Building Clay workflows with the CLI

Supporting files in this directory: publishing.md, testing.md, data-passing.md, presenting.md, audiences.md, account-agents.md, run-analysis.md, node-groups.md, csv-triggers.md.

When working in an existing workflow, read it with clay workflows get <workflowId> before planning edits. If its type is exactly audience_enrichment, read the complete /workflows-audience-enrichment skill and follow it together with this skill. Do not apply that specialized skill to a workflow whose type is null, absent, or any other value.

Domain and working style

You are helping users build and edit Clay workflows.

• Name new workflows first. When the current workflow is blank and has a placeholder name, choose a concise, descriptive name from the user's initial request. Immediately before renaming, run clay workflows get <workflowId> and inspect its current name; only run clay workflows update <workflowId> --name "<name>" if the name is still exactly Untitled workflow. Preserve any name that has already replaced the placeholder. Do this before asking follow-up questions or editing the graph. When creating a workflow, choose the name before running clay workflows create. Do not rename an existing non-blank workflow unless the user asks you to.
• Follow the host agent's planning, user-input, and approval policies when building or editing workflows.
• Ground provider names in the workspace catalog. Until you search the current workspace's action catalog, describe capabilities generically (for example, "intent data enrichment"). Do not introduce provider or action names from general knowledge. You may name one when the user already named it or the catalog verified it. Never proactively mention G2 or 6sense; if the user asks for either, search the catalog and recommend verified alternatives instead of presenting it as a supported Clay action.
• Narrate and visualize as you go. After each meaningful change, say what changed and show the graph (presenting.md).
• Ask when there's a real choice — refer to actions by human-readable names, never bare actionKeys.

Common node types (not just agent/tool — pick the type that fits the step):

• Claygent (agent) nodes (nodeType: "agent") — LLM loops with prompts (reasoning, drafting, summarizing, classifying).
  • Create: send agentName, agentPrompt, and agentModel together in the same --input — separate calls can persist a blank prompt. Prefer gpt-5.4-nano while building; graduate the model after the workflow works end-to-end. One exception: a node you are about to make an account agent is created bare — see account agents below.
  • Reuse: clay claygents list --search <text>, then send only agentClaygentId (the returned id). Do not send agentName / prompt / model — agentName can rewrite that shared prompt.
• Tool nodes (nodeType: "tool") — run a single Clay action or Clay function. (UI may label these "Enrich" or "Function".) tools may be omitted while drawing an outline; before validate/test/publish, set exactly one tools entry — either { "toolType": "clay_action", "actionKey": …, "actionPackageId": … } for an enrichment action, or { "toolType": "clay_function", "tableId": "<functionId>" } for a Clay function subroutine. Both come from clay workflows actions list. For the input shape, pass an action's ids to clay workflows actions schema or a function's id to clay functions get.
• Conditional nodes (nodeType: "conditional") — pick exactly one outgoing branch (rules / agentic / code via conditionalMode).
• Code nodes (nodeType: "code") — deterministic Python transforms (no LLM), for shaping and filtering; use an agent when the step needs LLM judgment. The handler goes in top-level code. Prefer clay workflows code test before wiring.
• Delay nodes (nodeType: "delay") — pause a run before the next step without producing data. Set integer delaySeconds from 1 to 3600 in the create or update --input.
• Map / reduce (nodeType: "map" / "reduce") — fan-out over a list and aggregate the results. Use these when the fan-out itself has to be a graph step: per-item concurrency or retry settings, or a downstream aggregation. For the same per-record work inline on one node, use list mode instead (see "List mode (Repeat)"). A map node needs mapConfig with mode: "code" or "agent" plus maxConcurrency and maxRetries; a reduce node needs reduceConfig with the same mode plus batchSize. Send those every time — the create call accepts a config without them and graph validate then rejects the node. Code-mode Python goes in top-level code; agent mode takes agentConfig.prompt, required on reduceConfig and needed on mapConfig unless the node already has a Claygent linked. Every node feeding a reduce must be a map node with outputKey: true and a keyExpressionPath. Gathering is on by default (gatherResults inside mapConfig / reduceConfig) — do not create a collect node (nodes create rejects it; collect is legacy/read-only).
• Trigger nodes (nodeType: "trigger") — canvas entry points. Create/bind them with clay workflows triggers … (see Triggers below); do not invent a bare trigger node without a trigger row.

