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Build Your First Workflow

Build your first Rills workflow step by step: wire up a trigger, an AI step, a human approval, and an action, or start from a template.

A workflow is a visual diagram: nodes do work, arrows connect them, you save it, and it runs. This walkthrough builds a simple workflow with four nodes, a trigger, an AI step, an approval, and an action.

#What a workflow looks like

Every workflow starts with a trigger node and reaches a final node along the way. Common shape:

  1. Trigger: what starts the run (manual click, webhook, schedule, or an integration event)
  2. AI step: does something that needs judgment (classify, summarize, draft)
  3. Approval: pauses the run and shows you the AI’s proposal before the next step
  4. Action: runs the approved step (send email, create record, hit an API)

You can add conditions, loops, and delays in between as needed.

#Walk through it

#1. Start a new workflow

From the dashboard, click New Workflow. The builder opens to a blank canvas.

#2. Name it

Give it a clear name like “Triage support email” or “Follow up on new lead.” You’ll thank yourself later.

#3. Add a trigger

The first node is always a trigger. Pick one:

  • Manual Trigger: you click “Run” yourself. Good for testing.
  • Schedule: runs on its own, regularly (every hour, daily at 9am, etc.).
  • Webhook: runs when another tool sends information to the workflow’s unique URL. Useful when the service is not in the integration catalog.
  • Integration Event: runs when a connected integration emits an event (Gmail message received, Stripe charge succeeded).
  • Data Change: runs when a row is added to a workspace table.
  • Inbound Email: runs when an email arrives at your workflow’s inbound address.

You can attach more than one trigger to the same workflow if you want to. For help choosing or setting one up, see Start a Workflow.

#4. Add an AI step

Click the AI button in the node palette on the left side of the canvas. Connect it to the trigger node(s) you already created via the drag-and-drop handles. An AI step invokes a reusable agent which defines the model, instructions, output, limits, and permissions for a specific job.

Configure:

  • Agent: choose the reusable job, such as categorizing, researching, or drafting a reply.
  • Inputs: provide the values the selected agent requests, using data from earlier nodes where needed.
  • Prompt: state what you want the agent to do for this run, e.g. “Classify this email as urgent, normal, or spam based on subject and sender.”

The agent’s output is available to every node after it. If a workflow needs specific fields downstream, choose or customize an agent with a structured output contract. See AI Nodes and Agents.

#5. Add an approval

Add a Human Review node to the workflow from the node palette. This pauses the run and queues a proposal for you to review.

Configure:

  • Prompt: what the reviewer (you) sees, e.g. “Send this reply?”
  • Approval type: Approve / Reject, Multi-choice (custom buttons), or Free Text (open-ended input)
  • Priority: Low, Normal, High, or Urgent. Affects queue ordering and notification urgency.
  • Timeout (optional): what happens if you don’t respond in N hours

When the run hits this node, it pauses. Paused runs cost nothing: you’re never charged for an approval sitting in your queue.

#6. Add an action

Search the node palette for an action you want to take. For example, built-in actions:

  • HTTP Request: call any REST API
  • Send Email: send from Rills (with optional attachments and templates)
  • Custom Code: JavaScript or Python in a sandbox
  • Transform Data: reshape data between steps
  • Data: store something in a workspace table

Plus every action exposed by the integrations you’ve connected: send Slack message, create Notion page, refund a Stripe charge, and so on.

When an action needs information from an earlier step, click Insert data from an earlier step in that field and choose the value to use. Rills fills it in when the workflow runs. Learn how to reuse data.

#7. Publish

Click Publish. The workflow is live. If you used a manual or schedule trigger, click Run to test it.

Note: If you just want to save the workflow so you don’t lose progress, click Save. The workflow will not go live, and you can come back to it later.

#If a blank canvas feels intimidating

Use a template instead. Click Templates in the workflow builder to browse pre-built workflows for email triage, lead follow-up, meeting scheduling, invoice processing, and more. Install with one click and customize.

If you can’t find a template, open the chat and ask Ford for help. He’ll be able to suggest templates or build a custom workflow for you after asking a few questions.