---
title: "Flows overview"
description: "Visual, multi-step automations over your documents, data, and AI."
canonical: https://ocho.bot/docs/flows/overview
last_updated: 2026-07-12
---

# Flows overview

> Visual, multi-step automations over your documents, data, and AI.

Ocho Flows lets you build multi-step automations on a visual canvas: fetch documents, run them through the AI, call external integrations through your configured connections, loop over items, and assemble a report — then run it manually or let a trigger start it for you. As the Workflows list puts it: "Visual DAG workflows triggered by manual run, webhooks, schedules, or record events."

## Key concepts

- **Workflows** — named automations, each edited on a drag-and-drop canvas of

connected **blocks**. See [Build workflows](/docs/flows/build-workflows).

- **Blocks** — the steps: AI calls (LLM Call, Chat Skill), dataset search,

document readers, integration calls, human approval gates, loops, and more.   There is no generic HTTP, code, or condition block. See the   [block reference](/docs/flows/blocks-reference).

- **Runs** — each execution of a workflow, with a live event timeline and a

markdown **run report**. See [Run and monitor](/docs/flows/run-and-monitor).

- **Triggers** — how a workflow starts: manual run, a webhook, a schedule, or

a record event (a change to a Data Manager record or a Library document).   Only record-event triggers can be edited in the editor's Triggers dialog;   triggers arm on publish. See   [Triggers and connections](/docs/flows/triggers-and-connections).

- **Connections** — authenticated links to external services that Integration

Call blocks use via the connector registry.

- **Flow Copilot** — an AI assistant panel in the editor that builds and

modifies workflows from plain-language descriptions, where it's available   in your workspace.

## Three tabs

The Flows section has **Workflows** (create and open them), **Runs** ("Workflow execution history and status."), and **Connections** ("Manage integration connections used by your flows.").

## Flows and chat

The main Chat assistant may propose a workflow when your request is multi-step. When it does, the proposal appears as a card in the conversation asking "Run this multi-step workflow?" — it never runs by itself. Use the card's **View**, **Edit on Canvas**, or **Run** buttons to review, edit, or run it explicitly. Depending on the chat mode, the assistant may instead answer with a plain-text workflow design rather than a runnable proposal.

## Who can do this

Creating workflows is permission-gated. If your account lacks the flow permission, **Create** in the New workflow dialog fails with "Could not create workflow: You are not allowed to perform this action." Ask a workspace admin to grant you access.

## Good to know

- Workflows currently can't be deleted or duplicated from the interface.
- The canvas has no undo — changes (including Copilot edits and node

deletions) apply immediately and auto-save. The toolbar also has a manual   **Save** button.

- **Publish** checkpoints a version of your workflow — and it's also what

arms triggers: "Triggers arm on publish."

- Older workflows that predate the canonical format can't be edited: opening

one shows "This workflow predates the canonical format — its old canvas   can't be edited. Start fresh or recreate via chat." with a **Start fresh**   button.

All docs: https://ocho.bot/docs

---

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