---
title: 'Return Value'
description: 'Send a value back up to the parent workflow that called this one.'
---
# Return Value

In a workflow that's run by an [**Execute Workflow**](/nodes/execute_workflow)
node in another workflow, this node designates the value handed back to the
parent. It's the sub-workflow equivalent of a `return` statement — the parent's
Execute Workflow node receives exactly what you put here.

## When to use

- You've factored logic into a sub-workflow and the parent needs its **result** —
  a computed score, an enriched object, a yes/no decision.
- Any "call this sub-workflow and use what it gives back" pattern.

## Configuration

| Field | Required | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| `value` | No | The value returned to the parent. JSON or text; supports `{{...}}` refs, so you can return data computed earlier in the sub-workflow. Blank = the upstream node's output. |

If `value` is a JSON string it's returned as a parsed object; otherwise it's
returned as-is.

## How the parent reads it

The parent's Execute Workflow node exposes it as `output`:

```
Parent workflow:
[Trigger] → [Execute Workflow → "score player"] → [If: {{execute_workflow.output.risk}} == "high"]

"score player" sub-workflow:
[Trigger] → [API calls…] → [Return Value]
                             value: { "risk": "high", "score": 82 }
```

The parent reads `{{execute_workflow.output.risk}}` — a clean, documented value.

## What it outputs

```
{ returnValue: <the value you set> }
```

Return is **terminal** — it has no outgoing connection; the branch ends there.

## Gotchas

- **Without a Return node**, the parent's Execute Workflow still gets *something*
  — the sub-run's raw execution record — but not a clean designated value. Add a
  Return node whenever the parent needs a specific result.
- **Last one wins.** If more than one Return node runs (e.g. across branches), the
  last to execute sets the value.
- **Only meaningful when called as a sub-workflow.** In a normally-triggered run
  there's no parent to receive the value — it's simply recorded and ignored.