Workflow Commands Workflows allow you to chain multiple agent tasks together into automated pipelines. All workflow commands require a running daemon.
Workflows require a running daemon. Start it with openfang start before using these commands.
Listing Workflows openfang workflow list List all registered workflows.
Example Output: $ openfang workflow list Registered Workflows ID NAME STEPS CREATED w1a2b3c4-d5e6-f7g8-h9i0-j1k2l3m4n5o6 code-review 3 2025-03-06 w2b3c4d5-e6f7-g8h9-i0j1-k2l3m4n5o6p7 content-pipeline 5 2025-03-05 w3c4d5e6-f7g8-h9i0-j1k2-l3m4n5o6p7q8 analysis-report 4 2025-03-04 Total: 3 workflows
Output Columns:
ID - Workflow UUID (use this for workflow run)NAME - Human-readable workflow nameSTEPS - Number of steps in the workflowCREATED - Creation date
Creating Workflows openfang workflow create Create a workflow from a JSON definition file.
openfang workflow create < FIL E >
Arguments: Argument Description <FILE>Path to a JSON file describing the workflow steps
Workflow Definition Format: { "name" : "code-review" , "description" : "Automated code review pipeline" , "steps" : [ { "id" : "analyze" , "agent" : "coder" , "prompt" : "Analyze this code for security issues: {{input}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 60 }, { "id" : "suggest" , "agent" : "coder" , "prompt" : "Based on this analysis, suggest improvements: {{steps.analyze.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 60 }, { "id" : "document" , "agent" : "writer" , "prompt" : "Write a summary report: {{steps.suggest.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 30 } ] }
Field Reference: Field Type Required Description namestring Yes Workflow name descriptionstring No Human-readable description stepsarray Yes Ordered list of workflow steps steps[].idstring Yes Unique step identifier steps[].agentstring Yes Agent name or ID to execute this step steps[].promptstring Yes Prompt template (supports {{input}} and {{steps.<id>.output}}) steps[].timeout_secondsinteger No Step timeout (default: 120)
Example: $ openfang workflow create ./code-review-workflow.json [ok] Workflow created: code-review ( w1a2b3c4-d5e6-f7g8-h9i0-j1k2l3m4n5o6 ) hint: Run it with: openfang workflow run w1a2b3c4 "<input>"
Workflow definitions must be valid JSON. Use a linter to validate before creating.
Running Workflows openfang workflow run Execute a workflow by ID.
openfang workflow run < WORKFLOW_I D > < INPU T >
Arguments: Argument Description <WORKFLOW_ID>Workflow UUID (obtain from openfang workflow list) <INPUT>Input text to pass to the workflow
Example: $ openfang workflow run w1a2b3c4 "Check this function for SQL injection vulnerabilities" Running workflow: code-review [1/3] analyze... done (12.3s) [2/3] suggest... done (8.7s) [3/3] document... done (4.2s) Workflow completed in 25.2s Final Output: ──────────────────────────────────────── ## Code Review Summary ### Security Issues Found 1. SQL Injection vulnerability on line 45 2. Missing input sanitization ### Recommended Fixes - Use parameterized queries - Add input validation layer - Implement prepared statements ### Impact Assessment High severity - immediate fix required.
Real-Time Progress: The workflow execution displays:
Step progress with real-time status
Execution time for each step
Total workflow duration
Final output from the last step
Each step receives the output of previous steps via template variables ({{steps.<id>.output}}).
Workflow Examples Content Creation Pipeline { "name" : "content-pipeline" , "description" : "Research, write, edit, and optimize content" , "steps" : [ { "id" : "research" , "agent" : "researcher" , "prompt" : "Research the topic: {{input}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 120 }, { "id" : "draft" , "agent" : "writer" , "prompt" : "Write a blog post based on this research: {{steps.research.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 180 }, { "id" : "edit" , "agent" : "writer" , "prompt" : "Edit and improve this draft: {{steps.draft.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 120 }, { "id" : "seo" , "agent" : "writer" , "prompt" : "Optimize for SEO with keywords from: {{input}}. Content: {{steps.edit.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 60 }, { "id" : "meta" , "agent" : "writer" , "prompt" : "Generate SEO title and meta description for: {{steps.seo.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 30 } ] }
Usage: openfang workflow create content-pipeline.json openfang workflow run < WORKFLOW_I D > "The future of AI in healthcare"
Code Analysis & Documentation { "name" : "code-documentation" , "description" : "Analyze code and generate comprehensive documentation" , "steps" : [ { "id" : "analyze" , "agent" : "coder" , "prompt" : "Analyze this codebase structure and dependencies: {{input}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 90 }, { "id" : "architecture" , "agent" : "architect" , "prompt" : "Describe the architecture based on: {{steps.analyze.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 120 }, { "id" : "api-docs" , "agent" : "technical-writer" , "prompt" : "Generate API documentation from: {{steps.analyze.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 180 }, { "id" : "readme" , "agent" : "technical-writer" , "prompt" : "Create a README.md with setup instructions: {{steps.architecture.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 90 } ] }
Data Analysis Pipeline { "name" : "data-analysis" , "description" : "Load, analyze, visualize, and report on data" , "steps" : [ { "id" : "load" , "agent" : "analyst" , "prompt" : "Load and validate this dataset: {{input}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 60 }, { "id" : "explore" , "agent" : "analyst" , "prompt" : "Perform exploratory data analysis: {{steps.load.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 120 }, { "id" : "visualize" , "agent" : "analyst" , "prompt" : "Create visualizations for key insights: {{steps.explore.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 90 }, { "id" : "report" , "agent" : "writer" , "prompt" : "Write an executive summary report: {{steps.visualize.output}}" , "timeout_seconds" : 60 } ] }
Template Variables Workflow prompts support Handlebars-style template variables:
References the initial workflow input:
{ "prompt" : "Analyze this topic: {{input}}" }
Step Output Variables References the output of previous steps:
{ "prompt" : "Based on this analysis: {{steps.analyze.output}}, suggest improvements." }
Multiple References { "prompt" : "Combine research ({{steps.research.output}}) with user input ({{input}}) to create content." }
Step outputs are only available after the step has completed. Reference only previous steps in the chain.
