Msg Peek

See your data instantly

Auto-magical visualization that picks the perfect format - charts, tables, JSON, or text - right on your canvas.

Stop Opening the Debug Panel

"I'm constantly switching between my flow and the debug panel. Half my nodes are debug nodes just so I can see what's happening."

We watched developers clutter flows with debug nodes, constantly clicking back and forth to the debug panel, losing context every time. They'd add a debug node, deploy, trigger the flow, open the panel, scroll through messages, close it, edit the flow, repeat.

It breaks your concentration. You lose track of which debug is which. Complex data structures are hard to read in plain text. And your beautiful flow becomes a maze of green debug nodes.

Data Visualization, Automatically

It Chooses the Best Format:

  • Arrays of numbers: Line charts with Vega-Lite
  • Job status data: Bar charts showing counts
  • Lists of objects: Interactive sortable tables
  • Simple text or numbers: Large, readable display
  • Complex JSON: Pretty-printed with syntax highlighting
  • Images: Inline display (PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, SVG)
  • Message rate: Real-time throughput with sparkline

Smart Features:

  • Zero Configuration: Works immediately, picks the right format
  • Auto-Hide: Set timeout 1-60 seconds or click to dismiss
  • Throttling: Built-in rate limiting for high-speed data
  • Pass-Through: Messages continue unchanged to next nodes
  • Dark Theme: Catppuccin Mocha palette, easy on the eyes
  • Local Fonts: No CDN dependencies, works offline

Common Use Cases

Debugging Job Status

msg.payload = {Complete: 150, Processing: 25, Queued: 10, Failed: 3};
// Shows as bar chart - instant visual of queue state

Monitoring Queue Over Time

msg.payload = [
  {time: "08:00", queue: 10},
  {time: "09:00", queue: 15},
  {time: "10:00", queue: 8}
];
// Shows as time-series line chart

Browsing Job History

msg.payload = [
  {job: "12345", status: "Complete", pages: 24},
  {job: "12346", status: "Processing", pages: 48}
];
// Shows as sortable, paginated table

Complex Configuration

msg.payload = {config: {printer: "Fiery1", quality: "high", duplex: true}};
// Shows as formatted JSON with syntax highlighting

Get Started in 30 Seconds

# Quick install
cd ~/.node-red
npm install @fierylab.io/fiery-contrib-msg-peek
node-red-restart

First Use:

  • Drag "msg peek" node onto your flow
  • Connect it to any node
  • Deploy and watch the magic happen
  • Click any visualization to dismiss it

Configuration Options:

  • Display Mode: Auto-detect (default) or force chart/table/JSON
  • Auto-Hide: Set timeout or disable
  • Size: Auto-size or manual width/height
  • Throttle: Limit update rate for high-frequency flows

Ready to see your data clearly?