Workflow Quickstart

Overview

In this quickstart guide, you'll create a complete workflow that:

1. Receives a webhook request
2. Processes data with an AI agent
3. Sends a notification with the result

Time required: ~10 minutes

Prerequisites

• Arcanflows account (free tier works)
• An AI agent created (or use the default assistant)

Step 1: Create a New Workflow

1. Navigate to Workflows in the sidebar
2. Click Create Workflow
3. Enter a name: "My First Workflow"
4. Click Create

You'll be taken to the visual workflow builder with an empty canvas.

Step 2: Add a Webhook Trigger

Every workflow starts with a trigger. We'll use a webhook trigger.

1. Click the + button or drag from the node palette
2. Select Triggers → Webhook
3. Configure the webhook:

Method: POST
Path: /my-first-webhook
Authentication: None (for testing)

1. Click Save

Your webhook URL will be displayed:

https://api.arcanflows.com/webhooks/{your-workflow-id}/my-first-webhook

Step 3: Add an AI Agent Node

Now let's process the incoming data with AI.

1. Click the + on the webhook node's output
2. Select Actions → AI Agent
3. Configure:

Agent: Select your agent (or "Default Assistant")
Message: Analyze this request and provide a summary: {{trigger.body.message}}
Wait for response: Yes

1. Click Save

Step 4: Add a Notification

Let's send the AI response via notification.

1. Click the + on the AI Agent node's output
2. Select Actions → Send Notification
3. Configure:

Channel: Email (or Slack if configured)
To: [email protected]
Subject: Workflow Result
Message:
  Original message: {{trigger.body.message}}

  AI Analysis: {{ai_agent.response}}

1. Click Save

Step 5: Your Complete Workflow

Your workflow should now look like this:

┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐
│   Webhook    │────▶│   AI Agent   │────▶│    Send      │
│   Trigger    │     │   Process    │     │  Notification│
└──────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────────────┘

Step 6: Test Your Workflow

Option A: Use the Test Panel

1. Click Test in the toolbar
2. Enter test data:

jsonCopy
{
  "message": "Hello! Please analyze this test message and tell me what it's about."
}

1. Click Run Test
2. Watch the execution flow through each node
3. Check your email for the notification

Option B: Use cURL

bashCopy
curl -X POST "https://api.arcanflows.com/webhooks/{your-workflow-id}/my-first-webhook" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "message": "Hello! Please analyze this test message and tell me what it is about."
  }'

Step 7: Publish Your Workflow

Once testing is successful:

1. Click Publish in the toolbar
2. Confirm the publish action
3. Your workflow is now live!

What You Built

Congratulations! You've created a workflow that:

• ✅ Receives HTTP requests via webhook
• ✅ Processes data with AI
• ✅ Sends notifications automatically

Viewing Execution History

To see past executions:

1. Click Executions tab
2. View list of all runs
3. Click any execution to see:
   • Input/output for each node
   • Timing information
   • Any errors that occurred

Next Steps

Now that you've built your first workflow, try these enhancements:

Add Conditional Logic

If AI detects urgency → Send to Slack
Otherwise → Send email summary

1. Add a Condition node after the AI Agent
2. Set condition: {{ai_agent.response.urgency}} === 'high'
3. Connect different notification nodes to each branch

Add Error Handling

1. Click on any node
2. Go to Error Handling tab
3. Configure:
   • Retry on failure: 3 times
   • Fallback action: Send error notification

Store Data

Add a database node to save results:

1. Add Database node after AI Agent
2. Configure INSERT operation
3. Map fields from the AI response

Schedule Regular Runs

Change the trigger to run on a schedule:

1. Replace webhook with Schedule trigger
2. Set cron: 0 9 * * * (daily at 9 AM)
3. Fetch data from an API instead of webhook body

Quick Reference

Common Variables

Keyboard Shortcuts

Troubleshooting

Webhook not receiving requests

• Check the webhook URL is correct
• Verify the HTTP method matches (POST)
• Ensure workflow is published

AI Agent timing out

• Check agent configuration
• Reduce message complexity
• Increase timeout in node settings

Notification not sending

• Verify notification channel is configured
• Check email/Slack credentials
• Look for errors in execution history

Example Workflows

Customer Support Router

Webhook → AI Classify → Switch →
  ├─ Billing → Create Billing Ticket
  ├─ Technical → Create Tech Ticket
  └─ General → Send FAQ Email

Lead Qualification

Form Submit → AI Qualify → Condition →
  ├─ Score > 80 → Notify Sales + Create CRM Record
  └─ Score < 80 → Add to Nurture Campaign

Daily Report

Schedule (9 AM) → Query Database → AI Summarize → Send Email Report

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Ready to learn more? Check out the Builder Interface for a complete guide to all workflow features.