A package draft is a private, automatically saved working copy of a package. As you edit a package in the designer, your changes are saved to your draft roughly every two seconds. The draft never affects the running version of the package: jobs, schedules, and teammates continue to use the last saved version until you click Save Version.Each user has their own draft per package. Your draft is private: teammates editing the same package work in their own drafts, and a package is only flagged as having unsaved changes for the user who made them.
Changes are saved to your draft about two seconds after you stop editing. Leaving the designer saves the draft immediately.
What is saved
Components, connections, package variables, and the package name and description.
What is not saved
Secret variable values are not stored in drafts. They are committed only when you save a version.
Scope
One draft per user per package. Drafts are private to the user who created them.
Running version
Jobs and schedules always run the last saved version. Drafts never change a running or scheduled pipeline.
Version history
Draft autosaves do not create package versions. Version history records only explicit saves.
Actions that update your draft include adding, editing, moving, or removing components, connecting or disconnecting components, renaming the package or editing its description, changing package variables, and undo or redo.
Because drafts are saved continuously, the designer no longer warns about unsaved changes when you navigate away. Your work is already saved in your draft and is restored the next time you open the package.
When you have unsaved draft changes, Integrate.io ETL shows a Draft Version indicator in two places:
In the package designer: a Draft Version badge appears next to the package name. Its tooltip reads “You have unsaved changes. Save Version to make it the running version.”
In the package list: the package shows a Draft Version tag with the version number your draft is based on, for example “Draft Version 5”.
The version indicator in the designer shows the version your draft was created from, not the latest saved version.
When you open a package that has one of your drafts, the designer loads the last saved (running) version and shows a dialog titled You have an unsaved draft:
Option
What it does
Resume draft
Loads your draft into the designer so you can continue editing.
Open last saved version
Keeps the running version loaded. Your draft is preserved and the prompt reappears the next time you open the package.
The dialog does not dismiss on backdrop click or Esc: it closes only when you pick one of the two buttons, so a draft is never discarded by accident. Read-only version views never load drafts and never show the prompt.
The three action buttons in the designer toolbar act on different versions of the package:
Button
Acts on
When to use
Run job
The last saved version.
You have no unsaved changes, or you want to run the running version without publishing your draft.
Save & Run job
Your draft.
You have unsaved changes you want to publish and run in a single step.
Save Version
Your draft.
You want to publish your draft as the new running version without running a job.
When you click Save & Run job with unsaved changes, the designer asks you to confirm with the message “Your draft will be saved as a new version, then run.” Confirming saves and runs; cancelling returns you to editing. Run job never shows a confirmation and never publishes your draft.
To throw away your unsaved changes and revert to the last saved version:
1
In the package designer toolbar, click Discard Draft next to the action buttons.
2
Confirm in the dialog. The designer reverts to the last saved version and shows “Draft discarded. Reverted to the last saved version.”
The Discard Draft button is available to any account member with edit permission on the package, including accounts that do not have package version control enabled. Discarding a draft removes only your own draft. It does not affect the saved package or any teammate’s draft.
Because drafts are per user, several people can edit the same package at once without overwriting each other’s work in progress. Conflicts are handled at save time:
If a newer version of the package was saved after your draft was created, clicking Save Version shows a dialog: “A newer version was saved while you were editing.” You can choose:
Option
What it does
Continue & Save Version
Publishes your draft anyway, replacing the newer version as the latest.
View Latest Version
Opens the latest saved version read-only in a new browser tab so you can compare before deciding.
Copy to New Package
Saves your draft as a brand-new package, leaving the original package untouched.
Discard Draft
Deletes your draft and reverts to the latest saved version.
A teammate saves a version while your editor is clean
If you have no unsaved changes when a teammate publishes a new version, the designer shows a “Package updated” notice with two options: Refresh to load the new version, or Keep editing to stay on the version you have open.
Copy to New Package creates a new package from your draft content. The new package is named “Copy of” followed by the original package name, and the original package and your draft on it are left unchanged. This is useful when your draft has diverged too far from the latest saved version to merge.
Duplicating a package always copies the last saved version, not your draft. If you duplicate a package while you have unsaved draft changes, a dialog warns: “Duplicate copies the last saved version. Your unsaved draft changes on this package won’t be included.”
Edits made by Ask Helm in Build mode and by the Integrate.io MCP tools are written to your draft, not to the running version. AI-generated changes appear on the canvas with the Draft Version badge, and take effect in jobs and schedules only after you click Save Version. Package validation also checks your draft when one exists, so you can validate AI or manual edits before publishing them.
Q: Can my teammates see my draft?No. Drafts are private to each user. A package shows the Draft Version tag only to the user who has unsaved changes on it.Q: What happens to my draft if I close the browser without saving?Nothing is lost. Drafts are saved on the server, so your changes are restored automatically the next time you open the package.Q: Do drafts affect scheduled jobs?No. Schedules and manually run jobs always use the last saved version of the package. Draft changes take effect only after you save a version.Q: Does autosaving create package versions?No. Draft autosaves are not recorded in version history. A new version is created only when you click Save Version.Q: Are secret variables stored in my draft?No. Secret variable values are excluded from drafts and are committed only when you save a version.Q: What happens to drafts when a package or user is deleted?Deleting a package removes all drafts on it. Removing a user from the account removes that user’s drafts.
