Expression Language

The expression language allows you to use dynamic values in your pipeline definitions using the ${{ }} syntax.

Syntax

Expressions are enclosed in ${{ }} delimiters:

# Simple property access
role_name: MyRole-${{ stage.name }}

# Function calls
api_key: ${{ secret("API_KEY") }}

# Bracket notation for dynamic keys
image: ${{ stage.artifacts["Docker Build"].image_url }}

Available Objects

Object	Description
stage	Information about the current deployment stage
pipeline	Information about the current pipeline
organization	Information about the organization
trigger	Information about the deployment trigger, including git commit and branch context
vars	Stage-level variables defined in the pipeline
steps	Reference outputs from other steps in the same stage

Available Functions

Function	Description	Resolves At
secret()	Reference an organization-level secret that will be resolved at runtime by the build-plane	build-plane
stage_secret()	Reference a stage-specific secret that will be resolved at runtime by the build-plane	build-plane

Resolution Phases

Expressions are resolved at different phases:

• api-plane: Resolved when the deployment is requested. Values are visible in the UI.
• orchestrator: Resolved during stage execution. Used for same-stage output references.
• build-plane: Resolved at runtime just before step execution. Used for secrets to avoid exposing them.

Marker Format

When a value cannot be resolved immediately, it becomes a marker that is resolved later:

Type	Marker Format	Example
Secret	[SECRET:name]	[SECRET:API_KEY]
Stage Secret	[STAGE_SECRET:name]	[STAGE_SECRET:DB_PASS]
Same-stage Output	[OUTPUT:step/field]	[OUTPUT:Deploy/service_arn]

Migration from Legacy Syntax

The original YAML tag syntax (!output, !global_secret, etc.) has been replaced by the expression language.

Legacy Syntax	New Expression Syntax
!image_url "Docker Build"	${{ stage.artifacts["Docker Build"].image_url }}
!global_secret API_KEY	${{ secret("API_KEY") }}
!stage_secret DB_PASS	${{ stage_secret("DB_PASS") }}
!output step-name/field	${{ output("step-name", "field") }}