Workflow Execution

Overview

Workflows are multi-step processes with state tracking. Two-tier orchestration: subagents execute individual steps and report outcomes; main agent dispatches, monitors, and handles failures.

Core principle: Subagents fail fast, main agent troubleshoots.

When to Use

• Multi-step processes needing state persistence across context clears
• Parallel subagent orchestration with status tracking
• PASS/FAIL signaling between agents
• Processes requiring retry/resume capability

Not for: Single-step steps, ad-hoc commands

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For Subagents

You're executing a workflow step. Your context shows:

• Step N: What you need to do
• Attempt: Retry count if applicable

Protocol

1. Execute the step as described in the prompt
2. End your response with a status line: STATUS: PASS or STATUS: FAIL
3. If stuck, blocked, or unclear, report STATUS: FAIL - main agent will handle

Do NOT:

• Advance the parent workflow - only your orchestrator does that
• Try to fix infrastructure issues - report FAIL and let main handle
• Continue past errors - fail fast so main can troubleshoot

You CAN: Run your own nested workflows with full workflow commands.

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For Main Agent

You orchestrate the workflow. Use these commands:

Command	Purpose
rundown run <file>	Begin a runbook
rundown pass	Mark current step as passed
rundown fail	Mark current step as failed
rundown goto N	Jump to specific step
rundown status	Check current state
rundown complete	Mark workflow finished
rundown stop	Abort workflow
rundown stash	Pause enforcement (for ad-hoc work)
rundown pop	Resume enforcement

Dispatching Steps

Include StepId in Step tool description - hooks handle the rest automatically:

Step(description="2.1 - Review authentication code", ...)

The StepId format is N.X where N is step number, X is substep number.

Hook automation:

• PostToolUse hook parses StepId from description, calls rundown run --step 2.1
• SubagentStart hook binds the agent to the queued step
• SubagentStop hook parses STATUS line, calls rundown next --pass/--fail --agent {id}

Do NOT manually call rundown run --step - hooks handle this.

Parallel Substeps

For parallel execution (e.g., ### 2.{n} substeps):

1. Dispatch all agents in one message (multiple Step tool calls)
2. Run rundown status to check agent completion
3. When all agents report done, run rundown next

Dynamic Substep {n} Syntax

### N.{n} marks dynamic substeps - orchestrator decides count at runtime.

Dispatch with sequential StepIds in description:

Step(description="3.1 - Agent 1 review", ...)
Step(description="3.2 - Agent 2 review", ...)

• $n in workflow prompts substitutes with substep number (1, 2, etc.)
• Hooks handle step queuing and agent binding automatically

Handling Failures

When subagent reports STATUS: FAIL: check output, discuss with user, then retry or jump (--goto N) or abort (stop).

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Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Subagent advances parent workflow	Only advance your own nested workflow, not parent's
Subagent auto-retries on failure	Report STATUS: FAIL and let main handle
Main agent auto-retries without user	Always discuss failures before retry
Missing StepId in dispatch	Include N.X format in Step tool description
Parallel steps without status check	Run rundown status before advancing
Manually calling rundown run --step	Remove - hooks handle step queuing automatically