# Build a Workflow > Build, test, and schedule a workflow from an agent, the builder chat, or the manual canvas. Content type: documentation Source URL: https://www.agentpmt.com/docs/getting-started/build-a-workflow Markdown URL: https://www.agentpmt.com/docs/getting-started/build-a-workflow?format=agent-md Category: Getting Started --- # Build a Workflow A workflow is a set of steps an agent runs on its own, without needing your input at each stage. You build it once, and from then on any agent can run it with a single instruction — on demand or on a schedule. --- ## What Is a Workflow A **workflow** is a reusable sequence of steps. You define it once for something you want to happen repeatedly, and the agent executes the same sequence every time instead of you walking it through each stage. It can be simple or multi-step: **Simple** — Check a set of websites for updates each day and send you a digest in Slack. **Multi-step** — Pull the day's email, extract every invoice, run OCR on each one, file them into the right Google Drive folders, and push them into your bookkeeping platform. Either way, the workflow owns the wiring between steps. You do not repeat yourself, and the result is the same every run. For the deeper model — nodes, sessions, publishing, and remixing — see [Workflows — Core Concepts](https://www.agentpmt.com/docs/core-concepts/what-is-a-workflow). --- ## When to Use a Workflow If you are going to do something more than two or three times and you want it to happen the same way each time, a workflow is the way to go. You do not have to repeat yourself, you can track every run, and the output stays consistent. **Build a workflow when** the same multi-step process repeats, order matters, you want a predictable result, or you want to share the recipe. **Skip the workflow when** you only need a single tool, the steps change every time, or you are still figuring out the right sequence. Let the agent pick tools freestyle until the pattern stabilizes. --- ## How to Build a Workflow There are three ways to build a workflow. They all produce the same thing — a named, runnable recipe — so pick the one that fits how you like to work. ### From an agent If you have the AgentPMT MCP tool connected to an agent such as Claude or OpenClaw, you can build a workflow by just describing it. Tell the agent the outcome you want and the steps involved; it drafts the workflow for you. See [Connect An Agent](https://www.agentpmt.com/docs/getting-started/connect-an-agent) to get MCP set up first. ### Builder chat Open the [Workflow Builder](https://www.agentpmt.com/agent-workflow-skills-builder?mode=workflow) from your dashboard and use the in-builder chat. Describe the workflow in plain language and the builder assembles the nodes for you. Review and adjust before saving. ### Manual canvas Open the [Workflow Builder](https://www.agentpmt.com/agent-workflow-skills-builder?mode=workflow) and assemble the workflow yourself — drop tool nodes onto the canvas, connect them in order, and configure each node's inputs. Full steps below. ### Build it on the canvas ### Open the Workflow Builder Go to the [Workflow Builder](https://www.agentpmt.com/agent-workflow-skills-builder?mode=workflow). The canvas is empty by default. ### Name the workflow and write the outcome in one sentence Examples: _"Search the web for a topic and summarize the top three results into bullet points."_ The name and description are what your agent reads to decide whether to run this workflow, so write them for an agent reader, not a human. ### Drop tool nodes onto the canvas Use the sidebar to search the marketplace. Click a tool to add it as a node. Each node is one tool call. ### Connect nodes in execution order Draw a line from each node's output to the next node's input. The connection defines both order and data flow — the next node sees the previous node's output. ### Configure each node's inputs Click a node to open its config panel. Pass literal values, reference outputs from earlier nodes, or pull values from the workflow's inputs. ### Publish or keep private **Private** keeps the workflow in your account only. **Public** gives it a marketplace page so others can discover and run it. ### Write the description for an agent reader Agents pick workflows by reading the name and description. Describe the _outcome_ (what the user gets at the end), the _trigger_ (when this is the right workflow to use), and any _inputs_ the user must supply. ### Start with two or three steps Most useful workflows are short. Long workflows are harder to debug, more expensive per run, and more brittle when one tool changes. If you reach six steps, ask whether two of them belong in their own workflow. ### Make every node's input explicit Do not rely on the agent to "figure out" what to pass. Reference previous-node outputs by field, set sensible defaults, and validate at the node where bad input enters — not three steps downstream. ### Test each tool individually first Before wiring tools together, run each one alone with the same inputs you will pass in the workflow. If a tool needs credentials, bind them on the Agent Group before testing. --- ## How to Test a Workflow You can test a workflow from three places: - **The builder** — Run the workflow from the canvas with a sample input. Each node lights up as it executes, and any error shows on the node that failed. Fix it and re-run. - **Your dashboard** — Run the workflow against a hosted agent to confirm it works end to end the way an agent will actually invoke it. - **An outside agent** — Trigger it from Claude, OpenClaw, or any MCP-connected client to confirm the agent picks it up and completes it. **If the agent struggles to complete it** Two fixes cover most failures. First, **upgrade to a smarter model** on the agent or Agent Group running the workflow — harder chains need a stronger model. Second, **clarify the instructions in the workflow**: make the outcome, trigger, and required inputs explicit so the agent is not guessing. --- ## Run a Workflow on a Schedule There is a scheduler in your dashboard that runs workflows on repeat automatically. You set the schedule and AgentPMT boots the workflow at the right time. Use **Control Center -> Workflows -> Schedules** when a workflow should run on a calendar or interval. Schedules are attached to an Agent Group and can only target workflows that the group is allowed to access. **Notify yourself after a run** Add a final step to the workflow that sends an alert when it finishes — Telegram, Slack, Discord, SMS, and others are available as tools in the marketplace. Drop the notification node at the end of the chain and every scheduled run pings you with the result. For the two schedule execution modes (bring-your-own agent vs. AgentPMT managed run), credit requirements, and the BYO claim API, see [Using Workflows and Tools](https://www.agentpmt.com/docs/getting-started/using-workflows-and-tools#schedule-a-workflow). --- ## Where to next ### [Using Workflows and Tools](https://www.agentpmt.com/docs/getting-started/using-workflows-and-tools) Every way to invoke what you just built. ### [Workflows — Core Concepts](https://www.agentpmt.com/docs/core-concepts/what-is-a-workflow) Sessions, nodes, remixing, publishing.