Workflows Overview
A workflow in TARX is a directed acyclic graph (DAG) of nodes that execute in sequence. You build workflows visually on a canvas — drag nodes from a palette, connect them with edges, configure each node in an inspector panel, and run the entire pipeline with a single click.
Workflows are the heart of TARX. Every automation, every multi-agent pipeline, every integration — it all lives in a workflow.
The Visual Canvas
The workflow editor is a full-screen canvas powered by React Flow. The interface has three areas:
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Toolbar: [Save] [Run ▶] [Export] [Templates] [Status: Live] │
├────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────┤
│ Node │ │ Inspector │
│ Palette│ Canvas (React Flow) │ Panel │
│ │ │ │
│ Trigger│ [Trigger]──→[Agent]──→[Branch] │ (selected │
│ Agent │ ↓ ↓ │ node config)│
│ Branch │ [Agent 2] [Agent 3] │ │
│ Loop │ ↓ ↓ │ │
│ Output │ [Output]←─┘ │ │
│ HiL │ │ │
│ Note │ │ │
└────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────┘
- Node Palette (left) — Drag nodes onto the canvas
- Canvas (center) — The visual graph editor
- Inspector Panel (right) — Configuration for the selected node
DAG Execution Model
Workflows execute as a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG):
- Execution starts at the Trigger node
- Nodes execute in topological order — a node only runs after all its upstream nodes have completed
- Branches execute in parallel when possible (if two branches have no dependency on each other)
- Each node's output is available to downstream nodes via expressions like
{{agent_1.output}}
In this example:
researcherruns first (after trigger)Branchevaluates the conditionsummarizerORexpanderruns (depending on the branch)Outputshows the final result — connect both branches to it to rejoin paths (the skipped branch is ignored)
Node Types
| Node | Type Name | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | triggerNode | Starts execution (Manual / Webhook / Schedule / HTTP) |
| Agent | agentNode | Runs an LLM agent call |
| Branch (Condition) | branchNode | Routes execution based on a Python expression |
| Loop / Iterator | loopNode | Iterates over a list, running downstream nodes once per item |
| Output | outputNode | Marks the end of a workflow path, collects results |
| Human-in-Loop | humanLoopNode | Pauses execution for human approval |
| Note | noteNode | Visual annotation (no execution effect) |
See Node Types Reference for the full technical spec of each node.
Execution Flow
When a workflow runs:
Key points:
- Execution is asynchronous — the API returns 202 immediately with an
execution_id - The canvas shows live animation via Server-Sent Events (SSE) streaming
- Nodes show different states: idle → pulsing (running) → green (complete) → red (failed)
- A
"Live"indicator appears in the topbar during active execution - Results are saved for the Executions history page
Expressions
Nodes communicate via expressions — {{variable.output}} placeholders that are resolved at execution time:
| Expression | Resolved Value |
|---|---|
{{trigger.output}} | The trigger's output (user input, webhook payload, etc.) |
{{agent_1.output}} | The output text from the agent named "agent_1" |
{{loop_1.current_item}} | Current item in a loop iteration |
{{loop_1.index}} | Current loop index (0-based) |
{{branch_1.output}} | The branch node's output |
Expressions can appear in any text field in the node inspector — agent input, condition expressions, output values, etc.
See Expressions for the complete reference.
Workflow Lifecycle
Workflow Scope and Access
Workflows are project-scoped:
- Only members of the project can view/edit/run workflows
- Roles control access: Readers can trigger; Editors create/edit; Admins manage all
Workflows reference agents by ID. If an agent is deleted, the workflow node referencing it will fail at runtime.
Next Steps
- Building Your First Workflow — Hands-on tutorial
- Node Types — Complete reference for all nodes
- Triggers — How to start workflows automatically
- Expressions — How data flows between nodes
- Executions — Viewing results, re-running, debugging