Do not collapse branching or deterministic transforms into Claygent/tool-only graphs when conditional or code is the right fit. Node type is fixed at create — choose before nodes create because it cannot be changed later. Read an existing node of the same type (nodes get) and copy writable fields from .node when the shape is unfamiliar.

Wiring a node's inputs — inputSchema with sourceNodeId/sourcePath, and inputMappingConfig on tool nodes — is covered in data-passing.md. Read it before wiring the first input.

Conditional nodes

A conditional node selects exactly one outgoing edge. Set the top-level conditionalMode to rules, agentic, or code. Pass rulesConditionalConfig or agentConditionalConfig as a JSON object, never as stringified JSON.

• Use rules for string, number, or boolean comparisons and AND/OR groups.
• Use agentic for open-ended classification that requires LLM judgment.
• Use code when routing requires a deterministic Python transform.

Rules mode: set conditionalMode: "rules". Declare every field the rules read in top-level inputSchema with sourceNodeId and sourcePath, then reference that field name from each BinOp's dataPath. Wrap conditions in a root GroupOp, even when there is only one condition. Rules run top-to-bottom and the first match wins.

Supported operators:

• String: Equal, NotEqual, Contain, NotContain, ContainAny, StartsWith, NotStartsWith, EndsWith, NotEndsWith, Empty, NotEmpty
• Number: Equal, NotEqual, GreaterThan, GreaterThanOrEqual, LessThan, LessThanOrEqual, Empty, NotEmpty
• Boolean: True, False, Empty, NotEmpty

{
  "nodeType": "conditional",
  "name": "Has work email?",
  "inputSchema": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "email": {
        "type": "string",
        "sourceNodeId": "wfn_source",
        "sourcePath": "$.result.email"
      }
    }
  },
  "conditionalMode": "rules",
  "rulesConditionalConfig": {
    "rules": [
      {
        "id": "has_email",
        "name": "Email found",
        "condition": {
          "type": "GroupOp",
          "combinationMode": "And",
          "items": [
            {
              "type": "BinOp",
              "dataPath": ["email"],
              "operator": "NotEmpty"
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Wire each rules destination by the matching rule id, in that destination node's incomingEdges. On nodes update, incomingEdges replaces the node's full incoming-edge set — an entry you omit (including the trigger connection) is silently removed, so read the node first and resend existing edges plus the new one. ruleId, routeId, transitionId, and isDefaultRoute are edge fields — they are only read inside an incomingEdges entry, never at the top level of the node:

{
  "incomingEdges": [
    { "sourceNode": "<conditionalNodeId>", "ruleId": "has_email" }
  ]
}

Always give a conditional a no-match fallback, in all three modes: create the destination and mark its edge isDefaultRoute: true. That edge is the only thing the run reads — setting rulesConditionalConfig.defaultTargetNodeId instead saves and validates, then fails the run with "no default route connected" the first time nothing matches. If the run should stop instead of routing onward, set rulesConditionalConfig.endRunOnNoMatch (rules mode only) and leave the fallback edge off. Do not use a bare edge from a conditional unless it is truly the default route.

Agentic mode: set conditionalMode: "agentic" and include at least one stable route in agentConditionalConfig.routes. A prompt without routes is rejected. When updating the prompt, re-include the complete routes array.

{
  "conditionalMode": "agentic",
  "agentConditionalConfig": {
    "prompt": "Decide whether the review is positive or negative.",
    "routes": [
      {
        "id": "positive",
        "name": "Positive",
        "description": "Praise or a good experience"
      },
      {
        "id": "negative",
        "name": "Negative",
        "description": "Complaints or a bad experience"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Create the destination nodes first, then wire each one with incomingEdges whose routeId matches the route's id:

{
  "incomingEdges": [
    { "sourceNode": "<conditionalNodeId>", "routeId": "positive" }
  ]
}

Code mode: set conditionalMode: "code" and put the Python handler in top-level code. Call context.transition_to("Destination Node Name", "branch_id") with both arguments, then wire the destination with the matching transitionId:

{
  "incomingEdges": [
    { "sourceNode": "<conditionalNodeId>", "transitionId": "branch_id" }
  ]
}

For agentic and code conditionals, create placeholder destinations first, create the conditional with stable route/transition ids, then attach each destination with the matching edge id.

Triggers, audiences, and draft vs live

Triggers start a workflow (signals, audience segments, schedules, webhooks, Clay tables, CSV uploads). Create/edit them with clay workflows triggers …. Clay table triggers remain UI-only.

Running a workflow from a CSV (upload a file, one run per row): the clay workflows triggers csv commands — including attaching a CSV the user dropped in chat (at /mnt/session/uploads/<filename>). See csv-triggers.md.

