Null Job
Behavior-level reference.
Task walkthrough: Use a Null Job. This page is the full configuration and troubleshooting reference.
The Null Job is a placeholder that does no work and finishes successfully the moment it
runs. It's an internal job type (internal:null-job) — it runs inside the platform, not
on an agent, so it needs no agent and no connection. It's a workflow-design building block,
not a no-op to dismiss.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Job type | Null Job (null-job) |
| Runs on | The platform — no agent |
| Connections required | None |
| Parameters | None |
| Category | Internal |
What it's for
- Dependency aggregation — give many jobs a single common successor (many-to-one) or a single common predecessor, so other dependencies can hang off one clean point instead of wiring every job to every other.
- Running events — provide a job to attach events to without performing real work.
- Building a workflow on hold — act as a controllable placeholder when a workflow is built in an on-hold state.
How it works
When the Null Job runs, the platform completes it immediately — start and end time are set to the same moment — and it finishes OK. There are no parameters to configure and nothing to run.
Outcomes
| Result | When |
|---|---|
| Finishes OK (immediately) | Always, as soon as the job runs. |
A Null Job has no failure path of its own. If a Null Job isn't completing, the cause is upstream of the job itself (see Troubleshooting).
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Null Job never runs / sits waiting | Its dependencies haven't been satisfied yet — the job is waiting, not stuck | Check the predecessor jobs it depends on (Operator). |
| Null Job stays on hold | The workflow (or job) was built in an on-hold state by design | Release it when ready (Operator). |
| "Why is this empty job here?" | It's an intentional aggregation/event/anchor point | Expected — confirm the workflow design before removing it (Builder). |
Contact support when
- A Null Job whose dependencies are all satisfied, and which is not on hold, still does not complete immediately.
Include the workflow instance, the job name, and the status of the job's dependencies.