Actions and Steps

An Action is an AI-powered Action Flow. An Action Flow is composed of ordered steps.

Each step performs one focused operation, such as calling a model, transforming data, or using a tool.

Think of an Action as the full process, and steps as the individual decisions or operations inside that process.

Action Lifecycle

An Action usually goes through these phases:

1. Design: define the goal and required inputs.
2. Build: add and configure steps.
3. Test: run manually with sample data.
4. Observe: inspect run details and failures.
5. Improve: refine logic, prompts, and integrations.

How Steps Work Together

• Steps run in a flow from one step to the next.
• Output from earlier steps can be used in later steps.
• You can branch logic and handle errors with dedicated step types.

If one step fails or returns unexpected output, that usually affects downstream steps. This is why clear step boundaries and validation are important.

Example Flow

A common invoice-processing Action might look like this:

1. Read document input.
2. Extract key fields with an LLM step.
3. Validate totals and required fields.
4. Route based on confidence or validation result.
5. Send final output to a tool or downstream system.

Why This Matters

Breaking an Action Flow into steps helps you:

• keep logic readable,
• test smaller units,
• troubleshoot failures quickly,
• and evolve Action Flows safely over time.

It also makes ownership easier: teams can update one part of an Action Flow without rewriting everything.

Exporting and Importing Actions

You can move an Action between tenants — for example from a UAT tenant to Production — or back it up by exporting it to JSON.

• Export: open the Action and select Export in the header. The Export Action dialog shows the full configuration (trigger, every step, prompts, model references, input and tool assignments, switch branches, and any bundled Skills) as JSON. Select Copy to Clipboard.
• Import: on the Actions list, select Import, paste the JSON, and select Import New Action. Studio validates the Action first. When models, Apps, Tools, Inputs, or the trigger cannot be matched by name in the target tenant, an import wizard lets you map them before the Action is created.

Exports reference Apps, Tools, Inputs, and models by name, not by internal ID, which makes them portable. Credentials and secrets are never exported — reconnect those in the target tenant. Imported Actions start disabled so you can verify them before they run.

For a complete walkthrough, see Promoting from UAT to Production.

Good Practice

• Keep each step focused on one responsibility.
• Name steps clearly so run logs are easy to read.
• Reuse tools and input types instead of duplicating logic.
• Prefer explicit outputs over ambiguous free-form text when possible.
• Add branching only when there is a clear business rule behind it.

Common Pitfalls

• Creating very large steps that do too many things.
• Depending on implicit assumptions between steps.
• Skipping run review after step changes.

Small, clear steps are easier to trust, debug, and maintain.

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