Workflow Orchestration

State file: ~/.openclaw/skill-state/workflow-orchestration/state.yaml

A workflow is a named sequence of skill invocations with optional conditions. Define it once, run it reliably every time.

When to Use

• A recurring task always follows the same skill sequence (e.g. review → plan → execute → verify)
• A multi-step process needs to resume if interrupted
• You want conditional branching: "if step 2 fails, run skill X instead"

Defining a Workflow

A workflow is defined inline as:

workflow: <name>
steps:
  1. <skill-name>: <brief instruction>
  2. <skill-name>: <brief instruction>
  [on_failure: <skill-name>]
  3. <skill-name>: <brief instruction>

Running a Workflow

Step 1: Load or Create

• If a workflow named <name> exists in state, load it and check current_step
• If new, write workflow definition to state with status: in_progress, current_step: 1

Step 2: Execute Current Step

• Announce: "Workflow <name> — step [N]: invoking <skill-name>"
• Invoke the skill with its instruction
• If step succeeds: advance current_step, update last_updated
• If step fails and on_failure is set: invoke the fallback skill, then continue
• If step fails with no fallback: set status: blocked, write blocked_reason, stop and notify user

Step 3: Repeat Until Done

Continue until all steps complete. Set status: complete.

Key Principles

• One active workflow at a time per state file
• Always announce which step you're on so the user can follow along
• Never silently skip a step — blocked is better than wrong