Creating Workflows

Build workflows when you need reliable automation with clear inputs, clear outputs and repeatable logic.

Before You Build

Define three things first:

1. Objective: What outcome should this workflow produce?
2. Input: What data starts the run?
3. Output: What should be saved, sent or returned?

If you skip this step, workflows become hard to debug and hard to maintain.

Build Flow

1. Open Workflows in Scout
2. Click New Workflow
3. Add an Input block and define fields
4. Add blocks for processing, decisions and outputs
5. Connect block outputs into downstream block inputs
6. Run in Console and validate results

Practical Build Pattern

Use this order for most production workflows:

1. Validate input
2. Fetch context (Collections, APIs, integrations)
3. Transform and decide (conditions, templates, AI)
4. Take action (write data, send messages, call systems)
5. Return structured output

Use with Agents

If your workflow is exposed as an agent tool:

• Keep input schema explicit and small
• Return predictable output keys
• Include clear failure messages in output
• Avoid side effects before validation steps

Instruction snippet for agent tools:

When calling this workflow tool:
 
1. Confirm required inputs before execution.
2. Prefer the smallest valid payload.
3. On failure, return the error reason and next action.
4. On success, return concise output with IDs and paths.

Common Mistakes

• Overloading one workflow with too many unrelated jobs
• Writing to external systems before validation
• Returning free-form text instead of structured outputs
• Skipping test runs with realistic input payloads

Next Steps

• Blocks: Choose the right building blocks
• Logic and State: Pass data safely between blocks
• Console: Test and debug runs faster

Built with ❤️ by Scout OS