/resources

name: resources
description: MUST use when managing resources.

Windmill Resources

Resources store credentials and configuration for external services.

File Format

Resource files use the pattern: `{path}.resource.json`

Example: `f/databases/postgres_prod.resource.json`

Resource Structure

{
  "value": {
    "host": "db.example.com",
    "port": 5432,
    "user": "admin",
    "password": "$var:g/all/db_password",
    "dbname": "production"
  },
  "description": "Production PostgreSQL database",
  "resource_type": "postgresql"
}

Required Fields

• `value` - Object containing the resource configuration
• `resource_type` - Name of the resource type (e.g., "postgresql", "slack")

Agents

An agent, as the Agents page lists it, is a resource of type `ai_agent`. Its value holds the agent's provider, system prompt, tools and memory settings, and a flow step uses a saved agent by linking its path. Before writing one, use the `agents` skill.

Variable References

Reference variables in resource values:

{
  "value": {
    "api_key": "$var:g/all/api_key",
    "secret": "$var:u/admin/secret"
  }
}

**Reference formats:**

• `$var:g/all/name` - Global variable
• `$var:u/username/name` - User variable
• `$var:f/folder/name` - Folder variable

Secrets

Never put a secret (password, API key, token) inline in a resource value. Store it in a secret variable and reference that variable as `$var:<path>`.

• `$var:<path>` is a reference, not a value: it resolves to the variable's value at run time. Never invent a value for a variable.
• A resource that references a variable needs the variable to exist first, so create or deploy the variable before the resource.
• A secret's plaintext never goes in a file of the repo: a `.variable.yaml` holding it would be committed. Ask the user to create the secret on the workspace instead, e.g. `wmill variable add '<value>' <path>` (a secret by default), then reference it by path.

Resource References

Reference other resources:

{
  "value": {
    "database": "$res:f/databases/postgres"
  }
}

Passing a Resource or Variable as a Run Argument

A script or flow argument typed as a resource (schema `format: resource-<type>`) is passed as the **bare string** `$res:<path>` — the whole argument value. Same for a variable, with `$var:<path>`. This applies everywhere job arguments are supplied: `wmill script run/preview`, `wmill flow run/preview`, the `runScriptByPath` / `runFlowByPath` API, a schedule's `args`, a trigger's configured static args.

{
  "db": "$res:f/databases/postgres_prod",
  "api_token": "$var:g/all/api_token"
}

The reference is resolved when the job runs, under the job's run-as identity — the caller for an ordinary run, but the configured principal for a schedule, a trigger, or a runnable set to run on behalf of someone else. The run fails if that identity cannot read the referenced resource or variable.

**Never wrap it in an object.** The resolver only rewrites a JSON value that *is* a string starting with `$res:` / `$var:`; keys are never inspected. These are all wrong and are passed through to the script unchanged:

{ "db": { "$res": "f/databases/postgres_prod" } }
{ "db": { "resource": "f/databases/postgres_prod" } }
{ "db": "f/databases/postgres_prod" }

The string may sit anywhere a string can — a top-level argument, a nested object field (`{ "gh_auth": { "token": "$var:g/all/gh_token" } }`), or an array element (array elements are walked only while nested at most two levels deep, and only for arrays of at most 1000 items). The prefix must be on the string itself.

Common Resource Types

PostgreSQL

{
  "resource_type": "postgresql",
  "value": {
    "host": "localhost",
    "port": 5432,
    "user": "postgres",
    "password": "$var:g/all/pg_password",
    "dbname": "windmill",
    "sslmode": "prefer"
  }
}

MySQL

{
  "resource_type": "mysql",
  "value": {
    "host": "localhost",
    "port": 3306,
    "user": "root",
    "password": "$var:g/all/mysql_password",
    "database": "myapp"
  }
}

Slack

{
  "resource_type": "slack",
  "value": {
    "token": "$var:g/all/slack_token"
  }
}

AWS S3

{
  "resource_type": "s3",
  "value": {
    "bucket": "my-bucket",
    "region": "us-east-1",
    "accessKeyId": "$var:g/all/aws_access_key",
    "secretAccessKey": "$var:g/all/aws_secret_key"
  }
}

HTTP/API

{
  "resource_type": "http",
  "value": {
    "baseUrl": "https://api.example.com",
    "headers": {
      "Authorization": "Bearer $var:g/all/api_token"
    }
  }
}

Kafka

{
  "resource_type": "kafka",
  "value": {
    "brokers": "broker1:9092,broker2:9092",
    "sasl_mechanism": "PLAIN",
    "security_protocol": "SASL_SSL",
    "username": "$var:g/all/kafka_user",
    "password": "$var:g/all/kafka_password"
  }
}

NATS

{
  "resource_type": "nats",
  "value": {
    "servers": ["nats://localhost:4222"],
    "user": "$var:g/all/nats_user",
    "password": "$var:g/all/nats_password"
  }
}

MQTT

{
  "resource_type": "mqtt",
  "value": {
    "host": "mqtt.example.com",
    "port": 8883,
    "username": "$var:g/all/mqtt_user",
    "password": "$var:g/all/mqtt_password",
    "tls": true
  }
}

When No Resource Type Fits

The Windmill Hub publishes resource types for most services, and an instance gets them by syncing with the hub. When none fits the service:

• If the instance is reported as not having synced the hub's types, mention that a superadmin can sync them: the hub most likely has one for the service. That holds for a type a hub script takes too: it is missing here until the sync, so say so before asking for a resource of it. Create one of your own only if the user still wants it, since after a sync the workspace would hold both.
• Otherwise, or when the user prefers it to syncing, propose a custom resource type named `c_<name>`