Local and Cloud: two ways to run a workflow
Every workflow in AI Workflow Automation runs in one of two modes. You choose the mode per workflow, and you can mix both on the same site.
- Local runs the workflow on your own WordPress server. AI calls go straight from your site to the provider you configured, using your own API key. This is free, needs no account, and nothing is sent to our platform.
- Cloud runs the workflow on our hosted engine using our keys. You connect a free account, and each action is metered in credits. There are no PHP timeouts, scheduling happens server-side, and you never manage a key.
You set the mode with the Local / Cloud switch on the workflow. If you have not connected an account, Cloud is unavailable and the switch tells you so.
When to run Local
Local is the default and the free path. Choose it when:
- You have your own AI provider key and want to run unlimited workflows at no cost to us.
- You want your data and your key to stay entirely on your own server.
- Your workflow finishes well within your host’s PHP execution limit.
In Local mode, your provider key never leaves WordPress. For how keys are stored and used, see BYOK keys vs keyless credits.
When to run Cloud
Cloud is useful when running on your own server is awkward. Choose it when:
- You would rather not manage a provider key at all (keyless AI).
- A workflow is long-running and risks hitting your host’s PHP timeout.
- You want reliable server-side scheduling that does not depend on WordPress cron.
- You are running many workflows across several sites and want central billing.
Cloud runs cost credits. A run is charged a small base credit plus the per-node cost of each step. See Cost and usage tracking for the numbers.
Nodes that only run Local
A few nodes do their work on your WordPress site and cannot run inside a whole-workflow Cloud submission. If a workflow contains one of these, keep the workflow on Local:
- Chatbot. Chat widgets always run on your site. You still choose the chatbot’s AI source (your credits or your own key) in the node’s Model tab.
- Unsplash Image and Create File. These have no Cloud processor.
- Generate PDF. The PDF is rendered by the cloud service and called from your site, so the workflow itself runs Local while the render is still metered in credits.
- Output set to HTML/shortcode, file, Google Sheets, or Google Drive. These write on your WordPress site. Display and Webhook outputs run in Cloud fine.
Before you submit a Cloud run, the builder warns you about any node in the workflow that cannot run in the Cloud, so you are never surprised mid-run.
Cloud needs to reach your site
When a Cloud run finishes a step that writes back to WordPress (for example, creating a post), our engine calls your site back over a signed, replay-protected request. If your site is behind a firewall, on localhost, or otherwise not reachable from the public internet, the builder tells you the site cannot receive cloud callbacks, and you should run that workflow Local instead.