Build a workflow

A workflow is a recipe that runs by itself. It starts with one trigger (what starts it, such as “every row of a list” or “an email arrives”) followed by steps, which Connie calls actions. Each step does one thing: find an email address, ask AI to research a company, send a message, wait two days. You build it on a canvas in the Build tab. Where: left sidebar → Automations → click a workflow · https://connie.ai/<workspace-id>/workflows/<workflow-id> To create a new workflow, see Create a workflow.

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The builder at a glance

Top bar, from left to right:

• Automations › workflow name. Click the name to rename it. Its menu also has Share, Duplicate and Delete.
• Ask Connie: opens a chat panel where you can ask Connie to build or change the workflow for you.
• Share (globe icon): Manage access or Share as template. See Templates and sharing.
• Workflow settings (gear icon): running hours and error rules. Hidden when the trigger is Schedule, because the schedule card holds those settings. See Workflow settings.
• Run control: Run, a green Live pill, or Running. See Test and run.
• A red Missing field pill (with a count) replaces the run control while any step has an empty required field. Click it to jump to the next step that needs filling in.

Tabs under the top bar:

• Records: the rows the workflow works through. Only shown for workflows that Run every row of a list. Use its Actions menu to add records, import them (CSV, LinkedIn, your CRM or a List) or export.
• Build: the canvas where you design the steps.
• Runs: a read-only grid of results, with one row per run (or per list row) and one column per step. See Run history.
• The chart icon at the right opens the Analytics side panel.

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The canvas

Steps are laid out automatically from top to bottom. You don’t place cards by hand.

• The trigger card is always first. Its small label reads Source for a list-based workflow (for example “Source / Each item in Records”, with the row count underneath), “Form · 2 fields” for a manual workflow with a form, or Trigger for the rest.
• Step cards show the step’s category above its name, for example “Data & Logic / Calculator” or “Google Sheets / Add Google Sheet row”.
• A red strip such as 1 field is required means that step can’t run yet. Click the card and fill the fields marked with an asterisk (*).
• Drag the empty background to move around. Click Zoom to fit (bottom-left) to see the whole workflow.
• Right-click empty canvas for Paste and Select All.

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Add a step

Record and list actions (add, update or search records in a list) are under the Workflows tab. Actions for connected apps such as HubSpot or Slack need that app connected first. See Connect accounts.

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Configure a step

Click a card to open its settings panel.

• Title: click it to rename the step. See Rename a step.
• Credit pill: what the step costs per run.
• Description and the step’s fields. Required fields have an asterisk (*).
• In most text fields, click the + at the end of the field (or type @) to insert a variable: data from the trigger, the current row or an earlier step.
• Footer: Test, Cancel and Save.

Test runs this one step for real so you can see its output. It really sends messages and spends credits. See Test a step.

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Connect steps

When you add a step with a + button, it’s connected for you. To connect two existing steps by hand, drag from the dot at the bottom of one card to the top of another. Connecting two branches into one step joins them. If a connection isn’t allowed, a message explains why, for example:

• “Can’t connect a node to itself.”
• “Can’t connect: this would create a loop in the flow.”
• “Can’t connect across containers. Move the nodes into the same flow first.”
• “That connection already exists.”

To remove a connection, hover the line and click the trash icon (“Delete connection”).

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Move a step

Press and hold a card until it lifts, then drop it on a line or an empty slot. Anything below it in the same path moves with it. Press Esc to cancel.

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Duplicate, copy and paste

• Duplicate: step ⋯ → Duplicate, or select it and press Ctrl+D (Cmd+D on Mac). The copy appears right after the original.
• Copy: step ⋯ → Copy. Then select the step you want to paste after and press Ctrl+V / Cmd+V, or right-click the canvas → Paste.

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Delete a step

Step ⋯ → Delete Action (or Delete Router for a Router), or select the card and press Delete. Confirm in the Delete node? window. Deleting a step that has branches under it asks which path to keep, or offers Delete all paths. You can undo a delete with Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z. The trigger can’t be deleted. To change it, use the trigger card’s ⋯ → Change.

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The step ⋯ menu

A Router’s menu also has Add Flow (a new branch). The trigger’s menu has Change.

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Rename a step

Click the step’s title in its settings panel and type a new name. Every later step that uses this step’s data is updated to the new name automatically. If two steps would have the same name, Connie adds “(2)”, “(3)” and so on. Step names matter: they’re how variables refer to a step, so short, clear names (“Find Email”, “Research Company”) make the rest of the workflow easier to read.

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Undo and redo

• Undo: Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z.
• Redo: Ctrl+Shift+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z, or Ctrl+Y.

Undo covers the last 50 changes. Undo and redo aren’t available while the workflow is live.

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How saving works

• Adding, moving, connecting and deleting steps saves straight away.
• A step’s settings save only when you click Save in its panel.
• There’s no version history. Changes apply to the one workflow; you can’t roll back to an earlier version. Duplicate the workflow first if you want a backup.
• If you leave the page with unsaved step edits, Connie asks “Leave without saving?”. If you come back in the same browser tab, you’re offered Restore or Discard.
• If someone else (or Connie) changes the step while you’re editing, you’ll see Load latest and Keep my edits.

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Editing a live workflow

While a workflow is live, its structure is locked so runs in progress aren’t broken. You can’t add, duplicate, copy, paste or delete steps, connections or branches, or change the trigger. Locked items are dimmed with the tooltip “Draft the workflow to make changes”. You can still change the settings inside existing steps, activate or deactivate steps, pin output, require approval and create variants. To change the structure, click the green Live pill → Pause, or click Set to draft in the “This workflow is live” window.

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Kinds of steps

• AI: Run AI agent (research, write, decide, using tools you allow), plus logic steps: Router, AI Analyzer, For each, Delay. See Logic and control.
• Enrichment: find emails, phone numbers and company data.
• LinkedIn: send messages, connection requests and InMail; visit profiles; check connection status.
• Email & Messaging: Send Email (from your connected Gmail or Outlook), Slack and WhatsApp messages, reply tracking.
• Data & Logic: Formula, Calculator, Api Call (send a request to another app’s URL), Scrape Web, Search Internet, and helpers for text and lists. Most are free.
• Workflows: add, update and search records in your Records lists, and manage tasks. These are free.
• Connectors & Settings and others: actions for apps you connect, such as HubSpot, Slack, Google Sheets and Notion.

There is no “End” step. A branch simply ends after its last step.

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Good to know

• Who can edit: anyone with Can edit access to the workflow. View-only users see a View only badge, and actions show “You are in view-only mode”.
• Credits: each paid step charges its price every time it runs, once per row. Logic steps, Formula, data helpers and Records actions are free. Run AI agent charges a 1-credit step fee plus AI usage and any paid tools it uses. See Credits.
• Variants: at most 5 per step.

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Troubleshooting

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Related

• Triggers — choose what starts the workflow
• Variables — use data from earlier steps
• Logic and control — branches, loops, delays, approvals
• Test and run — test steps, go live, read results
• Workflow troubleshooting — common problems