stormy-gold•2mo ago
Duplicate variables
Hey guys I was experimenting with the set meeting with Cal.com flow, and I copy pasted said flow into another workflow, and this resulted in it creating duplicate variables. Deleting them was easy because you cannot delete the base voiceflow variables, but the duplicates were delteable, they were just the same name. However, it just pops back up after deleting.
2 Replies
When you paste a flow (or any blocks) into another Voiceflow project the Creator checks every field in those blocks:
• If a variable the blocks refer to does NOT already exist in the destination project, Voiceflow silently creates it so the pasted blocks keep working.
• If a variable with the exact same name already exists, but it was created in a different project (so it has a different internal ID), Voiceflow still adds a “new” variable with the same name – that’s the duplicate you are seeing. Why the duplicate comes back after you delete it
The pasted blocks are still pointing at that internal ID. When the project reloads Voiceflow sees “orphaned” references and recreates the variable so those blocks don’t break. How to clean things up 1. Rename the duplicate variables temporarily (e.g.
2. Open the copied flow and update every step that uses the temporary variable so it now points to the original/global variable.
– The quick way is to use the canvas Search (⌘/Ctrl + F), select the renamed key in results and swap it.
3. After no blocks reference the duplicate variable, delete it again – it will stay gone.
Preventing duplicates next time • Before you paste, create the variables you know the flow needs (same spelling & type) in the destination project – Voiceflow will reuse them instead of creating new ones.
• Alternatively, export the entire assistant or use Workspace-to-Workspace transfer so variable IDs stay consistent. Links
Variables overview & management: https://developer.voiceflow.com/v2.0/docs/variables-set
• If a variable with the exact same name already exists, but it was created in a different project (so it has a different internal ID), Voiceflow still adds a “new” variable with the same name – that’s the duplicate you are seeing. Why the duplicate comes back after you delete it
The pasted blocks are still pointing at that internal ID. When the project reloads Voiceflow sees “orphaned” references and recreates the variable so those blocks don’t break. How to clean things up 1. Rename the duplicate variables temporarily (e.g.
temp_meeting_id).2. Open the copied flow and update every step that uses the temporary variable so it now points to the original/global variable.
– The quick way is to use the canvas Search (⌘/Ctrl + F), select the renamed key in results and swap it.
3. After no blocks reference the duplicate variable, delete it again – it will stay gone.
Preventing duplicates next time • Before you paste, create the variables you know the flow needs (same spelling & type) in the destination project – Voiceflow will reuse them instead of creating new ones.
• Alternatively, export the entire assistant or use Workspace-to-Workspace transfer so variable IDs stay consistent. Links
Variables overview & management: https://developer.voiceflow.com/v2.0/docs/variables-set
stormy-goldOP•2mo ago
The variables are not renameable. It says rename, but when I click on it, nothing happens, the name is frozen in place and cannot be accessed