Business automation has long promised to free us from repetitive, manual tasks. Tools like Zapier and Make have done a fantastic job connecting our apps and handling simple "if-this-then-that" logic. But what happens when the "if" is complex and the "then" requires judgment, research, and multi-step reasoning?
This is where traditional automation hits a wall. Real-world business processes aren't just a simple chain of events; they are dynamic, complex, and often require a level of intelligence that goes beyond basic triggers and actions.
Enter the next evolution: Agentic Workflows. These aren't just automations; they are autonomous AI agents designed to understand a goal, create a plan, use tools, and execute complex business processes from start to finish. This is the future of business operations, and it's powered by a new paradigm: Business-as-Code.
No-code and low-code workflow builders are excellent for getting started. They democratized automation, allowing non-developers to connect services like Stripe to Slack or Airtable. However, as business logic grows, these visual tools often become a liability:
An agentic workflow is fundamentally different. It operates like a diligent, intelligent team member. Given a high-level objective, it can:
To build something this powerful and reliable, you need the precision and robustness of code.
This is where Workflows.do comes in. We believe that critical business logic deserves the same rigor as application code. By defining your processes as code, you unlock capabilities that are impossible with visual builders.
With the "Business-as-Code" approach, you can build, deploy, and monitor reliable, event-driven, and AI-powered workflows that connect your entire business stack.
Let's look at a real-world example. Imagine you want to create a world-class onboarding experience for every new user who signs up. Instead of just sending a generic "Welcome!" email, you want to build a truly intelligent agent to handle the process.
Here’s what that agentic workflow looks like with Workflows.do:
import { AI } from 'workflows.do'
export default AI({
onUserSignup: async ({ ai, api, db, event }) => {
const { name, email, company } = event
// 1. Enrich: The agent uses tools to gather data
const enrichedContact = await api.apollo.search({ name, email, company })
const socialProfiles = await api.peopleDataLabs.findSocialProfiles({ name, email, company })
const githubProfile = socialProfiles.github ? await api.github.profile({ name, email, company, profile: socialProfiles.github }) : undefined
// 2. Research: The agent uses AI to understand the data
const companyProfile = await ai.researchCompany({ company })
const personalProfile = await ai.researchPersonalBackground({ name, email, enrichedContact })
const socialActivity = await ai.researchSocialActivity({ name, email, enrichedContact, socialProfiles })
const githubActivity = githubProfile ? await ai.summarizeGithubActivity({ name, email, enrichedContact, githubProfile }) : undefined
// 3. Act: The agent uses its insights to take intelligent action
const emailSequence = await ai.personalizeEmailSequence({ name, email, company, personalProfile, socialActivity, companyProfile, githubActivity })
await api.scheduleEmails({ emailSequence })
// 4. Conclude: The agent summarizes its work and updates systems
const details = { enrichedContact, socialProfiles, githubProfile, companyProfile, personalProfile, socialActivity, githubActivity, emailSequence }
const summary = await ai.summarizeContent({ length: '3 sentences', name, email, company, ...details })
const { url } = await db.users.create({ name, email, company, summary, ...details })
await api.slack.postMessage({ channel: '#signups', content: { name, email, company, summary, url } })
},
})
This isn't just an automation; it's an Onboarding Agent. It enriches data, performs deep research, and then uses that context to craft a highly personalized experience. This entire complex process is now a simple, observable, and version-controlled service.
What makes workflows.do different from traditional automation tools?
workflows.do treats business logic as first-class code. This 'Business-as-Code' approach enables version control, testing, and collaboration, offering unparalleled reliability, observability, and power compared to brittle visual builders.
How are workflows triggered on the platform?
Workflows can be triggered by a variety of events, including direct API calls, webhooks from third-party services, scheduled timers (cron jobs), or events emitted from other .do agents, allowing seamless integration anywhere in your stack.
Can I use AI within my workflows?
Yes. The platform is built with AI at its core. You can easily integrate AI agents to perform tasks like data enrichment, content generation, summarization, and complex decision-making, turning simple automation into intelligent operations.
How do you ensure the reliability of long-running processes?
The platform is designed for durability. It automatically handles state management, retries with exponential backoff, and error handling. Long-running workflows are fully observable, ensuring that even complex, multi-day processes complete successfully.
As businesses grow, the complexity of their operations grows exponentially. The future doesn't lie in hiring more people to click buttons and manage spreadsheets. It lies in deploying fleets of specialized AI agents to run your business processes reliably and intelligently.
From lead qualification to customer support, from financial reconciliation to supply chain management, agentic workflows are poised to become the operational backbone of modern companies.
Ready to stop wrestling with brittle automations and start building intelligent agents? Discover how to automate any business process as code with Workflows.do.