Building a workflow
Steps, inputs, context documents, and the JSON view.
Open Workflows and choose New workflow. Start from a template, or start blank and build the chain yourself.
The builder has three parts: a palette rail on the left, the chain canvas in the middle, and an inspector for whichever card you select.
Steps
Add a step from the rail, then connect its ports to put it on the chain. There are two kinds.
| Kind | What it does |
|---|---|
| Agent | Opens a session, runs the prompt, and moves on when it finishes. |
| Human in the loop | Stops the run and waits for you to approve. |
Every step needs a title and a prompt. An agent step can also pin a harness and model; leave both unset and it uses the run's defaults.
Tick Requires human approval on an agent step to hold the run after it finishes, without adding a separate gate.
The chain is linear. One path has to cover every step you have added, and the first step has to be connected to Inputs. Detached cards block Save, and the canvas tells you which ones.
Moving a card changes where it sits on the canvas, not where it sits in the chain. Order comes from the connections. Layouts are saved on your machine only, so teammates can arrange the same workflow however they like.
Inputs
Inputs are values someone fills in when a run starts. Declare them under
Inputs, then read one in a prompt as @input:name.
Mark an input required and the run cannot start without it.
Context documents
Context documents are how one step hands work to the next. Declare a document,
pick the step that writes it, and give it a starting body. Any prompt can then
reference it as @doc:slug.
At run time each document becomes a real file in the workspace, under
.proliferate/context/<run-id>/. Steps read and edit them like any other file,
and the folder is excluded from git so drafts never land in a commit.
Both @input: and @doc: references have to be declared. The prompt field
tells you inline when one is not.
Default repository
Set a Default repository and every run starts there. Leave it unset and each run picks one at launch.
The JSON view
The JSON tab edits the definition document directly: steps, edges, inputs, and document templates. Title, description, and default repository stay in the form.
Valid JSON applies to the canvas immediately. Invalid JSON keeps your text and the last good graph, and blocks Save until you fix or revert it.
Saving
Save needs a workflow title, a title and prompt on every step, one path covering every step, and a connection from Inputs to the first step. Anything holding Save down is marked on the card that caused it.
Workflows saved before the rebuild appear under Legacy. They cannot be opened or run. Rebuild the ones you still want, then delete the rest.