Workflow Format Reference

This page documents the workflow template manifest format used by the HELIX Marketplace.

Manifest Structure

{
  "type": "workflow",
  "name": "Content Pipeline",
  "slug": "hn-content-pipeline",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Automated content creation workflow",
  "requirements": {
    "min_plan": "pro",
    "min_helix_version": "1.0.0"
  },
  "workflow_config": {
    "trigger": "manual",
    "required_agents": [
      "hn-content-writer",
      "hn-editor",
      "hn-seo-specialist"
    ],
    "steps": [
      {
        "id": "brief",
        "name": "Create Brief",
        "agent_template": "hn-content-writer",
        "action": "Create a content brief based on the input topic.",
        "depends_on": [],
        "timeout_minutes": 30,
        "requires_approval": false
      },
      {
        "id": "write",
        "name": "Write Draft",
        "agent_template": "hn-content-writer",
        "action": "Write a full article based on the brief.",
        "depends_on": ["brief"],
        "timeout_minutes": 60,
        "requires_approval": false
      },
      {
        "id": "review",
        "name": "Editorial Review",
        "agent_template": "hn-editor",
        "action": "Review the draft for quality and accuracy.",
        "depends_on": ["write"],
        "timeout_minutes": 30,
        "requires_approval": true
      },
      {
        "id": "seo",
        "name": "SEO Optimization",
        "agent_template": "hn-seo-specialist",
        "action": "Optimize the article for search engines.",
        "depends_on": ["review"],
        "timeout_minutes": 30,
        "requires_approval": false
      }
    ]
  }
}

Fields

Top Level

Field	Type	Required	Description
type	string	Yes	Must be "workflow"
name	string	Yes	Display name
slug	string	Yes	Unique identifier
version	string	Yes	Semver version
description	string	Yes	Short description
requirements	object	No	Plan and version requirements

requirements

Field	Type	Default	Description
min_plan	string	"pro"	Minimum plan: trial, starter, pro, scale, enterprise
min_helix_version	string	"1.0.0"	Minimum HELIX version

workflow_config

Field	Type	Required	Description
trigger	string	No	Trigger type: manual, schedule, event
required_agents	string[]	No	List of agent template slugs used
steps	array	Yes	Step definitions

workflow_config.steps[]

Field	Type	Required	Description
id	string	Yes	Unique step ID (max 50 chars)
name	string	Yes	Display name
agent_template	string	No	Agent template slug to map
action	string	No	Action prompt / instructions
depends_on	string[]	No	IDs of steps this depends on
timeout_minutes	number	No	Timeout in minutes (default: 60)
requires_approval	boolean	No	Pause for human approval (default: false)

DAG Rules

1. Steps form a directed acyclic graph — no circular dependencies
2. All depends_on references must point to valid step IDs
3. Steps with empty depends_on are root steps and execute first
4. Steps with all dependencies completed execute in parallel