SFTP Agent

Exchange files over SFTP from your workflows.

What it does

  • Connects to an SFTP server to list, download, upload, delete, and move files.
  • Acts as a bridge between external file drops from partners and the processing steps inside your workflow.

Typical patterns

  • Inbound file drop (partner sends CSV/XML to SFTP) List files in the remote directory → check for a new drop → Download the file → Parse with CSV or XML agent → Process data → Delete or archive the file.

  • Outbound report delivery (SyncMyOrders pushes an export to a partner SFTP) Build the report content in-flow → Upload to the agreed destination path on the partner’s SFTP server.

  • Acknowledged file exchange (download, process, then confirm) Download → Process → Upload a .done or acknowledgement file to the same directory to signal successful completion.

Key actions

  • Directory operations

    • List files in a remote directory, with optional name filter or pattern.
    • Check whether a specific file exists.

  • File operations

    • Download a file (returned as data you can pass to later steps, as binary or text).
    • Upload a file with provided content to a specified remote path.
    • Delete a file when it is no longer needed.
    • Move or rename a file within the server.

sftp_capabilities

Custom parameters

  • Download — Response format Determines how the downloaded file content is returned to downstream steps.

    • text — returns the file as a plain string; use for CSV, XML, JSON, and other human-readable files.
    • base64 — returns the file as a Base64-encoded string; use when passing binary content (archives, images) through mapping fields that expect a string.

  • Upload — Content format Determines how the content passed to the Upload action is interpreted.

    • txt — expects a plain string value; use when the file content is produced as text.

sftp_upload_config

Combining with other agents

  • CSV or XML agent: parse the content of a downloaded file into structured data.
  • Compression agent: unzip archives before parsing, or zip files before upload.
  • File agent: handle raw binary content between an SFTP download and another upload destination.
  • Transform / Text Tools: reshape or normalize file content before writing.

Setup notes

  • Select a pre-configured SFTP connection from the connection dropdown before using the agent. Requires SFTP host, port, username, and key or password in your connection.
  • Paths are case-sensitive; confirm you have permission to write or delete before running destructive steps.

sftp_connection