Workflow Overview

Workflows are the core building blocks of the Workflows API. This guide explains the fundamental concepts you need to understand when building automated processes.

What is a Workflow?

A workflow is a declarative automation that defines:

When to run (the trigger)
What to do (the steps)
How to handle data (variables and templates)

Workflows enable you to:

Connect systems - Integrate Stripe, Salesforce, HubSpot, QuickBooks, and more
Transform data - Map and reshape data between different formats
Make decisions - Branch logic based on conditions
Wait for events - Pause for human approval or external events
Handle errors - Automatic retries with configurable strategies

graph LR
    A[Trigger] --> B[Step 1]
    B --> C[Step 2]
    C --> D{Condition}
    D -->|Yes| E[Step 3a]
    D -->|No| F[Step 3b]
    E --> G[Output]
    F --> G

Workflow Lifecycle

Every workflow progresses through a defined set of states:

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> draft: Create
    draft --> active: Activate
    active --> paused: Pause
    paused --> active: Resume
    active --> archived: Archive
    paused --> archived: Archive
    draft --> archived: Archive

State	Description	Can Execute?	Can Edit?
`draft`	Initial state after creation	No	Yes
`active`	Ready to receive triggers and execute	Yes	Yes (creates new version)
`paused`	Temporarily disabled	No	Yes
`archived`	Soft deleted	No	No

State Transitions

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/workflows/{id}/activate \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/workflows/{id}/pause \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/workflows/{id}/resume \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

curl -X DELETE http://localhost:3000/api/v1/workflows/{id} \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Workflow Structure

A workflow is defined as a JSON object with these key components:

{
  "name": "Invoice on Deal Close",
  "description": "Create a QuickBooks invoice when a Salesforce deal is won",

  // 1. TRIGGER - When does this workflow run?
  "trigger": {
    "type": "webhook",
    "provider": "salesforce",
    "events": ["opportunity.closed_won"]
  },

  // 2. STEPS - What actions does it perform?
  "steps": [
    {
      "id": "transform-data",
      "type": "transform",
      "name": "Map Deal to Invoice",
      "config": {
        "mapping": {
          "customer_email": "{{input.account.email}}",
          "amount": "{{input.opportunity.amount}}",
          "description": "{{input.opportunity.name}}"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "create-invoice",
      "type": "action",
      "name": "Create QuickBooks Invoice",
      "config": {
        "connector": "quickbooks",
        "action": "createInvoice",
        "params": {
          "customerEmail": "{{steps.transform-data.output.customer_email}}",
          "amount": "{{steps.transform-data.output.amount}}",
          "memo": "{{steps.transform-data.output.description}}"
        }
      }
    }
  ],

  // 3. VARIABLES - Reusable configuration values
  "variables": {
    "taxRate": 0.0825,
    "defaultTerms": "Net 30"
  }
}

Triggers

Triggers define when a workflow executes. The Workflows API supports multiple trigger types:

Type	Description	Use Case
`webhook`	External system sends an event	Stripe payment, custom webhooks
`schedule`	Time-based execution	Daily reports, weekly syncs
`api`	Manual execution via API	On-demand processing, testing
`salesforce_event`	Salesforce Platform Events or CDC	Record changes, custom events
`hubspot_event`	HubSpot property changes	Contact/deal updates
`slack_event`	Slack Events API	Messages, mentions, reactions
`slack_slash_command`	Slack slash commands	/invoice, /approve
`slack_interactive`	Slack interactive components	Button clicks, modal submissions
`gmail_event`	Gmail Pub/Sub events	New emails, label changes

Webhook Triggers

Webhook triggers listen for events from external providers:

{
  "trigger": {
    "type": "webhook",
    "provider": "stripe",
    "events": ["invoice.paid", "invoice.payment_failed"]
  }
}

Supported providers: stripe, salesforce, hubspot, quickbooks, pandadoc, netsuite, slack

See Webhook Triggers for provider-specific configuration.

Schedule Triggers

Schedule triggers use cron expressions for time-based execution:

{
  "trigger": {
    "type": "schedule",
    "cron": "0 9 * * MON",
    "timezone": "America/New_York"
  }
}

See Schedule Triggers for cron syntax and examples.

API Triggers

API triggers allow manual workflow execution:

{
  "trigger": {
    "type": "api"
  }
}

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/workflows/{id}/run \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"input": {"customer_id": "cus_123"}}'

Steps

Steps define what a workflow does. Each step executes sequentially (unless using parallel execution).

Step Types

Type	Description	Example
`action`	Call an integration	Create Stripe invoice, update Salesforce record
`transform`	Map and reshape data	Convert webhook payload to invoice format
`condition`	Branch based on logic	If amount > $1000, require approval
`wait`	Pause execution	Wait 24 hours, delay before retry
`parallel`	Execute steps concurrently	Notify Slack AND send email
`loop`	Iterate over a collection	Process each line item
`approval`	Human-in-the-loop	Wait for manager approval
`agent`	AI-powered processing	Extract invoice data, classify expense
`code`	Custom JavaScript	Run sandboxed code for complex logic
`slack`	Slack building block	Send message, open modal
`email`	Email building block	Send templated email
`gmail`	Gmail building block	Read/send Gmail messages

Step Structure

Every step has this base structure:

{
  "id": "unique-step-id",
  "type": "action",
  "name": "Human-readable name",
  "action": "stripe.createInvoice",
  "config": {
    // Step-specific configuration
  },
  "retryConfig": {
    "maxAttempts": 3,
    "initialDelayMs": 1000,
    "maxDelayMs": 30000,
    "backoffMultiplier": 2
  },
  "errorHandling": {
    "strategy": "fail",
    "fallback": {}
  },
  "timeoutMs": 30000
}

See Steps Documentation for detailed configuration of each step type.

