Retool Nested Query Folders: Current State & Workarounds

If you've been hunting for Retool nested query folders — the ability to put a folder inside a folder inside the query panel — you're not alone. This feature request has been open in the Retool community since at least 2021, has collected votes from teams across dozens of organizations, and is still, as of the time of writing, not fully available. This guide explains where things stand, what Retool has said publicly, and the practical workarounds you can use right now to keep large apps from turning into a query spaghetti disaster.

Why Retool Query Organization Matters More Than You Think

When you're building a small internal tool — a single CRUD table, a quick dashboard — query organization is barely a concern. You've got five queries, you know what they all do, and life is good. But the moment your app grows into something real — role-based access flows, multi-step data pipelines, admin vs. non-admin logic — the flat or single-level folder structure in Retool's query panel becomes a genuine productivity tax.

The original feature request framed it well. Imagine needing to separate queries like this:

• Users (folder)
  • Admin (subfolder)
    • createNewAdminQuery
  • NonAdmin (subfolder)
    • createNewNonAdminQuery

Right now, Retool only lets you go one level deep. You can drop a query into a folder, but you can't put a folder inside another folder. For teams building complex, multi-role applications on Retool, this creates real friction — you end up with either a flat list of 40+ queries or a handful of overloaded top-level folders that don't reflect how your app actually works.

What Retool Has Said About Nested Folders on the Roadmap

The community thread on this feature has been active since 2021. Here's an honest summary of the official responses over time:

• 2021: Retool confirmed it was "on our radar" after multiple customers raised it.
• 2022–2023: Retool confirmed it was "on the roadmap" with internal traction, but no ship date.
• Late 2023: Retool confirmed active scoping had begun, with people working on it internally — still no expected release date.

The short version: it's coming, it's been coming for a while, and Retool hasn't given a concrete timeline. If you're building something today, you need a workaround.

How to Organize Retool Queries Without Nested Folders

These aren't perfect substitutes, but they're the best patterns we've found for keeping large Retool apps maintainable while the nested folder feature is still in development.

Use a Strict Naming Convention as Your "Nesting"

The most reliable workaround is to encode your folder hierarchy directly into query names using a consistent prefix system. Since Retool sorts queries alphabetically within a folder, a naming convention like the following gives you visual grouping for free:

• users_admin_createNewAdmin
• users_admin_deleteAdmin
• users_nonAdmin_createNewUser
• users_nonAdmin_suspendUser

Use underscores or camelCase consistently. The key is picking a convention on day one and never breaking it — the moment you have createAdmin sitting next to users_admin_deleteAdmin, the system breaks down.

Use the Query Library for Shared, Reusable Logic

Retool's Query Library is a separate space for queries that are shared across multiple apps in your organization. If a query is used in more than one place, it belongs in the Query Library — not duplicated across apps. Several users in the community thread have also requested nested folders inside the Query Library, which has the same flat-folder limitation today.

Until nesting is supported, use the same prefix naming convention inside the Query Library. Group by domain first (auth_, billing_, users_), then by action.

Split Complex Apps Into Smaller Retool Apps

This is the architectural fix, not the cosmetic one. If your query panel has become unmanageable, it's often a signal that one Retool app is doing too much. Consider splitting your app by role or domain — an Admin Portal app and a User Dashboard app — and linking between them. Each app ends up with a smaller, more focused set of queries that's easier to navigate without nested folders.

What to Do When Nested Folders Actually Ship

When Retool does release nested query folders, migration will be manual — Retool won't automatically restructure your existing query names into a folder hierarchy. If you've been using the naming convention approach above, the migration will be straightforward: your prefixes map directly to your intended folder structure. If you haven't been consistent, you'll be reorganizing by hand.

The takeaway: invest in naming conventions now, even if they feel like overkill for a small app. The apps that feel small today are usually the ones that grow the fastest.

The Bottom Line

Retool nested query folders are a legitimate gap in the product, one that Retool's own team has acknowledged repeatedly. For teams building serious internal tools — not just quick prototypes — the flat folder structure is a real organizational constraint. Until the feature ships, a strict naming convention combined with thoughtful app architecture will get you most of the way there. Keep an eye on the official community thread for updates, and consider subscribing to Retool's changelog so you catch it the moment it lands.