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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pflow.run/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Once pflow is installed and connected to your AI tool, you don’t need to learn anything else. Your agent has everything it needs to build and run workflows.

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You don’t need to learn the schema

pflow workflows are markdown files (.pflow.md) — readable documents that double as executable workflows. Your agent writes them, but you can open any workflow to see exactly what it does and why. Just like any .md file, it renders everywhere — GitHub, your editor, any markdown viewer. Your agent:
  • Reads pflow’s instructions automatically
  • Knows which nodes are available
  • Understands how to connect them
  • Handles all the technical details
  • Creates, updates and reuses workflows for you
You just describe what you want in natural language. Your agent does the rest.

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Your agent guides you when needed

When pflow needs something from you, your agent will tell you exactly what to do. Need an API key?
Your agent: “pflow needs an API key for discovery. Run this command: pflow settings set-env OPENAI_API_KEY 'your-key'”
Need to connect to an API?
Your agent reads the documentation and builds the integration for you using the http node.
Need an MCP server?
Your agent helps you find and install it with your permission.
If you’re calling the same API repeatedly, consider having your agent create an MCP server for it - turning one-off requests into reusable tools.
Something unexpected happen?
Your agent diagnoses the issue using pflow’s structured errors and traces. See How debugging works for details.
You don’t need to memorize any commands. Your agent knows them and will prompt you when necessary.

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What happens behind the scenes

When you ask your agent to do something:
  1. Agent checks for existing workflows - If you’ve done this task before, pflow finds the saved workflow
  2. Runs instantly if found - No repeated workflow generation, no LLM costs, same reliable result
  3. Updates existing workflow if it needs to be modified - Agent updates it with new functionality or parameters
  4. Builds new workflow if needed - Agent creates it once, pflow saves it for next time
Over time, your workflow library grows. Tasks that used to require agent reasoning become instant commands.

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Not everything needs a workflow

Sometimes you just need to run a single tool - send a Slack message, fetch a file, query an API. Your agent can run individual nodes directly without building a workflow: 
pflow probe mcp-slack-SEND_MESSAGE channel="general" text="Done!"
This is useful for:
  • One-off tasks - No workflow needed, just run the tool
  • Testing - Your agent tests nodes to understand their output before building workflows
Think of nodes as individual building blocks. Your agent can use them standalone or compose them into workflows - whatever fits the task.

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Checking your workflow library

To see what workflows have been saved: 
pflow list
To see details about a specific workflow: 
pflow describe my-workflow
See workflow commands for more options.

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Optional: Running workflows directly

You don’t have to go through your agent. Saved workflows are CLI commands you can run yourself: 
# Run a saved workflow
pflow analyze-logs input=./logs/api.log

# Pipe data through a workflow
cat data.csv | pflow -p --output-format json process-csv > output.json

# Schedule with cron
0 9 * * * pflow daily-report >> ~/reports/daily.md
This is useful for:
  • CI/CD pipelines - Run workflows as build steps
  • Cron jobs - Schedule recurring tasks
  • Scripts - Chain workflows with other tools
See CLI overview for all options.

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Unix piping

Chain workflows together using pipes: 
pflow -p step1 | pflow -p step2 | pflow step3
See Stdin input for how workflows receive piped data.

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Summary

TaskWho handles it
Learning pflow commandsYour agent
Writing workflowsYour agent
Knowing which nodes existYour agent
Configuring API keysYou (agent tells you the command)
Discovering new capabilitiesYour agent or you
Installing new MCP serversYour agent or you
Running saved workflowsYour agent or you directly
You describe what you want done. Your agent does the thinking. pflow handles repeated execution — same steps, same order, same data flow, every time. The workflows your agent builds become your personal library, ready to reuse or chain into larger workflows.