Choose the Right Step

Start with the outcome you need. Most workflows combine four things: a trigger, data from earlier Steps, logic that routes or repeats the work, and an action in the destination app.

Start with a workflow pattern

These five patterns cover much of what people build. Use one as the shape of your workflow, then open the linked guides for the exact settings.

Something arrives, put it somewhere

Use the arriving app’s trigger when one is available, or a Webhook when another system sends the request directly. Mapping or Transforming Data helps you prepare the incoming fields for the destination.

Every morning, send a summary

Use AI Prompt instead of Summarize when the result should be prose rather than a count, total or average.

Do the same thing for a list

Repeat one Step for each item when only one action changes. Use a Repeater when several Steps must run together for every item. Loops & Iteration compares the two models.

Watch for something and raise the alarm

Use one Conditions route for the alert and another for Do Nothing. A check that finds no problem can then finish successfully without sending anything.

Read something and decide

Ask the AI Step for a fixed category or structured value when a later Step must route its answer. Use Switch to map each expected value to its route.

Choose by goal

I need to…	Start with	Read next
Run on a schedule	Scheduler	Scheduler
Receive data from another system	Webhook	Webhook
Test manually while building	Click to start	Operating Workflows
Choose one route from exact rules	Conditions or Switch	Choosing a Flow Step
Split a list into matching and non-matching items	Filter	Choosing a Flow Step
Repeat work for every item	Run for Each Item or Repeater	Loops & Iteration
Rename, convert or reshape data	Mapping or Transforming Data	Data Transformation
Sort, limit, deduplicate or combine lists	Sort, Limit, Remove Duplicates or Combine	Open the guide for the operation you need
Call a service without a dedicated app Step	HTTP Request	Connecting an App
Classify, summarize or draft with AI	Choosing an AI Step	Choosing an AI Step
Wait for a person’s decision	Human Review	Human Review
Pause or stop a run deliberately	Wait or Stop and Error	Error Handling & Retries

Four decisions worth comparing

Conditions, Switch or Filter?

Use Conditions for a small number of rule-based routes, Switch when one value can lead to several named routes, and Filter when you need to divide the items inside a list. See Choosing a Flow Step for the full comparison.

Run for Each Item or Repeater?

Use Run for Each Item when one Step should run once per item. Use Repeater when a group of connected Steps must repeat together. See Loops & Iteration.

Map or transform?

Map a value when the next Step can use it unchanged. Transform it when the value needs formatting, calculation or reshaping first. See Mapping or Transforming Data.

AI Prompt, AI Data Transform or AI Agent?

Use AI Prompt for one generated answer, AI Data Transform when you want described data outputs, and AI Agent when the Step must choose among enabled tools while the workflow runs. Compare their inputs and trade-offs in Choosing an AI Step.

When no dedicated Step fits

Search Apps in the dock before building a custom integration. A dedicated app Step handles its supported authentication and operations. If the service exposes an API but has no suitable Step, use HTTP Request. Use the Code editor when the workflow needs custom Python logic rather than another network request.

Still not sure?

Describe the outcome to the Workflow Assistant. It can draft the Steps and connections on the canvas; review the structure, connect the required accounts and test the result before switching the workflow to Live.

You can also begin from a complete cookbook recipe or a public template.

What’s Next?

• 👉 Build Your First Workflow →
• Compare Conditions, Switch and Filter in Choosing a Flow Step.
• Learn how earlier output reaches later Steps in Workflow Data.