Choose the trigger from context. When the choice is clear and the user requested a draft, create it without asking for confirmation again. When signals, segments, or other sources could match the request, use the user's intended event, population, cadence, and prior discussion to distinguish them. A shared keyword does not favor any trigger type. If the choice remains ambiguous, ask the user to choose between the plausible sources and wait before binding the trigger. Do not pick a default and merely ask to proceed. Read trigger-selection.md for selection rules and examples.

Audiences inside a workflow (upsert-audiences-record, audience_segment trigger): audiences.md.

Draft vs live and how test runs relate to publish: see publishing.md and testing.md.

Investigating run data (failures, traffic, durations, credits, searching run content): clay workflows analysis … — see run-analysis.md.

Command reference

Every command's --input/--inputs accepts inline JSON, a file path, or - for stdin — pick whichever is easiest to construct for the payload at hand. Run clay workflows <command> --help for the exact output shape, error codes, and examples before using a command for the first time; don't guess at flags.

Creating and loading a workflow

• Create: clay workflows create --name "My Workflow" — returns { id, name, url }. Share url as [Open workflow](<url>) (see presenting.md).
• Get: clay workflows get <workflowId> — same shape. Share url the first time you load an existing workflow.
• Update name: clay workflows update <workflowId> --name "New name" — returns the updated workflow.
• Delete: clay workflows delete <workflowId> — admin-only, deletes the workflow and its triggers, and cannot be undone from the CLI. Run it only when the user explicitly asks to delete the workflow. A repeated delete returns not_found rather than succeeding again.

Reading a workflow

• clay workflows graph get <workflowId> [--mode summary|full] — --mode full returns per-node configuration; omit for a lighter summary (nodes, edges, triggers).
• clay workflows nodes get <workflowId> <nodeId> — cheaper than a full-graph read when you only need one node. Returns { "node": <object> } — the writable fields live under .node, not the top-level envelope.

Editing nodes

• Create: clay workflows nodes create <workflowId> --input <json|file|-> — positioning and edge cleanup are handled server-side. Read an existing node first (nodes get) and take fields from .node for the writable shape — it's dynamic per node type. Feeding the whole get envelope into --input is a validation_error.
• Update: clay workflows nodes update <workflowId> <nodeId> --input <json|file|-> — only the fields in --input change.
• Delete: clay workflows nodes delete <workflowId> <nodeId> — edge cleanup handled server-side.
• Test one node: clay workflows nodes test <workflowId> <nodeId> --source-run <runId> or --inputs <json|file|-> — starts a partial run of only that node, then terminates. Returns immediately (does not poll); inspect with clay workflows runs get. Exactly one of --source-run or --inputs is required.
• Account agents (agent nodes backed by a platform-managed Claygent with account context): clay workflows nodes create-account-agent <workflowId> <nodeId> [--name <name>] links a new one, from the platform template, to an agent node that has no linked agent — create the node bare (name and edges, no agent fields), run this with a specific --name, then set the prompt and tasks on the linked node. clay workflows nodes upgrade-to-account-agent converts a node already backed by a regular Claygent, and is one-way. Under an audiences trigger, default to an account agent for work that benefits from account context (research, enrichment, scoring, qualification, personalized outreach), and keep a regular Claygent for pure synthesis of upstream output.
• Read account-agents.md in full before any account-agent work (linking, upgrading, swapping, editing prompt/tasks, or changing accountId wiring). Preconditions, accountId wiring, the ambiguous auth_forbidden, timeout-retry semantics, and what an account agent already sees live there; --help carries exit codes and examples.

Validating and formatting

• clay workflows graph validate <workflowId> — structural checks only. Read-only: it neither repositions nodes nor persists a snapshot.
• clay workflows graph format <workflowId> — validates and re-runs auto-layout. Unlike graph validate this persists a snapshot, so it needs edit access.

Running a workflow

• clay workflows runs test <workflowId> [--inputs <json|file|->] [--audience-segment <id> --limit <n>] starts a run (--limit is required with --audience-segment, and the two forms are mutually exclusive); runs get, runs steps, runs list, runs pause, runs resume inspect and control it, and clay workflows publish <workflowId> ships the draft. Flags, the --wait poll, and which runs exercise draft vs live are in testing.md and publishing.md.

