> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.iotools.cloud/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Chains

> Pipe one tool's output into the next, as a saved or one-off sequence

A chain runs a sequence of tools in order, feeding each one's text output into the next one's input. There are three places you'll run into them:

* **[The builder](https://iotools.cloud/chains/)** — drag tools into a sequence, reorder them, and run the whole thing. Works fully signed out; your in-progress chain is kept in your browser until you save it.
* **Editorial chain pages**, like `/chains/<slug>/` — a fixed, hand-built pipeline for a specific job, each with an "Open in the Chain builder" button to start editing your own copy.
* **A saved chain of your own**, at `/chain/<shareSlug>/` — a read-only view of one chain you've made public. See [Sharing](/features/sharing#share-a-chain).

<Note>
  Building and running a chain needs no account. Only **saving** it to your list of chains does.
</Note>

## Limits

|                 | Free member | Builder   |
| --------------- | ----------- | --------- |
| Saved chains    | 1           | Unlimited |
| Steps per chain | 5           | Unlimited |

## Not the only way to chain

Two lighter mechanisms cover the common cases without opening the full builder — each gets its own page:

* **[Send output to…](/features/send-to-batch#send-output-to)** — from a single tool's result, push its output straight into another tool.
* **[Batch mode](/features/send-to-batch#batch-mode)** — run one tool over many files at once.

<Note>
  This page is about the website's Chain builder. Calling several tools in sequence from your own code is a different, simpler thing — see [Chaining tools](/examples/chaining) under Examples.
</Note>