> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.connie.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Build a workflow > Use the workflow builder: add, configure, connect, move and delete steps, and save your changes. 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//workflows/` To create a new workflow, see [Create a workflow](/automations/overview#create-a-workflow). ## 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](/automations/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](/automations/workflows/test-and-run#workflow-settings). * **Run control:** **Run**, a green **Live** pill, or **Running**. See [Test and run](/automations/workflows/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](/automations/workflows/test-and-run#the-runs-tab). * The chart icon at the right opens the **Analytics** side panel. ## 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**. ## Add a step Click the **+** at the end of the flow to add a step at the end, or the **+** on a line between two cards to insert a step there. The **Add an Action** panel opens on the right. Browse the category tabs (**All**, **AI**, **Data & Logic**, **Enrichment**, **LinkedIn**, **Email & Messaging**, **Sales**, **Productivity**, **Automation**, **Workflows**, **Connectors & Settings**) or type in **Search**. Search looks inside the selected tab; if nothing matches, it offers "N results in All". The **All** tab starts with a **Suggested** group, led by **Run AI agent** (the AI Agent step). Hover any action to see what it does and what it costs: a number of credits per run, **Free**, **Varies**, or "From N" for Run AI agent. **View all actions** at the bottom opens a larger picker. The step appears on the canvas and its settings panel opens. See [Configure a step](#configure-a-step) below. 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](/tools/connect-accounts). ## Configure a step Click a card to open its settings panel. * **Title:** click it to rename the step. See [Rename a step](#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](/automations/workflows/variables): data from the trigger, the current row or an earlier step. * **Footer:** **Test**, **Cancel** and **Save**. **Step settings don't save automatically.** Click **Save** before you click another card. If you switch to another step with unsaved edits, you'll see "Unsaved changes discarded". **Test** runs this one step for real so you can see its output. It really sends messages and spends credits. See [Test a step](/automations/workflows/test-and-run#test-a-step). ## 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"). ## 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. ## 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**. **Ctrl+C / Cmd+C doesn't copy a step.** That's on purpose. Use **⋯** → **Copy**. ## 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**. Deleting a step doesn't update later steps that used its data. Those steps show "1 unresolved variable" and will fail or run with a blank. See [Variables](/automations/workflows/variables#renaming-and-deleting-steps). ## The step ⋯ menu | Item | What it does | | - | - | | **Open** | Opens the settings panel. | | **Duplicate** | Adds a copy right after this step. | | **Copy** | Copies the step so you can paste it elsewhere. | | **Create Variant** | Adds an A/B version of this step (up to 5). Not available on triggers, Routers, branching steps or For Each. | | **Deactivate** / **Activate** | A deactivated step is skipped in runs (its cells show **Node deactivated**). Later steps still run, with blanks where its data would be. | | **Pin output** / **Unpin output** | Reuses this step's last test result instead of running it. **This also applies to live runs.** See [Pin output](/automations/workflows/test-and-run#pin-output). | | **Require approval** / **Remove approval** | Pauses each run at this step until someone approves. See [Logic and control](/automations/workflows/logic#require-approval). | | **Continue run on error** / **Stop run on error** | Chooses whether a failure here stops the rest of the run. See [Logic and control](/automations/workflows/logic#when-a-step-fails). | | **Delete Action** | Removes the step. | A Router's menu also has **Add Flow** (a new branch). The trigger's menu has **Change**. ## 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](/automations/workflows/variables) refer to a step, so short, clear names ("Find Email", "Research Company") make the rest of the workflow easier to read. ## 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. ## 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**. ## 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. Setting a workflow to draft **cancels every run in progress**. Those rows are queued and resume when you set it live again. See [Set a workflow live](/automations/workflows/test-and-run#set-a-workflow-live). ## 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](/automations/workflows/logic). * **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](/records/overview) 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. ## 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](/automations/workflows/test-and-run#credits). * **Variants:** at most 5 per step. ## Troubleshooting **Why:** The workflow is live, so its structure is locked. **Fix:** Click the **Live** pill → **Pause**, or **Set to draft** in the popup. Remember this cancels runs in progress. Settings inside existing steps can still be edited while live. **Why:** A required field (marked \*) is empty. **Fix:** Click the red **Missing field** pill in the top bar to jump to the next incomplete step, and fill the field. **Why:** The action behind this step has been removed from Connie. **Fix:** Click the card to see details, then delete the step and replace it with a different action. **Why:** Step settings only save when you click **Save**. **Fix:** If you're in the same browser tab, reopen the workflow and click **Restore**. Otherwise, redo the change and click **Save**. **Why:** The layout is automatic; cards can't be placed freely. **Fix:** Press and hold the card until it lifts, then drop it on a line to move it to another place in the flow. **Why:** You tried to drop a step somewhere below itself. **Fix:** Drop it on a line outside its own branch. **Why:** The shortcut is turned off on purpose. **Fix:** Use the step's **⋯** → **Copy**, then **Ctrl+V** / **Cmd+V**. **Why:** The rename saved, but later steps couldn't be updated automatically. **Fix:** Open the later steps that used this step. Remove any chips shown in amber and insert them again from the variable picker. **Why:** The workflow's structure couldn't be displayed. **Fix:** Try rebuilding it with **Ask Connie**, or contact [support](/help/contact-support). **Why:** The trigger is **Schedule**; its card holds those settings. **Fix:** Click the Schedule trigger card. See [Triggers](/automations/workflows/triggers#schedule). ## Related * [Triggers](/automations/workflows/triggers) — choose what starts the workflow * [Variables](/automations/workflows/variables) — use data from earlier steps * [Logic and control](/automations/workflows/logic) — branches, loops, delays, approvals * [Test and run](/automations/workflows/test-and-run) — test steps, go live, read results * [Workflow troubleshooting](/automations/workflows/troubleshooting) — common problems This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.