Workflow Basics

Workflows are the foundation of automation in Arigato. They let you define what should happen after a trigger, such as an order event, customer update, schedule, or API call, by arranging a series of steps that process data and take action.

This guide covers the core concepts you need to build workflows confidently, from triggers and steps to branching logic and loops.

Workflow Steps

A workflow is made up of individual steps. Each step performs part of your automation, like sending an email, evaluating logic, waiting, or looping over a list of items. Steps connect from top to bottom to define how an item moves through the workflow.

Start Step

Every workflow begins with a Start step. This step defines when the workflow will run, for example, “when an order is paid,” “when a customer is updated,” or “on a schedule.”

Once a workflow is enabled, the Start step becomes locked. To change the trigger or its settings, you must disable the workflow first.

End Step

The End step marks the conclusion of the workflow. All possible paths eventually lead to this step. The End step is not configurable.

Adding Steps

Between steps, you’ll see a plus icon (+). Click it to add a new step to your workflow. Available step types include:

  • Action – Perform a task, such as sending an email or updating data.
  • Condition – Branch the workflow based on true/false logic.
  • Wait – Pause workflow processing for a period of time.
  • Parallel Path – Send items down multiple paths at the same time.
  • Loop – Repeat a set of steps for each item in a list.
  • Insert – Paste previously copied steps into the workflow.

After adding a step, the step editor opens so you can configure it. Some steps have many options, while others require little or no setup.

Deleting Steps

To delete a step, hover over it and click the X icon. You’ll be asked to confirm before the step is removed.

Deleting steps can affect how items move through your workflow:

  • Actions – Removing an action moves any queued items to the next step next step.
  • Conditions – Deleting a condition also deletes all steps in both the True and False paths.
  • Waits – Deleting a wait immediately moves queued items forward.
  • Parallel Paths – Deleting a parallel path removes all steps within its branches.
  • Loops – Deleting a loop removes the entire loop workflow and clears any queued items inside it.

Action Steps

Action steps perform tasks such as sending messages, updating records, or calling APIs. Actions can be placed anywhere in a workflow and execute in the order they appear.

Each action type has its own configuration options. If you need help filling in fields or using tokens, you can use the built-in AI assistant.

Condition Steps

Condition steps allow you to branch your workflow based on logic. Conditions can include multiple rules combined with AND/OR logic.

Each condition creates a True path and a False path (labelled as Then and Else). Both paths can contain steps. Once the paths merge, the workflow continues regardless of which path was taken.

Wait Steps

Wait steps pause workflow processing for a specified amount of time. You can add multiple wait steps anywhere in a workflow.

If wait steps are used inside Parallel Paths, the workflow will not continue until all parallel branches have completed their waits.

Parallel Paths

Parallel Path steps split workflow execution into multiple branches that run at the same time. Each branch processes the same item independently.

The workflow continues only after all parallel branches have finished. You can remove a path by deleting all steps inside it or using the minus (–) control when available.

Loop Steps

Loop steps allow the workflow to iterate over a list of items, such as order line items. Each item is processed individually through a child workflow.

Once all items in the loop have been processed, the main workflow resumes. Loop workflows are edited within their own context but remain connected to the parent workflow.

Navigating the Workflow Editor

The workflow editor includes several tools to help you move around larger workflows:

  • Click and drag anywhere to reposition the view.
  • Mini map shows your location within the workflow.
  • Scroll to move up and down.
  • Shift + scroll to move left and right.
  • Ctrl/Cmd + scroll to zoom in and out.