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Plan and run a workflow | HarnessValidate a multi-step document, inspect its order, and run it under one bounded Harness invocation.Harnesshow-toharnesshow-toadopterdeveloperoperatorgovern-workrun-agents

Plan and run a workflow

A workflow turns a YAML or JSON graph into a bounded walk. A step is one turn; a group is one conversation and can repeat as a unit.

Write the smallest useful flow​

Save this as flow.yaml:

id: change
root:
  id: root
  nodes:
    - id: inspect
      run:
        prompt: "Inspect the requested area and state the smallest safe change."
    - id: implement
      needs: [inspect]
      run:
        prompt: "Implement and verify the change."
        scope:
          - ".git/**=denied"
          - "**=allowed"

Node ids must be unique among siblings and cannot contain .. A node scope can only narrow the scope supplied by the operator.

Validate without contacting a model​

b10x-harness workflow plan --flow flow.yaml

Planning needs no endpoint, credential, or model. It exits 0 for a valid document and 1 for a refused one.

Run under explicit bounds​

Use the same connection, confinement, approval, and budget options as a normal run:

b10x-harness workflow run -p confined-change \
  --flow flow.yaml \
  --input "Add a --since flag to the report command" \
  --workspace . \
  --approve prompt \
  --max-turns 12 \
  --max-duration-ms 180000

Here confined-change is the profile created in Configure a provider and profile: it selects embedded confinement and can inherit the default provider. Use b10x-harness providers show claude first so the endpoint and credential behavior are not surprises. Replace the provider configuration with explicit endpoint and credential flags when you do not want a built-in default.

Each section attempt files its own session unless --no-session is set. --json interleaves flow events with loop events, ending with flow-finished when the walk finishes or flow-paused when an operator step hands control to a person.

Interpret the result​

StatusMeaning
0Every required section came out clean, or the walk is awaiting the operator named by flow-paused
2The flow finished but a step failed, skipped, exhausted, or was cancelled
1Configuration was refused or a loop error aborted a step

For the full document grammar, command steps, handoffs, repeat rules, transition hooks, event shapes, session ids, and budget division, see Workflow reference.