Error Handling Step Timeout If a step exceeds its timeout, the workflow fails:
$ openfang workflow run w1a2b3c4 "Complex analysis task" Running workflow: code-review [1/3] analyze... done (12.3s) [2/3] suggest... TIMEOUT (exceeded 60s ) [ ! ] Workflow failed: Step 'suggest' timed out hint: Increase timeout_seconds for this step or use a faster model
Solution: Increase timeout_seconds in the workflow definition:{ "id" : "suggest" , "timeout_seconds" : 180 // Increased from 60 }
Agent Not Found [ ! ] Workflow failed: Agent 'unknown-agent' not found hint: Check available agents: openfang agent list
Solution: Verify agent names and spawn missing agents:openfang agent list openfang agent new coder # Spawn missing agent
Invalid Template Variable [ ! ] Workflow failed: Template variable 'steps.nonexistent.output' not found hint: Check step IDs in your workflow definition
Solution: Verify step IDs match the references:{ "steps" : [ { "id" : "analyze" , ... }, // ✓ Correct ID { "id" : "suggest" , "prompt" : "{{steps.analyze.output}}" } // ✓ Valid reference ] }
Workflow Best Practices 1. Keep Steps Focused ❌ Bad: Single massive step
{ "id" : "do-everything" , "prompt" : "Research, analyze, write, edit, and optimize content for: {{input}}" }
✓ Good: Multiple focused steps
[ { "id" : "research" , "prompt" : "Research: {{input}}" }, { "id" : "write" , "prompt" : "Write based on: {{steps.research.output}}" }, { "id" : "edit" , "prompt" : "Edit: {{steps.write.output}}" } ]
2. Set Realistic Timeouts
Simple tasks: 30-60 seconds
Complex analysis: 90-180 seconds
Code generation: 60-120 seconds
Research: 120-300 seconds
3. Use Appropriate Agents Match agents to task types:
[ { "agent" : "researcher" , "prompt" : "Research topic" }, // ✓ Good { "agent" : "coder" , "prompt" : "Write code" }, // ✓ Good { "agent" : "writer" , "prompt" : "Edit content" }, // ✓ Good { "agent" : "coder" , "prompt" : "Research biology" } // ✗ Wrong agent ]
4. Validate JSON Before Creating # Validate JSON syntax jq empty workflow.json && echo "Valid JSON" || echo "Invalid JSON" # Pretty-print for readability jq . workflow.json > workflow-formatted.json
5. Test Steps Individually Before creating a workflow, test each prompt with openfang message:
# Test step 1 openfang message researcher "Research AI in healthcare" # Test step 2 with sample output openfang message writer "Write a blog post based on: [sample research output]"
Advanced Usage Dynamic Workflows Generate workflows programmatically:
#!/bin/bash # generate-workflow.sh cat > dynamic-workflow.json << EOF { "name": "multi-language-review-$( date +%s)", "steps": [ $( for lang in python javascript rust; do cat << STEP { "id": "review- $lang ", "agent": "coder", "prompt": "Review $lang code: {{input}}" }, STEP done | sed '$ s/,$//') ] } EOF openfang workflow create dynamic-workflow.json
Workflow Chaining Use the output of one workflow as input to another:
# Run workflow 1 OUTPUT1 = $( openfang workflow run w1a2b3c4 "Initial input" | tail -n 1 ) # Run workflow 2 with output from workflow 1 openfang workflow run w2b3c4d5 " $OUTPUT1 "
Parallel Execution Currently, workflow steps execute sequentially. For parallel execution, use separate workflows:
# Start multiple workflows in parallel openfang workflow run w1a2b3c4 "Task 1" & openfang workflow run w2b3c4d5 "Task 2" & openfang workflow run w3c4d5e6 "Task 3" & wait echo "All workflows completed"
Next Steps
Trigger Commands Automate workflows with event triggers
Skill Commands Enhance workflows with custom skills