claude-skills/engineering/workflow-builder/README.md
Claude bb9732bf10
feat(engineering): add workflow-builder skill for Claude Code workflows
New engineering/workflow-builder plugin: an intake-first skill that designs
and writes deterministic multi-agent workflow .js files for Claude Code's
Workflow tool (CLAUDE_CODE_WORKFLOWS=1, /workflows).

- Opens every session with the intake question set; when the user is vague,
  a stdlib recommendation engine infers and proposes a topology with rationale
  instead of stalling or interrogating in a loop.
- 3 stdlib Python tools: workflow_intake.py (topology + model + budget +
  rationale recommender), validate_workflow.py (.js linter enforcing
  pure-literal-meta / no-non-determinism / no-Node-APIs / parallel-thunk /
  guarded-loop rules), scaffold_workflow.py (5-topology starter generator).
- 3 references (7-8 sources each): API surface, orchestration patterns,
  decision + intake guide. 3 templates + a runnable PR-triage example.
- cs-workflow-architect agent + /cs:workflow-build command.
- Registered in marketplace.json (61 -> 62 plugins).

Conceptually inspired by Ray Amjad's claude-code-workflow-creator; all content
written fresh from the publicly-documented Workflow tool API.

Gates: description PASS, structure PASS (78 lines), review-checklist WARN
(skill vs Workflow tool terminology — official feature name), complexity 85/100.
All scripts pass --help/--sample; all shipped .js validate PASS.

https://claude.ai/code/session_01Q1kXbgMRodzhdTpgbCqVgx
2026-05-27 14:20:53 +00:00

3.3 KiB

workflow-builder

Design and write deterministic multi-agent workflow scripts for Claude Code's Workflow tool — .js files in .claude/workflows/ that fan work out to fresh-context sub-agents under plain JavaScript control flow. Only leaf agent() calls spend tokens, so the main session stays clean and the run is resumable.

Targets the Workflow tool introduced in Claude Code v2.1.147 (gated behind CLAUDE_CODE_WORKFLOWS=1, browsable via /workflows).

The intake-first rule

Every workflow-creation session opens with an intake question set (what task, what unit of work, known list vs. loop, barrier vs. pipeline, structured output, depth). When the user is vague, the skill does not stall or interrogate in a loop — it runs a deterministic recommendation engine that infers a topology and presents it with the reasoning ("here's what I'd build and why"), then confirms before writing any file.

What's in the box

Component Where What it does
Intake recommendation engine skills/workflow-builder/scripts/workflow_intake.py Classifies a (vague) task → recommended topology + runner-up + per-stage model plan + budget guard + a one-line rationale per choice.
Workflow validator skills/workflow-builder/scripts/validate_workflow.py Stdlib linter for .js workflows: pure-literal meta, no Date.now()/Math.random()/argless new Date(), no FS/Node APIs in the orchestrator, parallel() thunks, guarded loops, filter(Boolean), size cap. PASS / WARN / FAIL with line numbers.
Scaffolder skills/workflow-builder/scripts/scaffold_workflow.py Emits a runnable starter for any of 5 topologies (fan-out, pipeline, barrier, loop, judge-panel).
3 references skills/workflow-builder/references/ API reference · orchestration patterns · decision + intake guide (7-8 sources each).
Templates + example skills/workflow-builder/assets/ Fan-out / pipeline / loop starters + a complete PR-triage workflow.
Persona agent agents/cs-workflow-architect.md Design-first interrogator that refuses to write before the topology is confirmed.
Slash command commands/cs-workflow-build.md /cs:workflow-build <task> — runs the full intake → scaffold → validate flow.

Quick start

cd skills/workflow-builder

# 1. Turn a vague request into a concrete proposal
python scripts/workflow_intake.py --task "review my open PRs for bugs"

# 2. Scaffold the confirmed topology
python scripts/scaffold_workflow.py --topology pipeline --name pr-triage \
  --description "Triage open PRs" > /tmp/pr-triage.js

# 3. Validate before running
python scripts/validate_workflow.py /tmp/pr-triage.js

All three tools run with --sample (no args) and --help.

Running the workflows it writes

export CLAUDE_CODE_WORKFLOWS=1          # the feature is off by default
# save the .js under .claude/workflows/ , then launch + watch via /workflows
# P = pause/resume , X = skip a sub-agent ; failed agents retry automatically

Attribution

Conceptually inspired by Ray Amjad's claude-code-workflow-creator. All content here was written for this repo against Claude Code's publicly-documented Workflow tool API; no text was copied verbatim.

License

MIT.