/wait

Overview

The Wait API solves this limitation by allowing your automation or script to pause execution for a specific number of seconds, before proceeding to the next step. It’s perfect for:

• ✅ Adding a delay between API calls to respect rate limits
• ✅ Waiting for an external system to process data before continuing
• ✅ Simulating long-running tasks for testing
• ✅ Sequential timing in no-code or low-code workflows
• ✅ Creating step-by-step UX flows where timing matters

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Endpoint Information

• Method: POST
• URL: https://node.nodetrigger.com/api/wait
• Content-Type: application/json
• Auth: API key (passed via ?key= query param or x-api-key header)

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Request Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
delay_seconds	Number	✅ Yes	Number of seconds to wait. Must be a positive integer or float.

If you specify delay_seconds: 10, the server will respond after exactly 10 seconds.

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Example Requests

Delay for 14 seconds

Request Body:

{
  "delay_seconds": 14
}

Response (after ~14 seconds):

{
  "message": "Wait Completed"
}

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Delay for 2.5 seconds

Request Body:

{
  "delay_seconds": 2.5
}

Response (after ~2.5 seconds):

{
  "message": "Wait Completed"
}

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Error Handling

Status Code	Error Message	Cause
400	delay_seconds must be a positive number	If delay_seconds is missing, negative, or invalid.

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Use Case Examples

Airtable Automation Script (JavaScript)

You can use this in Airtable’s fetch to simulate a pause:

// Replace with your actual API key
const apiKey = 'your_api_key';

const url = `https://node.nodetrigger.com/api/wait?key=${apiKey}`;

const body = {
    delay_seconds: 15
};

const response = await fetch(url, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify(body)
});

if (!response.ok) {
    console.error(`Request failed with status: ${response.status}`);
    const errorText = await response.text();
    console.error(`Error details: ${errorText}`);
} else {
    const result = await response.json();
    console.log('Response from API:', result);
}

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Notes

• The server holds the HTTP connection open during the delay — the client waits until the response is returned.
• No background job or webhook is triggered; it’s a synchronous wait.
• Recommended max delay: under 30 seconds to avoid timeouts in client platforms.
• For advanced async jobs, consider using webhooks + task queues (reach out if interested).

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Support

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