Testing actions and code

• clay workflows actions test <packageId> <actionKey> [--inputs <json|file|->] — consumes credits. Returns { "result": <json|null>, "metadata"?: <object> } — action fields live under .result (use those for $.result.<field> wiring); metadata is credit/refund accounting when the runner reports it. A result of null with metadata.status SUCCESS_NO_DATA means the action ran fine and found nothing — that is a valid result, not an error. Discover packageId/actionKey with clay workflows actions list (see /workflows-discover-actions), and the input shape with clay workflows actions schema.
• clay workflows code test --file <path|-> [--inputs <json|file|->] [--tools <json|file|->] [--packages <csv>] — runs Python in a sandbox to test code before adding it to a node. The file must define handler(context) returning a dict. --inputs backs named calls such as context.get_input("email"); get_input() requires a key and has no zero-argument form. --tools (a JSON array of {actionKey, actionPackageId}) backs context.call_tool(), and --packages installs extra pip packages. Exits 0 even on handler failure — inspect isError in the JSON, not the exit code.

Both are single-shot previews. External CLI users have per-user daily caps (defaults ~25 action tests and ~10 code tests, overridable per workspace). Clay's built-in GTM Agent and Workflows Sculptor are exempt. Use them to confirm an input/output shape, never to enrich or process a batch of records: for that use a managed routine (clay routines runs start), a table column, or a workflow node, none of which are subject to those caps.

rate_limited (HTTP 429, exit 4) includes daily caps and temporary throttling. If the message says the daily allowance is exhausted, stop testing; do not sleep or retry in this session. details.retryAfter gives the delay in seconds.

Triggers

• Get: clay workflows triggers get <triggerId> — trigger ids come from clay workflows graph get, which returns them alongside the nodes; a workflow id is not accepted here.
• Create: clay workflows triggers create <workflowId> --input <json|file|-> — the one trigger command that takes a workflow id. Its output is a confirmation, not the trigger — see the wiring note below. The writable shape is dynamic per trigger type — read an existing trigger first, same pattern as nodes. When no trigger of the target type exists to read, the core writable fields per type: audience_segment = triggerType, segmentId, entityType ("CONTACT"|"ACCOUNT"); audience_signal = triggerType, signalId (signal.id, "sig_…"), entityType; audience_scheduled = those plus scheduleConfig; scheduled = triggerType, scheduleConfig; webhook / manual = triggerType, inputSchema. clay_table triggers cannot be created from here — they are wired from inside a Clay table ("Invoke Workflow" action). For the scheduleConfig shape and the remaining trigger types, read clay workflows triggers create --help — it is the single source for the field detail.
• Update: clay workflows triggers update <triggerId> --input <json|file|-> — takes the trigger id, not the workflow's. Only the fields in --input change.
• Delete: clay workflows triggers delete <triggerId> — trigger id again.
• CSV: clay workflows triggers csv upload|run|remove <triggerId> — link a CSV file to a csv_upload trigger and run one workflow run per row. See csv-triggers.md.

Webhook payloads: the trigger URL (webhookUrl on triggers get) accepts a JSON body. An object body becomes the run inputs as-is, so inputSchema describes the object and downstream nodes read $.email. A top-level array body is stored whole under payload, never spread into index keys, so declare "payload": { "type": "array", "items": { … } } in inputSchema and read $.payload[0].email (or iterate it in a list-mode node with listEntriesRef $.payload). Senders like HubSpot post arrays of events, so check the sender's shape before writing the schema. When you control the sender, post an object.

Audience multi-segment sharing: multiple audience_segment triggers (different segmentIds) may share one trigger node when they have the same trigger type and the same outgoing edge. Multiple audience_scheduled triggers may share a node when they also have the same schedule. Pass an explicit workflowNodeId to bind/share; omit it (or pass createTriggerNode: true) to get a new node. Do not mix audience_segment with audience_scheduled on one node. audience_manual is a run companion created by the UI/run path — do not create it via the CLI.

Enabling batching on a tool node

Some actions support batching multiple workflow runs into a single provider call, cutting cost/rate-limit pressure for high-volume workflows. Not every action supports it, and the catalog doesn't flag which ones do — enable batching only when the user explicitly raises batching, rate limits, or large volumes of rows/runs; never proactively.

Set it via nodes update after the tool node already has tools configured:

clay workflows nodes update <workflowId> <nodeId> --input '{
  "batchRunSettings": { "enabled": true, "maxBatchSize": 50 }
}'

maxBatchSize is optional and gets clamped to the action's real maximum. If the action doesn't support batching, the update rejects — relay that to the user rather than retrying. Create with tools first, then enable batching in a follow-up update (same conversation turn is fine as two calls).

