text files.
`schema`	JSON schema	No	—	Define the fields the model should populate. Add properties manually, paste an example, or import a JSON file.
`tools`	dynamic-checkbox-list	No	—	Tools this step may call — knowledge search, managed APIs, and custom tool packs configured for your org. None are available unless selected.

Inputs are the configurable fields above. The block produces these outputs:

Outputs

Reference an output downstream with <Generate Text.field>.

Name	Type	Description
`success`	boolean	Whether generation succeeded
`text`	string	Generated text (for text format)
`object`	json	Generated object (for object format)
`enum`	string	Selected enum value (for enum format)
`error`	string	Error message if failed

A minimal configuration for this block:

{
  "type": "ai/generate-text",
  "config": {
    "format": "text",
    "prompt": "<PreviousStep.field>",
    "outputPreset": "none"
  }
}

Required field (prompt) must be set, or the block fails validation before it runs.
On failure the error output is populated; downstream blocks that reference other outputs may not receive values.