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windmill/system_prompts/base/flow-cli.md
GuilhemandClaude Opus 5 e39dd7eb12 docs: teach agents to pass a resource as $res:<path> in run arguments (#10927)
* docs: teach agents to pass a resource as $res:<path> in run arguments

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01XjRARL7JA7xm772iJP4mJk

* docs: extend run-argument rule to in-editor chats, fix run-as wording

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01XjRARL7JA7xm772iJP4mJk

* docs: tighten resource run-argument rule after review

- Drop the false rationale that "$var:" only works inside a resource value
  from the write_variable description and its runtime rejection message; keep
  the rule (a variable cannot reference itself).
- MCP resource-argument description: the title fallback renders "No title",
  so say the title is only a label rather than that it can be empty. Guard the
  real-newline fix with asserts in the existing enrichment test.
- Eval: assert the full "$res:f/evals/global/github_main" value as one prefix
  so a wrong path with a right prefix fails.
- resources.md: narrow "a trigger's payload" to its configured static args.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01XjRARL7JA7xm772iJP4mJk

* docs: scope the run-argument rule to global chat, add an exact eval matcher

The ai_evals A/B on the two in-editor modes showed no effect: script mode
sonnet 5/5 both with and without the description, flow mode sonnet 5/5 and
haiku 5/5 on the baseline alone. A flow's input schema already carries
`format: resource-<type>`, so those modes have a signal global mode does not
give. Revert both files to keep the tool schemas free of a description that
buys nothing per iteration; global mode keeps it, where haiku goes 0/5 -> 5/5.

Add `stringEqualsAnyOf` to toolCallArgs and use it for the resource reference:
nothing in the eval resolves the value, so a prefix match accepted a near-miss
path like `$res:f/evals/global/github_main_backup`.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01XjRARL7JA7xm772iJP4mJk

* docs: address cubic review — CLI wording, mock resource getter

- `-d --data` help on all four run/preview commands: give $res: and $var:
  their own clauses instead of a parenthetical that read as if a resource
  were a kind of variable.
- Mock backend: `getBenchmarkResource` now resolves AI-provider seeds as well
  as plain ones, so it agrees with `existsResource` and `listResource` — both
  report either kind, and a case that listed a resource and then read it by
  path got a row it could not fetch.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01XjRARL7JA7xm772iJP4mJk

