---
title: "Accessing HTTP Headers via Flow"
slug: "accessing-http-headers-via-flow"
updated: 2025-12-04T19:46:41Z
published: 2025-12-04T19:46:41Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.decisions.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Accessing HTTP Headers via Flow

## Overview

When a Decisions Flow is triggered via an API, some HTTP requests may **not include a body**, or may carry important information only in the HTTP headers (e.g., authentication data, custom metadata, method type). Because of this, it's often necessary to access header data in the flow itself.

In Decisions, you can **capture those** **HTTP headers** by reading from a built-in “**default**” input, and then surface them in your Flow’s output.

---

## Step-by-Step Example

1. **Create the Flow**
  - In your Designer Project, create a new Flow.
  - Connect the **Start** step directly to the **End** step.
2. **Define the Output**
  - Select the **End** step, then go to its **Properties** tab.
  - Under **DATA → Output**, click **Show Editor**.![](https://cdn.document360.io/6ef8bcc1-6489-4486-9ad1-83acff7e5df0/Images/Documentation/2025-12-04_14h26_28.png)
  - In the Output Data Designer:
    - Set the **Type** to **DataPair**.
    - Check**Is List** so you can return multiple header entries.
    - Give the Type a meaningful **Name** (e.g., RequestHeaders).
    - Click the pencil (edit) icon, then click **Pick**.
    - In the “**Pick Data For Input**” window, choose **Flow Data → RequestHeaders / All Items as Array**, then click **Done**.
  - Save the output data.![](https://cdn.document360.io/6ef8bcc1-6489-4486-9ad1-83acff7e5df0/Images/Documentation/2025-12-04_14h41_53.png)
3. **Save and Debug the Flow**
  - Save the Flow.
  - Click **Debug** from the top action bar, then **Start Debugging**.
4. **View the Captured Headers**
  - After executing the Flow, select the End step in the execution trace.
  - Under **Execution 1** → **View Output Data**, inspect the data.
5. **Interpret the Output**
  - The Flow’s output will be a list of DataPairs, each representing a single header (name-value pair) in the original HTTP request.![](https://cdn.document360.io/6ef8bcc1-6489-4486-9ad1-83acff7e5df0/Images/Documentation/2025-12-04_14h43_30.png)

## Why This Matters

**Authentication & Security**: Headers often carry tokens, session IDs, or other auth data.

**REST Method Info**: You can detect whether the flow was triggered by a GET, POST, etc., if the method is passed in headers.

**Custom Metadata**: External systems may send custom key-value data in headers that your Flow needs to act on.

For further information on Integrations, visit the [Decisions Forum](https://community.decisions.com/categories/Integrations).