---
title: Delay mode
url: https://www.tines.com/docs/actions/types/event-transformation/delay/
updated: 2026-04-27T14:26:17+00:00
---

*[tines.com](https://www.tines.com/llms.txt) › [Docs](https://www.tines.com/llms.txt) › [Actions](https://www.tines.com/llm/docs/actions.md) › [Types](https://www.tines.com/llm/docs/actions/types.md) › [Event Transform](https://www.tines.com/llm/docs/actions/types/event-transformation.md)*

# Delay mode

*[View on tines.com](https://www.tines.com/docs/actions/types/event-transformation/delay/)*

The Event Transformation Action delay mode pauses the story execution for specific number of seconds before emitting an event.

Delays are a good way of slowing down the execution of your story. Particularly useful when your story makes request to a rate-limited external service. Delaying retries to the external service could help prevent you from hitting their rate-limits.

## Features

- Specify a value in seconds to wait before emitting a received event.
- Delayed events are placed in a queue until they are emitted. Events will be dropped instead of being added to the queue if there are 20,000 or more events in the queue already. 

**Note:** The 20,000 delayed events queue is per action. A large queue for one action does not impact other actions.

## Configuration Options

- `mode`: 'delay'
- `seconds`: (Optional: must use either `seconds` or `until`) an integer greater than 0.
- `until`: (Optional: must use either `seconds` or `until`) a date/time in the future at which point the event will be emitted. The input can be specified using the following syntax: [https://github.com/mojombo/chronic?tab=readme-ov-file#examples](https://github.com/mojombo/chronic?tab=readme-ov-file#examples)

## Emitted Events

Events emitted by the Event Transformation Action in `delay` mode look similar to the below:

```json
{
  "seconds": 25
}
```

## Example Configuration Options

Wait 10 minutes before emitting an event.

```json
{
  "mode": "delay",
  "seconds": 600
}
```

Wait 7 days before emitting an event.

```json
{
  "mode": "delay",
  "until": "7 days from now"
}
```

## UI Configuration 

When an Event Transformation action is added its option defaults to `Seconds`. Alternatively `Until` can be configured as an option via the action options menu as shown below:

 

![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/55802/1725452393-screenshot-2024-09-04-at-13-19-14.png)