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title: Anypoint MQ Consume Operation
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---
---
product: Anypoint MQ Connector
version: 2.x
---

# Anypoint MQ Consume Operation

> For the full documentation index, see: https://docs.mulesoft.com/llms.txt

The Consume operation in the Anypoint MQ connector provides the ability to consume a message at any
time of the flow, from any destination.

## Consume A Message

The syntax to consume a message from a queue is:

```xml
<anypoint-mq:consume config-ref="MQ_config" destination="#[vars.destination]"/>
```

The operation above consumes the first available message in the queue identified by the destination,
and then converts it to a `MuleMessage` resulting in the following structure:

- The message’s content as payload.

- The message’s metadata in the message attributes.

By default, the ACK mode is `MANUAL`, so the message isn’t acknowledged. If you want the message to
be acknowledged as soon as it is consumed, set the mode to `IMMEDIATE`. For more information, see
[Anypoint MQ ACK and NACK Operations](https://docs.mulesoft.com/anypoint-mq-connector/2.x/anypoint-mq-ack).

## Wait for a Message

By default, the maximum wait time is configured in 10 seconds, producing a `null` result if no
message is available in that period. If configuring a timeout that fits better for your use case,
customize the `pollingTime` parameter.

## Incoming Message Metadata

As stated before, each message received consists of two parts:

- Payload - Contains the content of a message.

- Attributes - Contains the metadata for a message.

This metadata maps all the information available in a Anypoint MQ message, including:

- Message ID

- Headers

- Properties

See [Consume](https://docs.mulesoft.com/anypoint-mq-connector/2.x/anypoint-mq-connector-reference#consume) for details about the attributes structure.

## See Also

- Consume operation in the
  [Anypoint MQ Connector Reference - 2.x](https://docs.mulesoft.com/anypoint-mq-connector/2.x/anypoint-mq-connector-reference#consume)

- [Anypoint MQ ACK and NACK Operations](https://docs.mulesoft.com/anypoint-mq-connector/2.x/anypoint-mq-ack)