Celigo Storage works as a built-in file provider in flows, so you can read and write files without connecting an external service such as Amazon S3, Azure Blob, or SFTP. Using the Celigo File storage connector, or the Celigo APIs connector, you can pull files from a storage folder into a flow, write files from a flow into a storage folder, and look up additional files per record. This unlocks flow-to-flow file staging — for example, routing B2B EDI documents, aggregating data across flow pages, or handing files off between flows.
This article is for builders who configure flows. It covers how to add a Celigo Storage file step, select a folder, configure file handling, control overwrite behavior, look up files per record, and encrypt or decrypt files with PGP.
For an introduction to Celigo Storage, see Celigo Storage overview. To create folders and upload files, see Create folders and upload files in integrator.io.
Feature availability:
- What you can see and do in Celigo Storage depends on your role: admins have full access to all content, while Manage all, Monitor all, and Custom users work within integration system folders. Non-admin users can also use Celigo Storage inside flows by creating a Celigo File storage or Celigo APIs connection with the Integration access scope. See also Restrict an API token to specific Celigo Storage paths.
- You have a Celigo File storage or Celigo APIs connection. See Set up a connection to Celigo File storage.
- Your account is on the multiple-environment structure. Celigo Storage isn't available on the legacy Production and Sandbox model. Learn how to migrate to the multiple-environment structure.
- The storage folders you plan to reference already exist. To create folders, see Create folders and upload files in integrator.io.
What a flow records in the activity log
Every file a flow step reads or writes is recorded in the storage activity log, one entry per file. A scheduled flow can therefore produce a large number of entries, and the pattern is worth recognizing before you go looking for a problem that isn't there.
- Reading a file records a Download entry.
- Unless the export is set to leave files in place, the file is deleted after it is read, which records a Delete entry as well. A nightly export therefore leaves a Download and a Delete for every file it collects.
- If the export backs files up to another folder, each file also records a Copy entry.
For what each entry contains, see Celigo Storage activity log.
Note: A flow's entries record the account owner as the user, and the source as API. The entry does not identify which flow performed the operation.
How Celigo Storage works in flows
Celigo Storage adds three file step types, available on the Celigo File storage and Celigo APIs connectors. Each step references a storage folder — never an individual file — through a stable internal ID, so renaming or moving a folder doesn't break the reference.
| Step type | Flow role | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer files out of source application | Export (source) | Read files from a storage folder into the flow |
| Transfer files into a destination application | Import (destination) | Write files from the flow into a storage folder |
| Look up additional files (per record) | Lookup | Retrieve additional files from a storage folder for each record in the flow |
File handling matches the existing S3, FTP, and Azure file providers, including parse and generate options, file-type support, and PGP encryption.
Add a Celigo Storage file step to a flow
Simplify and scale your file-based integrations.
- Open the flow you want to edit.
- Add a source, destination, or lookup step, and then select Celigo File storage as the application and your connection.
- Select the step type that matches what you want to do: Transfer files out of source application, Transfer files into destination application, or Look up additional files (per record).
- Select a folder, using one of the following options:
- Browse — Browse for and select a folder. Use this when you know the folder but not its ID.
-
Relative path — Enter a path that resolves at run time. Supports Handlebars, so you can build the path from record data (for example,
/inbound/{{orderType}}). - Folder ID — Enter the folder's ID directly. Supports Handlebars. This is the same reference type as Browse.
- Configure file handling. Celigo Storage supports the same file types as other file providers: EDI X12, EDIFACT, Fixed Width, CSV, JSON, XLSX, and XML. The type-specific fields you see depend on the file type and the step.
- Save the step.
How folder references behave
Celigo Storage references use stable internal IDs, so day-to-day changes don't break your flows, but deleting a referenced folder does affect flow runs.
- Rename or move — Renaming or moving a folder doesn't break references. The step continues to use the same folder.
- Delete — The reference remains in the flow after the folder is deleted. On the next run, a step that uses a folder ID reference fails. A step that uses a relative path reference adapts: an import recreates the missing path, while an export or lookup fails if the source path no longer exists.
Before you delete a folder, use Used by to see which flow exports, imports, lookups, and MCP servers reference it. See Work with files and folders in integrator.io.