Skip to content

Run a Workflow from JSON

Outcome: a completed, inspectable, two-step workflow—without writing a worker.

Time: about 3 minutes.

Prefer to author in code? Start with your first workflow and worker instead.

Prerequisites

Complete Connect to Conductor and verify the connection before continuing. This workflow uses built-in HTTP and JSON tasks, so it does not require a model-provider API key.

1. Create a workflow

Save this as workflow.json. It calls a public test endpoint and transforms the response with two built-in system tasks, so no worker process is required.

{
  "name": "hello_workflow",
  "description": "Fetch a test response and return a compact summary.",
  "version": 1,
  "schemaVersion": 2,
  "tasks": [
    {
      "name": "fetch_data",
      "taskReferenceName": "fetch_ref",
      "type": "HTTP",
      "inputParameters": {
        "http_request": {
          "uri": "https://orkes-api-tester.orkesconductor.com/api",
          "method": "GET"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "summarize_response",
      "taskReferenceName": "summary_ref",
      "type": "JSON_JQ_TRANSFORM",
      "inputParameters": {
        "response": "${fetch_ref.output.response.body}",
        "queryExpression": "{host: .response.hostName, randomValue: .response.randomInt, summary: (\"Host \" + .response.hostName + \" responded with random value \" + (.response.randomInt|tostring))}"
      }
    }
  ],
  "outputParameters": {
    "summary": "${summary_ref.output.result.summary}",
    "host": "${summary_ref.output.result.host}",
    "randomValue": "${summary_ref.output.result.randomValue}"
  }
}

The HTTP task performs the request. The JSON JQ transform task shapes its JSON output.

2. Register, run, and verify

conductor workflow create workflow.json
conductor workflow start -w hello_workflow --sync

The synchronous start returns the workflow execution. Verify that its status is COMPLETED and its output has summary, host, and randomValue. In the UI, open the new execution and inspect the completed fetch_ref and summary_ref tasks.

Expected output values vary because the test endpoint is random, but the shape is:

{
  "summary": "Host … responded with random value …",
  "host": "…",
  "randomValue": 123
}

Recovery

  • If the CLI cannot connect, return to Connect to Conductor and verify the URL and credentials.
  • If registration reports that the definition already exists, delete the local test definition or change its version before creating it again.
  • If the HTTP task fails, inspect its response and retry with a new execution; the public test endpoint must be reachable from the server.

Next production step

You now have a verified system-task workflow. To run your own business logic, continue with your first workflow and worker. Explore Design Patterns for complete runnable examples, or use the best practices to add contracts, workers, retries, tests, deployment, and operations.