From aced13ef79a28daeb2cda9bcdcde2eb2ff2aecb7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Mendon Kissling <59585235+mendonk@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:23:50 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] docs: clarify autosaving and versioned flow saving (#12794)
* add-clarification-to-1.9-and-next
* Apply suggestions from code review
Co-authored-by: April I. Murphy <36110273+aimurphy@users.noreply.github.com>
---------
Co-authored-by: April I. Murphy <36110273+aimurphy@users.noreply.github.com>
(cherry picked from commit 7fd8469917b6f3a336a28e8ffb8a1a82c06d745d)
---
docs/docs/Develop/environment-variables.mdx | 2 +-
docs/docs/Flows/concepts-flows.mdx | 10 ++++++++--
.../version-1.9.0/Develop/environment-variables.mdx | 2 +-
.../version-1.9.0/Flows/concepts-flows.mdx | 10 ++++++++--
4 files changed, 18 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
diff --git a/docs/docs/Develop/environment-variables.mdx b/docs/docs/Develop/environment-variables.mdx
index 2e76f494e6..131d3d41cb 100644
--- a/docs/docs/Develop/environment-variables.mdx
+++ b/docs/docs/Develop/environment-variables.mdx
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ See [Telemetry](/contributing-telemetry).
| Variable | Format | Default | Description |
|----------|--------|---------|-------------|
-| `LANGFLOW_AUTO_SAVING` | Boolean | `True` | Whether to automatically save flows. |
+| `LANGFLOW_AUTO_SAVING` | Boolean | `True` | Whether to automatically save the current flow draft. Auto-save only updates the live draft, and doesn't create [saved flow versions](/concepts-flows#save-and-restore-flow-versions). |
| `LANGFLOW_AUTO_SAVING_INTERVAL` | Integer | `1000` | Set the auto-save interval in milliseconds if `LANGFLOW_AUTO_SAVING=True`. |
| `LANGFLOW_BUNDLE_URLS` | List[String] | `[]` | A list of URLs from which to load custom bundles. Supports GitHub URLs. If `LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=True`, flows from these bundles are loaded into the database. |
| `LANGFLOW_COMPONENTS_PATH` | String | Not set | Path to a directory containing custom components. Typically used if you have local custom components or you are building a Docker image with custom components. |
diff --git a/docs/docs/Flows/concepts-flows.mdx b/docs/docs/Flows/concepts-flows.mdx
index 13b598cf13..23310d2c44 100644
--- a/docs/docs/Flows/concepts-flows.mdx
+++ b/docs/docs/Flows/concepts-flows.mdx
@@ -108,12 +108,18 @@ You can save versions of a flow from the menu, you can also **Export** or **Delete** that version.
Saved flow versions are stored in the database configured for your Langflow deployment.
+When restoring a saved version, if **Save current draft before restoring** is enabled, then Langflow creates a backup of your current work before the selected version replaces it.
+
+[Flow auto-save](/environment-variables#visual-editor-and-playground-behavior) and flow versions serve different purposes.
+Auto-save keeps your current flow draft up to date in the background, but it doesn't create version entries.
+A saved _version_ is an explicit snapshot that you create when you want a restore point.
+
+When previewing a saved version, Langflow temporarily pauses auto-save so the preview doesn't overwrite your current draft.
+
### Lock a flow
To prevent changes to a flow, you can lock it:
diff --git a/docs/versioned_docs/version-1.9.0/Develop/environment-variables.mdx b/docs/versioned_docs/version-1.9.0/Develop/environment-variables.mdx
index 3acf554748..a2f50d851f 100644
--- a/docs/versioned_docs/version-1.9.0/Develop/environment-variables.mdx
+++ b/docs/versioned_docs/version-1.9.0/Develop/environment-variables.mdx
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ See [Telemetry](/contributing-telemetry).
| Variable | Format | Default | Description |
|----------|--------|---------|-------------|
-| `LANGFLOW_AUTO_SAVING` | Boolean | `True` | Whether to automatically save flows. |
+| `LANGFLOW_AUTO_SAVING` | Boolean | `True` | Whether to automatically save the current flow draft. Auto-save only updates the live draft, and doesn't create [saved flow versions](/concepts-flows#save-and-restore-flow-versions). |
| `LANGFLOW_AUTO_SAVING_INTERVAL` | Integer | `1000` | Set the auto-save interval in milliseconds if `LANGFLOW_AUTO_SAVING=True`. |
| `LANGFLOW_BUNDLE_URLS` | List[String] | `[]` | A list of URLs from which to load custom bundles. Supports GitHub URLs. If `LANGFLOW_AUTO_LOGIN=True`, flows from these bundles are loaded into the database. |
| `LANGFLOW_COMPONENTS_PATH` | String | Not set | Path to a directory containing custom components. Typically used if you have local custom components or you are building a Docker image with custom components. |
diff --git a/docs/versioned_docs/version-1.9.0/Flows/concepts-flows.mdx b/docs/versioned_docs/version-1.9.0/Flows/concepts-flows.mdx
index 13b598cf13..23310d2c44 100644
--- a/docs/versioned_docs/version-1.9.0/Flows/concepts-flows.mdx
+++ b/docs/versioned_docs/version-1.9.0/Flows/concepts-flows.mdx
@@ -108,12 +108,18 @@ You can save versions of a flow from the menu, you can also **Export** or **Delete** that version.
Saved flow versions are stored in the database configured for your Langflow deployment.
+When restoring a saved version, if **Save current draft before restoring** is enabled, then Langflow creates a backup of your current work before the selected version replaces it.
+
+[Flow auto-save](/environment-variables#visual-editor-and-playground-behavior) and flow versions serve different purposes.
+Auto-save keeps your current flow draft up to date in the background, but it doesn't create version entries.
+A saved _version_ is an explicit snapshot that you create when you want a restore point.
+
+When previewing a saved version, Langflow temporarily pauses auto-save so the preview doesn't overwrite your current draft.
+
### Lock a flow
To prevent changes to a flow, you can lock it: