Build and publish a workflow

Create an agent workflow from a template or blank draft, edit its instructions and tools, validate it, and publish an immutable version.

Build and publish a workflow

Follow this workflow to take an idea from a starter template to a published, immutable agent version that can run on manual, cron, or event triggers.

Workflow overview

Choose a template → Edit the draft → Validate → Publish version → Run or wait for a trigger

Before you begin

• Open the Studio from the Agents entry in the main navigation.
• Decide which trigger you want (manual, schedule, month-close readiness, new counterparty, or signed external event). See Trigger workflows.
• If the workflow will read from or write to Slack or Gmail, connect those accounts first. See Connect Slack, Gmail, and event sources.

1. Start from a template or a blank draft

The Agents view lists the workflows already in the tenant and the built-in templates.

Built-in templates:

Template	Category	What it does
Monthly management report	Close automation	Waits for the finance.monthly_close.ready.v1 event, then summarizes revenue, profitability, cash flow, and material changes with source links.
Daily finance digest	Scheduled reporting	Runs every morning on a cron trigger and delivers a compact daily pulse of KPI movement and issues to follow up on.
New counterparty review	Continuous control	Reacts to the finance.counterparty.identified.v1 event and reviews the counterparty using Control’s transaction history without changing any accounting data.

To start a workflow:

1. In the Agents view, select a template card or Blank draft.
2. The Studio opens the Builder with a new draft attached to the workflow.

Checkpoint: The workflow appears in the agents list with status Draft and no published version.

2. Edit the draft in the Builder

Every workflow has one editable draft. Save it as often as you like; nothing runs until you publish.

Fill in the following:

• Name and description. Use a name that reads well in the Approvals view when a reviewer sees a proposal from the workflow.
• Instructions. The prompt the agent follows on every run. Be explicit about scope, the evidence to cite, and what to do when data is missing.
• Output instructions. Describe the shape of the final answer, for example “return an executive summary, material variances, cash observations, risks, and source links.”
• Tools. Enable only the Control data reads the workflow needs. Each tool card shows its provider, description, and risk label. Tools that talk to Slack or Gmail also let you pick a specific connection and a fixed destination.
• Triggers. Manual is always on. Add a schedule, subscribe to a Control event, or accept signed external events. See Trigger workflows for the full list.

Governance: Tool grants are explicit. If a tool is not enabled on the draft, the agent cannot read that data at run time.

Checkpoint: Select Save draft. The workflow’s updatedAt timestamp advances and the toast confirms Draft saved.

3. Validate the draft

Validation checks that the draft is internally consistent before you publish. It reports errors that block publication and warnings you can review.

1. Select Validate.
2. Read the returned errors and warnings.
3. Fix any errors and validate again.

Checkpoint: A valid draft shows Workflow is ready to publish.

4. Publish an immutable version

Publishing seals the current draft into a numbered version. The version stores the instructions, output contract, tool grants, and trigger set, along with a snapshot checksum. Later edits will start a new draft; publishing that draft produces the next version.

1. Select Publish.
2. The workflow’s status becomes Active and its current version increments.
3. Scheduled and event triggers begin producing occurrences on the new version.

Checkpoint: The Builder shows Version N published with the publisher’s identity and timestamp.

5. Run the workflow

You can trigger a run at any time, even before wiring up a schedule or event, to confirm the workflow behaves as expected.

1. In the Builder, enter optional test input.
2. Select Run now.
3. Move to the Runs view to watch the run progress. See Review runs and approvals.

Managing published workflows

Use the workflow’s action menu in the Builder or Agents view for lifecycle actions:

Action	Effect
Pause	Stops scheduled and event triggers from producing new occurrences. Existing runs continue. Manual runs are still allowed.
Resume	Re-enables triggers on the currently published version.
Clone	Copies the workflow’s draft into a new agent so you can iterate on variants without disturbing the original.
Archive	Removes the workflow from the active list. Published versions, occurrences, runs, and audit history are retained for reference.

Verify the completed workflow

• Confirm the current version number and publisher shown in the Builder match the change you intended.
• Trigger a manual run and inspect the events and output in the Runs view.
• If a schedule is enabled, verify the Next runs preview lists the times you expect in the tenant’s time zone.
• If an external write is proposed, confirm the payload and fixed destination in the Approvals view before approving.

Related tasks

• Trigger workflows
• Review runs and approvals
• Connect Slack, Gmail, and event sources