Workflows

A workflow is a set of steps. Each step is an agent run with its own prompt. Steps can depend on other steps and receive their results, and steps that do not depend on each other run in parallel.

1. research
2. draft
3. verify

Define one

In YAML or JSON:

name: release-notes
description: Write release notes from the last commits
nodes:
  - id: collect
    prompt: List the commits since the last tag and group them by area.
  - id: draft
    needs: [collect]
    prompt: Write release notes from the grouped commits.
    output_format: Markdown with one section per area.
  - id: check
    kind: verifier
    needs: [draft]
    prompt: Check the notes against the commit list. Say PASS or FAIL.

Field	Meaning
id	Unique name of the step
prompt	What the step must do (required)
needs	Steps whose results this step receives. They run first
kind	agent (default), verifier, critic or router
routes	For a router: the steps it may choose between (required for a router)
max_turns	Turn limit for the step
output_format	The shape you want the result in

The kinds change the role given to the step: a verifier checks the outputs it depends on and answers PASS or FAIL, a critic looks for weaknesses and risks, a router picks the next step among its routes.

Seshat checks the file before running: duplicate ids, unknown dependencies, a router with no routes or one that routes to itself, and cycles are all refused.

Run it from the CLI

seshat workflow run release-notes.yaml
seshat workflow run release-notes.yaml --json --max-parallel 2

By default up to 4 steps run at once. The usual --model, --permission-mode and --cwd options work here too.

Run it from Go

def, err := sdk.LoadWorkflowFile("release-notes.yaml")
if err != nil {
    log.Fatal(err)
}

result, err := client.RunWorkflow(ctx, def, sdk.WorkflowOptions{MaxParallel: 2})
if err != nil {
    log.Fatal(err)
}
for _, id := range result.Order {
    n := result.Results[id]
    fmt.Println(id, n.Success, n.Output)
}

ValidateWorkflow(def) checks a definition without running it. By default each step runs as a call to client.Ask, with the prompt built from the step and the results of its dependencies. To run steps your own way, pass an Executor in WorkflowOptions.