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-09-03 11:29:54 +02:00

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# Windmill Flow CLI Guide
## Creating a Flow
**You — the AI agent — scaffold the flow yourself by running `wmill flow new <path>` with the right flags. Do NOT hand-create the folder + `flow.yaml`, and do NOT tell the user to "run `wmill flow new` and follow the prompts".**
`wmill flow new` creates the folder with the correct suffix (`__flow` or `.flow` depending on the workspace's `nonDottedPaths` setting), writes a minimal `flow.yaml` shell, and prints Claude-specific next-step hints. Scaffolding by hand skips all of that and often picks the wrong suffix.
### Step 1 — Gather path + summary by asking the user
You need two things:
1. **path** — the windmill path, e.g. `f/folder/my_flow` or `u/username/my_flow`.
2. **summary** — a short description of the flow.
If the user's request didn't supply both, ask for both in a single round-trip. Use whichever interactive question facility your runtime provides — a structured multi-choice tool if available, otherwise plain chat — and provide one or two example values for each (with an "Other" / free-form fallback). Do not guess paths or summaries.
### Step 2 — Run the command yourself
```bash
wmill flow new f/folder/my_flow --summary "Short description"
```
Add `--description "..."` when the user provided a longer explanation worth preserving separately from the summary.
### Step 3 — Fill in `flow.yaml`
Open the generated `flow.yaml` (under the folder the command just created) and replace the empty `value.modules` + `schema` with the real flow definition.
For rawscript modules, use `!inline path/to/script.ts` for the content key. Inline script files should NOT include `.inline_script.` in their names (e.g. use `a.ts`, not `a.inline_script.ts`).
Once the flow has real content, **offer** to open the visual preview as a one-sentence next step (e.g. "Want me to open the visual preview?"). Don't auto-open — opening the dev page has side effects (browser window, possibly a `launch.json` entry) and the user should consent.
### Anti-patterns to avoid
- ❌ Hand-creating the `__flow` folder + `flow.yaml` instead of running `wmill flow new`. You'll miss the suffix-setting resolution, the default shape, and the Claude hints.
- ❌ Telling the user to "run `wmill flow new <path>`" — you can and should run it yourself.
- ❌ Inventing a path/summary instead of asking the user.
## CLI Commands — running, previewing, deploying
After writing, act on the user's intent instead of just listing commands. Run `wmill flow preview` yourself when it fits (see "After writing — offer to run, don't wait passively" below). `wmill generate-metadata` regenerates local lock/hash files (not a deploy) but re-resolves deps — offer it and run on agreement, unless the project's `AGENTS.md` opts into running metadata automatically. Only *name* `wmill sync push` (the deploy) so the user can approve it. The options:
- `wmill flow preview <flow_path>`**default when iterating on a local flow.** Runs the local `flow.yaml` against local inline scripts without deploying. Add `--remote` to use deployed workspace scripts for PathScript steps instead of local files. Add `--step <step_id>` to run only one module in isolation (see "Single-step vs whole-flow preview" below).
- `wmill flow run <path>` — runs the flow **already deployed** in the workspace. Use only when the user explicitly wants to test the deployed version, not local edits.
- `wmill generate-metadata` — regenerate stale local `.lock` files for the flow and its inline scripts and refresh their content hashes in `wmill-lock.yaml`. Writes local files only (not a deploy). Run it after editing inline scripts whose imports or arguments changed, so `wmill-lock.yaml` doesn't drift and add noise to git-sync/CI. By default it scans **scripts, flows, and apps** across the workspace but only regenerates stale ones; pass the flow's folder as an argument (or run from that subdirectory) to limit the scope to the flow you edited. Note a flow (or script) that imports a changed shared script is pulled in too — run `wmill generate-metadata --dry-run` to see exactly what is stale and why (`content changed` vs `depends on <path>`) before applying.
- Deploy local changes to the workspace — via `git push` or `wmill sync push` depending on how the repo is wired (see the **Deploying** section in `AGENTS.wmill.md`). Only suggest/run a deploy when the user explicitly asks to deploy/publish/push — not when they say "run", "try", or "test".
### Preview vs run — choose by intent, not habit
If the user says "run the flow", "try it", "test it", "does it work" while there are **local edits to a `flow.yaml`**, use `flow preview`. Do NOT push the flow to then `flow run` it — pushing is a deploy, and deploying just to test overwrites the workspace version with untested changes.
Only use `flow run` when:
- The user explicitly says "run the deployed version" / "run what's on the server".
- There is no local `flow.yaml` being edited (you're just invoking an existing flow).
Only use `sync push` when:
- The user explicitly asks to deploy, publish, push, or ship.
- The preview has already validated the change and the user wants it in the workspace.
### Single-step vs whole-flow preview
Use `flow preview <flow_path> --step <step_id>` when the user is iterating on one module and the flow's upstream steps aren't part of what they're trying to validate. It runs only that step's runnable (rawscript: the inline script; script: the PathScript, locally if available; flow: the subflow by path) and is much faster than running the whole flow when previous steps are slow or expensive. The step id is resolved by walking nested branchone/branchall/forloopflow/whileloopflow modules and includes the special `preprocessor` and `failure` modules.
Use `flow preview <flow_path>` (no `--step`) when steps depend on each other's outputs, when the user is validating the overall control flow, or when `--step` doesn't apply (branchone, branchall, forloopflow, whileloopflow, identity, and AI agent steps cannot themselves be tested in isolation — for branchone/branchall/forloopflow/whileloopflow, the *contained* steps can, by passing the inner step's id).
### After writing — offer to run, don't wait passively
This is about **programmatic execution** (`wmill flow preview -d '<args>'`), which actually runs the flow and has side effects. Visual preview (the `preview` skill) is offered separately — see "Visual preview" below.
If the user hasn't already told you to run/test the flow, offer it as a one-sentence next step (e.g. "Want me to run `wmill flow preview` with sample args?"). Do not present a multi-option menu.
If the user already asked to test/run/try the flow in their original request, skip the offer and just execute `wmill flow preview <path> -d '<args>'` directly — pick plausible args from the flow's input schema.
An input typed as a resource (`format: resource-<type>` in the schema) takes the bare string `"$res:<path>"` as its whole value — `-d '{"db": "$res:f/databases/postgres_prod"}'`, not `{"db": {"$res": "..."}}` and not a plain path. Same for a variable, with `"$var:<path>"`. See the `resources` skill.
`wmill flow preview` is safe to run yourself (it does not deploy). `wmill generate-metadata` does not deploy either (it only writes local lock/hash files) but re-resolves deps — offer it and run on agreement, unless the project's `AGENTS.md` opts into automatic metadata. After running it, check the regenerated `.lock` diff and tell the user which inline-script dependency versions changed, so they can catch an unwanted bump before deploying. Only `wmill sync push` deploys; run it only when the user explicitly asks.
### Visual preview
To open the flow visually in the dev page (graph + live reload), use the `preview` skill. Always **offer** it as a one-sentence next step (e.g. "Want me to open the visual preview?") rather than opening it automatically — opening the dev page has side effects (browser window, possibly a `launch.json` entry under MCP-preview branches) the user should consent to. If the user already asked to see/preview/visualize the flow in their original request, skip the offer and just invoke the skill.