Build Your First Workflow

This guide builds a minimal no-side-effect workflow first. Once that path completes, extend it with finance actions using the same validation and verification loop.

Before You Start

• Use a Starter or higher workspace.
• Sign in as a workspace owner.
• Confirm that workflow creation is within the workspace’s current entitlement. Pricing configuration lists 3 workflows on Starter and unlimited workflows on Pro and Enterprise.
• Use a test workspace or non-production record before adding email, SMS, late-fee, escalation, or integration actions.

1. Create the Definition

1. Choose Workflows in the primary sidebar.
2. Choose Create Workflow.
3. Enter a clear Name, such as Manual workflow smoke test.
4. Choose the namespace that owns the eventual operation:
   • Payment Follow-up,
   • Promise to Pay, or
   • Settlement.
5. Add an optional Description explaining the owner and expected outcome.
6. Choose Create workflow.

The workflow opens as an inactive version-1 draft with one Trigger block. The namespace cannot be changed by the normal update flow later.

2. Configure a Safe Trigger

1. Select the Trigger block on the canvas.
2. Open Editor in the right panel.
3. Set Trigger to Manual.
4. Leave Policy and Trigger Filters empty for this first test.

New workflows default the trigger to Invoice Overdue, so changing this field is important before using the definition as a manual smoke test.

3. Add an End Block

1. Open Library.
2. Search for or locate End under Blocks.
3. Click End to add it near the current view, or drag it to a deliberate canvas position.
4. Connect the Trigger source handle to the End target handle.
5. Select End and confirm its terminal outcome is appropriate for a successful test.

The minimal path is now:

Trigger → End

This tests persistence, validation, activation, queueing, execution state, and replay without sending a message or changing a financial record.

4. Save and Inspect the Draft

The editor autosaves 1.5 seconds after a change. Wait for Saved in the header, or use Command+S on macOS or Control+S on Windows and Linux.

If the header says Save failed, keep the page open and restore connectivity before proceeding. Running or deploying also requests an immediate save, but that is not a substitute for resolving a visible save error.

5. Validate and Deploy

1. Choose Deploy.
2. Expand Validation.
3. Confirm there are no failed checks.
4. Choose Deploy in the sheet.
5. Confirm the editor badge changes from Draft to Published.

Deployment can be blocked by a missing trigger, orphaned block, cycle, invalid edge, unmapped decision branch, or invalid block configuration. A warning does not block deployment by itself, but read it before continuing.

Activation is the current deployment operation. It sets the saved definition active; it does not create a separate environment-specific artifact.

6. Run Once

1. Choose Run once.
2. Confirm the console opens.
3. Watch the canvas overlay and console events.
4. Do not click Run again while the first request is being queued.

The editor sends a manual trigger with empty trigger data and no idempotency key. Each click can create a separate execution.

While the editor-tracked run is active, Run becomes Stop. Use Stop only when you intend to cancel that run.

7. Verify the Execution

1. Open Workflows → Executions.
2. Choose Refresh if the run is not visible yet.
3. Find the execution by workflow, trigger, and start time.
4. Open Execution Details.
5. Confirm the state reaches Completed.
6. Review Execution Graph and Execution Replay.
7. Confirm Trigger and End steps are present and no failure card appears.

If live updates are disabled, reload the page and rely on persisted steps.

8. Extend the Workflow Carefully

After the minimal run succeeds:

1. Inspect Executions for any run still Waiting or Running.
2. Deactivate the workflow from its actions menu before a major structural edit.
3. Add one block at a time from Library.
4. Select each block in Editor and complete its required settings.
5. Reconnect the path and remove orphaned blocks.
6. Wait for Saved.
7. Open Deploy, inspect validation, and deploy again.
8. Run against a test record and verify the side effect in its owning system.

Useful visible blocks include Send Email, Send SMS, Notify Team, Apply Late Fee, Escalate, Decision, Router, Loop, Parallel, Subflow, Wait, and Pause.

Choose Wait or Pause deliberately

• Use Wait for a time-based delay.
• Use Pause when a person must review and act.

Read Workflow Pauses before using a human checkpoint. The current web resume action updates the checkpoint record but does not prove that execution continuation was queued.

Useful Editor Shortcuts

• Command+Z or Control+Z: undo
• Command+Shift+Z or Control+Shift+Z: redo
• Command+Shift+D or Control+Shift+D: duplicate one selected block
• Delete or Backspace: delete the selection
• Shift+L: auto-layout
• Command+Shift+F or Control+Shift+F: fit to view
• Command+Enter or Control+Enter: run or stop

Troubleshooting

Create workflow is unavailable

Confirm Starter or higher, workspace-owner role, current billing write access, and the workspace’s configured workflow entitlement.

Deploy reports an orphan

Connect every block into the path. A block with no incoming or outgoing edge is treated as orphaned, including a single Trigger by itself.

Run is disabled

The definition is not active. Resolve validation and deploy it first.

The workflow completed but no business action happened

The minimal Trigger-to-End test intentionally has no side effect. Add one action, configure it, redeploy, and verify it against a test record.

The version remains v1

Current generic Workflow Studio autosaves and activation do not bump the displayed version.

An AI proposal changed too much

The wand applies a successful proposal immediately; Copilot waits for acceptance. Both apply as one undoable document change. Use Command+Z or Control+Z before further edits, then inspect the full graph.

Next Steps

• Workflows
• Workflow Executions
• Workflow Pauses
• Monitor and Recover Workflows