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

> ## Agent Instructions
> Flowy is a node-based AI creative platform: you generate images, video, audio, 3D and vector on an infinite Canvas, refine on the Studio timeline, and export or publish from the same project.
> Prefer the Flowy MCP server (https://mcp.tryflowy.ai/mcp) or the REST API at https://apis.tryflowy.ai/v1 for programmatic work. Install with `flowy mcp install` from the @flowy/cli package.
> Credits are workspace-scoped. Generations reserve credits on start and only deduct on success, so failed runs refund automatically.

# Element Node

> Lock a reusable character or object's identity across every generation you connect it to.

The Element node (<kbd>⇧</kbd> <kbd>K</kbd>) wires a saved, reusable subject (a character, product, or object) into generation. Connect it and every downstream run conditions on that subject's identity, without you having to re-upload or re-describe it each time.

<Note>
  Element was previously called **Character** in Flowy. You may still see "character" in a few internal places (the node type, saved-library naming), but the canvas label, shortcut, and this feature are the same thing.
</Note>

## What it carries

An Element bundles an identity lock (text describing the subject) with a set of compiled reference views. The images that show the subject from different angles or in different contexts. Both travel together whenever you connect the node, so downstream generation gets the full identity, not just a single picture.

## Connect it

The Element node itself accepts nothing. It's a reference source, not something you generate into. Wire its output into:

* **Image**: up to 3 Elements per Image node.
* **Video**: Elements share the same combined budget as connected images (9 total in Default mode, 3 in Compose mode).
* **Flam**: Elements share the same combined budget as connected images (9 total).

An Element doesn't consume the target's regular media-input slots on its own budget line. It rides alongside your connected images inside that shared limit, the same way a directly connected image would.

## Keep a subject consistent

The main reason to use an Element instead of just connecting reference images directly:

* **Reuse across nodes**: save a character or product once, then connect it anywhere on the canvas (or in future projects) instead of re-uploading references each time.
* **Identity lock**: the compiled reference views plus identity text travel together, so a subject reads as the same one across shots even as the images generated from it change.
* **Missing-source safety**: if the saved Element behind a node is deleted or no longer shared with you, the node keeps its last-known snapshot for display but blocks new connections and generations until it's replaced.

## API

Elements are backed by the `/v1/elements` resource on the backend: the same identity your saved characters live under in your workspace library.