> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.meetgail.com/platform/workflows/node-reference/integrations/sftp/sftp-download/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.meetgail.com/_mcp/server.

# SFTP Download

> Downloads a single file from a remote SFTP server into the run so later steps can use it.

The Download node pulls one file off a remote SFTP server and into your workflow,
so a later step, such as an agent or an upload, can work with it. You point it at
a file by its full path on the server.

## When to use it

* You want to bring a file from an SFTP server into the run to analyze or parse it.
* You listed a directory and now want to download one or more of the results.
* You need a file from a server to hand to another step later in the workflow.

## Inputs

| Field           | What it's for                                                    | Example                                                         |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Server          | The SFTP server to connect to.                                   | `sftp.example.com`                                              |
| Port            | The server's port, usually 22.                                   | `22`                                                            |
| Username        | The username to sign in with.                                    | `automation-user`                                               |
| Password or key | The password or private key to sign in with, stored as a secret. | A [Secret](/platform/workflows/core-concepts/secrets) reference |
| File path       | The full path to the file to download.                           | `/outbound/reports/daily.csv`                                   |

The password or key must reference a workflow [Secret](/platform/workflows/core-concepts/secrets).
Any field can be a fixed value or an [expression](/platform/workflows/core-concepts/expressions/using-expressions-in-nodes)
that reads from an earlier step, such as a file path from a List Directory result.

## Outputs

| Field | What you get back                                                                |
| ----- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| File  | The downloaded file, ready to pass to later steps such as an agent or an upload. |

## Example

Each morning a carrier leaves a monthly summary on Chen Insurance Group's SFTP
server. A workflow uses Download to pull `/outbound/reports/monthly_summary.csv`
into the run, then hands the file to an [Agent](/platform/workflows/node-reference/ai/agent)
step that summarizes the key metrics and flags anything unusual.

![The SFTP Download node configuration panel, showing the server, credentials, and file path.](/_fern-img/77356309e318779b948451cb23006ed7fb349b9fe8a5fdf108eaa3a3418d7fca.webp)

> **Note**
>
> Downloads are limited to common file types (such as PDF, spreadsheets,
> documents, text, CSV, and images) and to files of 250 MB or less. A path with an
> unsupported extension is rejected before the download runs.

## Related nodes

#### [List Directory](/platform/workflows/node-reference/integrations/sftp/sftp-list-directory)

Find the file to download first.

#### [Upload](/platform/workflows/node-reference/integrations/sftp/sftp-upload)

Push a file back to the server.

#### [Agent](/platform/workflows/node-reference/ai/agent)

Hand the downloaded file to an agent to analyze it.

#### [Parse CSV](/platform/workflows/node-reference/files-and-documents/parse-csv)

Read the rows out of a downloaded CSV file.

> Documentation for Gail, the AI platform for financial services. Learn how to set up GailGPT and Gail Agent to automate customer communications for insurance, banking, and finance.