Delay

Pause the action pipeline for a specified number of milliseconds before the next action runs. Use this to space out actions - for example, waiting 2 seconds after showing an overlay before playing a sound.

Sequential Mode Required

Delay only blocks the pipeline when your alert runs actions sequentially. If actions run in parallel (the default), Delay will wait but the other actions will have already started. Switch your alert to Sequential mode in its settings to make Delay actually gate the next action.

What You Need

• An alert with Sequential execution mode enabled (so the delay actually gates the next action)

Quick Start

1. Create or edit an alert and set it to run actions sequentially.
2. Click Add Action and select Delay.
3. Set the Duration in milliseconds (e.g. 2000 = 2 seconds).
4. Drag the Delay action to the position in your action list where you want the pause.
5. Save and test.

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Configuration Options

Duration (ms)

Setting	Description	Default
Duration (ms)	How long to wait, in milliseconds. 1000 ms = 1 second.	1000

• Supports placeholder syntax - you can use {{ }} values for the duration.
• The duration is resolved at the time the action runs, so it can use output from earlier actions in the same pipeline (see Cross-Action Data below).
• The value is floored to the nearest whole millisecond.
• There is no enforced maximum, but TipLink will log a warning if the delay exceeds 10 seconds (10,000 ms).

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Using Cross-Action Data

Because Delay resolves its duration after earlier actions have already run their setup, you can use the output of a Random Number action as the delay duration.

Example - random wait between 1 and 5 seconds:

1. Add a Random Number action before the Delay, set Minimum to 1000 and Maximum to 5000. Give it a key like random_number_1.
2. Add a Delay action after it.
3. Set the Delay's Duration to: {{ random_number_1.result }}

The delay will wait for however many milliseconds the Random Number generated.

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Tips

• Combine with Stream Overlay - add a Delay after a Stream Overlay action to keep the pipeline paused while your overlay animation plays, then trigger a follow-up action (like an audio cue) once it's "done."
• Stagger multiple actions - place a Delay between each action in a long sequence to prevent them from all firing at once.
• Test in small increments - use the Test Event Tool to check that your delays feel right without waiting for real events.
• Very long delays (>10 seconds) will show a warning in the activity log, but will still execute.