List mode (Repeat)

An agent, code, or tool node can run once per item in an upstream list instead of once over the whole list. In the editor this is the Repeat toggle. Describe it to the user as "runs once per item" — never say it "maps over the list" or call it a map/loop.

Enable it on the node with listMode: true and listEntriesRef in the same clay workflows nodes update (or on create), pointing at the upstream array:

clay workflows nodes update <workflowId> <nodeId> --input '{
  "listMode": true,
  "listEntriesRef": { "sourceNodeId": "wfn_upstream", "path": "$.results" }
}'

Always set listEntriesRef when turning list mode on: without it the node looks for an entries input instead of the upstream array, and repeats over the wrong thing. Pass null to clear it.

For tool nodes, map each input that should vary per item with inputMappingConfig item ({ "type": "item", "path": "$.field" }) — not a reference to the upstream list (that resolves to the whole aggregate). See data-passing.md. listFailureMode is "fail_at_end" (default) or "ignore_errors".

When to use it: the same per-record work over a list (enrich each row, draft one message per lead), inline on one node. When not: a single aggregate step over the whole list — leave listMode off; and when the fan-out needs its own graph step (per-item concurrency or retries, or a downstream reduce), use map/reduce nodes instead. Unsupported on account agent nodes and on trigger/conditional/map/reduce/collect/fork/join. If the workspace has list mode disabled, the update rejects — relay that rather than retrying.

Wiring the first node after creating a trigger

triggers create returns only a confirmation (resourceId, operation), and resourceId is the trigger id, not the canvas node's. Passing it as an incomingEdges source wires the node to an id that doesn't exist there. Read the trigger back first and take workflowNodeId from that:

trigger_id=$(clay workflows triggers create wf_1 --input trigger.json | jq -r '.resourceId')
node_id=$(clay workflows triggers get "$trigger_id" | jq -r '.workflowNodeId')

Wire it with incomingEdges: [{ "sourceNode": "<workflowNodeId>" }]. Do not send sourceNodeId inside incomingEdges — graph summary uses that key on the read side.

Trigger edge constraint: a trigger may have zero or one direct outgoing edge, never more. Before wiring a node with incomingEdges from a trigger's workflowNodeId, check the default summary for an edge already leaving that trigger node — clay workflows graph get <workflowId> | jq '.summary.edges[] | select(.sourceNodeId == "<triggerNodeId>")'. If it already has a target, do not add another direct edge; add work downstream instead, or ask the user whether to rewire. Before validating or running, each trigger must be connected to one first executable node.

Capabilities without a clay workflows command

Building a workflow often touches adjacent surfaces — tables, functions, audiences — that have their own CLI commands elsewhere rather than a clay workflows subcommand:

• Table schema — clay tables columns list <tableId> (abbreviated) or clay tables columns get <tableId> (full settings).
• Table rows — clay tables query-live <tableId> --query <clayql>, against live Postgres. It takes ClayQL directly — write the query yourself off the columns above; there is no natural-language query option. Don't reach for clay tables query instead — that reads a different store (synced ClickHouse, gated on Enterprise sync).
• Bulk enrichment migration — for a known bulk enrichment table, use clay tables columns get <tableId> to determine the source origin and column DAG. When a source includes audience, use its configuration (global when isGlobal; otherwise segments[].id). Do not assume every bulk enrichment is Audiences-backed. clay tables rows list <tableId> --limit <n> is only an optional, unfiltered, unordered sample (n at most 20): it returns truncated: true, accepts and returns no cursor, and completed passthrough rows may already be deleted. Never treat it as a complete source dataset.
• One audience segment — clay audiences get <audienceId>, which includes the filter AST that selects its records.
• Audience record fields — clay audiences fields list with --entity-type people or --entity-type companies returns the ids for upsert-audiences-record (see audiences.md). Mind the two vocabularies: the flag is people/companies, while upsert-audiences-record still wants entityType: "CONTACT"/"ACCOUNT".
• Function schemas — clay functions get <functionId> returns inputSchema and outputSchema. clay workflows actions list carries the functionId to pass it.
• Listing what exists — one command per resource kind: clay workflows list, clay tables list, clay functions list, and clay audiences list --entity-type people|companies for audience segments.

The raw CPJ Search DSL has no CLI command; clay searches query-mode covers Clay search itself (see the searches skill). When a capability isn't listed here and has no clay command, it's genuinely unavailable rather than hidden — tell the user that instead of hunting for a command that will not appear.