Template Variables

Template variables allow dynamic data access throughout your workflow using {{expression}} syntax.

Available Contexts

Context	Syntax	Description
Input	`{{input.field}}`	Trigger payload data
Steps	`{{steps.stepId.output.field}}`	Previous step outputs
Variables	`{{variables.name}}`	Workflow-defined variables
Environment	`{{env.VAR_NAME}}`	Environment variables
System	`{{now}}`, `{{runId}}`	System-provided values

Examples

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "id": "send-email",
      "type": "action",
      "config": {
        "connector": "email",
        "action": "send",
        "params": {
          // Access trigger input
          "to": "{{input.customer.email}}",

          // Access previous step output
          "subject": "Invoice #{{steps.create-invoice.output.invoice_number}}",

          // Access workflow variables
          "cc": "{{variables.financeEmail}}",

          // Use expressions
          "body": "Amount due: ${{input.amount / 100}}"
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Nested Access

Access nested properties using dot notation:

{{input.customer.billing.address.city}}
{{steps.fetch-deal.output.opportunity.account.owner.email}}

Conditional Expressions

Use Handlebars-style conditionals in templates:

{{#if input.is_priority}}URGENT: {{/if}}New invoice created

Workflow Execution

When a workflow executes, it creates a run that tracks the execution state.

sequenceDiagram
    participant T as Trigger
    participant W as Workflow Engine
    participant S1 as Step 1
    participant S2 as Step 2
    participant DB as Database

    T->>W: Event received
    W->>DB: Create run (pending)
    W->>S1: Execute step
    S1-->>W: Output
    W->>DB: Update step status
    W->>S2: Execute step
    S2-->>W: Output
    W->>DB: Run completed

Run States

State	Description
`pending`	Run created, waiting to start
`running`	Currently executing steps
`suspended`	Paused for human approval or external event
`completed`	All steps finished successfully
`failed`	A step failed after all retries
`cancelled`	Manually cancelled

Viewing Run History

# List runs for a workflow
curl "http://localhost:3000/api/v1/workflows/{id}/runs" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

# Get run details
curl "http://localhost:3000/api/v1/runs/{runId}" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Error Handling

The Workflows API provides robust error handling at multiple levels.

Step-Level Retries

Configure automatic retries for transient failures using retryConfig:

{
  "id": "call-api",
  "type": "action",
  "config": { ... },
  "retryConfig": {
    "maxAttempts": 3,
    "initialDelayMs": 1000,
    "maxDelayMs": 30000,
    "backoffMultiplier": 2
  }
}

Option	Type	Description
`maxAttempts`	number	Maximum retry attempts (1-10)
`initialDelayMs`	number	Initial delay in milliseconds (min: 100)
`maxDelayMs`	number	Maximum delay between retries (min: 1000)
`backoffMultiplier`	number	Multiplier for exponential backoff (1-10)

Error Strategies

Define how to handle step failures using errorHandling:

{
  "id": "optional-step",
  "type": "action",
  "config": { ... },
  "errorHandling": {
    "strategy": "continue",
    "fallback": {
      "defaultValue": "N/A"
    }
  }
}

Strategy	Behavior
`fail`	Stop workflow, mark run as failed (default)
`continue`	Log error, continue to next step
`retry`	Retry with configured `retryConfig` settings

The optional fallback object provides default output values when a step fails with continue strategy.

Timeout Configuration

Prevent steps from hanging indefinitely with timeoutMs:

{
  "id": "slow-api",
  "type": "action",
  "config": { ... },
  "timeoutMs": 60000
}

Versioning

Workflows support version control to track changes over time.

How Versioning Works

Create - Initial workflow is version 1
Update - Each update to an active workflow creates a new version
Execution - Running workflows complete with their started version
Rollback - Revert to any previous version

Version API

# List versions
curl "http://localhost:3000/api/v1/workflows/{id}/versions" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

# Get specific version
curl "http://localhost:3000/api/v1/workflows/{id}/versions/3" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

# Rollback to version
curl -X POST "http://localhost:3000/api/v1/workflows/{id}/versions/3/rollback" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Version States

State	Description
`current`	Active version used for new runs
`archived`	Previous version, available for rollback
`rollback`	Version restored from rollback operation

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use descriptive workflow names: Invoice Customer on Deal Close
Use verb-noun step IDs: transform-payment, send-notification
Include context in descriptions

Idempotency

Design workflows to be safely re-run:

{
  "id": "create-or-update",
  "type": "action",
  "config": {
    "connector": "stripe",
    "action": "createCustomer",
    "params": {
      "idempotencyKey": "{{input.deal_id}}"
    }
  }
}

Error Recovery

Use appropriate retry counts for each integration
Set reasonable timeouts
Use onError: continue for non-critical steps

Testing

Start with draft status for development
Use API trigger for manual testing
Check run history for debugging

Workflow Overview

Workflow Overview

What is a Workflow?

Workflow Lifecycle

State Transitions

Workflow Structure

Triggers

Webhook Triggers

Schedule Triggers

API Triggers

Steps

Step Types

Step Structure

Template Variables

Available Contexts

Examples

Nested Access

Conditional Expressions

Workflow Execution

Run States

Viewing Run History

Error Handling

Step-Level Retries

Error Strategies

Timeout Configuration

Versioning

How Versioning Works

Version API

Version States

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Idempotency

Error Recovery

Testing

Next Steps

Triggers

Steps

Integrations

First Workflow

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