Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Workflows agent skill: create, validate and schedule
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The Workflows skill is an agent skill for LifeOS, a personal automation system. When it is installed, your agent can turn a plain request such as 'remind me to follow up on this' into a workflow definition file, check that the file is valid, and then run, schedule, pause or chain it. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it, and what it needs before you rely on it.
Workflows Authoring Skilldanielmiessler/LifeOS · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Install the skill. Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings, Capabilities, Skills in the Claude apps.
- 2Confirm the engine works. Run the help command in your LifeOS folder. It should print the command catalog and exit 0.
- 3Make a request. Describe the workflow in plain words, such as 'remind me to follow up on this' or 'run this every night'.
- 4Let the agent validate. The agent writes the YAML definition and runs workflow validate until it exits 0.
- 5Review before running. Check the steps, especially any model, deploy or send steps and their approval gates, before you run it.
- 6Schedule or link if needed. Ask for a schedule, pause, resume or an after link, then check the list output to confirm it appears.
What an agent skill is and what this one makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file and supporting files that an AI agent reads when your request matches the skill's trigger phrases. This skill, named Workflows, authors and operates Workflows v2 definitions through the workflow command-line tool.
In practice the agent can scaffold a new definition, validate it until it is clean, draw its graph, run it locally, put a schedule on it, link workflows with after triggers or workflow steps, and inspect definitions and past runs. A definition is a YAML file describing steps and triggers, saved as <name>.workflow.yaml in LIFEOS/USER/WORKFLOWS/.
- Creates a definition from a plain-English request
- Checks it with the workflow CLI until validation exits 0
- Runs, schedules, pauses or resumes workflows
- Links workflows so one runs after another or is called as a step
- Lists definitions and checks run history
Install the Workflows skill
Download the ZIP for the Workflows skill from this page and unzip it. You can install it for yourself or for one project. For yourself, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
You can also upload the skill in the Claude apps. Go to Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP there.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Check that the LifeOS workflow engine is present
The skill depends on the LifeOS WORKFLOWS engine, which must be in LIFEOS/WORKFLOWS/ and must be runnable with bun. The status check prints the command catalog and exits 0 when everything is in place. If it fails, the skill cannot work, because it does not run standalone.
bun LIFEOS/WORKFLOWS/workflow.ts help --jsonTrigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need to name the skill or any command. Describe what you want in plain words and the agent routes the request. Examples of phrases the skill responds to include: new workflow, make a workflow, remind me, set a reminder, follow up on, run this every, run it nightly, link these workflows, chain workflows, validate workflow, list workflows, did the workflow run, and pause workflow.
Requests for the full inventory of everything LifeOS runs, for missing or orphaned jobs, for Cloudflare Worker deploys, or for building a whole skill are outside this skill and go elsewhere.
- 'Remind me to follow up on this on Friday' creates a one-off reminder workflow
- 'Run this every night' creates a scheduled definition
- 'Chain these workflows so B runs after A' adds an after link
- 'What workflows do I have?' lists definitions
Validate, run and schedule without surprises
Validation and running are different things. validate checks the shape of a definition and must exit 0 before the agent reports it done. run executes the workflow for real. Model and agent steps call OpenAI lanes and cost money, and a human step pauses the run until you answer a thumbs up or thumbs down approval. Review a definition before you run it, especially if it contains paid model steps, deploy steps or steps that send messages.
Scheduled and reminder workflows are evaluated by one launchd job, com.lifeos.workflows-dispatcher, so they only fire on a Mac. Defining and validating a workflow does not need launchd.
- validate: checks shape, exit 0 means clean
- run: executes for real and may spend money or wait for approval
- schedule, pause and resume: control when a local workflow fires
- Scratch tests can use LIFEOS_WORKFLOWS_DIR and LIFEOS_WORKFLOWS_LEDGER so the real home and ledger are untouched
bun LIFEOS/WORKFLOWS/workflow.ts validateSafety notes: scripts and network
This skill runs scripts and uses the network. Every command step must declare its side_effects, and a command that deploys, sends or pays must declare the matching effect or validation refuses it. Money, deploy and outbound steps need a human approval step upstream. Outbound messages to you alone, sent to the principal, are exempt.
Do not remove side_effects or a human gate just to make validation pass. The validator refusal is the design signal that the workflow needs a human step.
- Money, deploy and outbound steps need a human approval upstream
- A decline stops the gated step, and a when condition lets the run end cleanly
- Local schedules need macOS launchd
What people use it for
- Setting a reminder that fires on your Mac to follow up on a task
- Creating a nightly recurring job that runs a defined set of steps
- Chaining one workflow to run after another finishes
- Listing your workflows and checking whether the last run succeeded
- Pausing a scheduled workflow without deleting its definition
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the Workflows agent skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload it under Settings, Capabilities, Skills.
Is the Workflows skill free?
The source material lists the skill under the MIT licence. Running workflows is a separate matter: model and agent steps call OpenAI lanes and cost money when used.
What does the Workflows skill require?
It needs the bun runtime and the LifeOS WORKFLOWS engine at LIFEOS/WORKFLOWS/workflow.ts. Scheduled and reminder runs on this machine also need macOS launchd, and model steps need OpenAI lane access.
Why won't my workflow validate?
Validation errors name the problem. Common ones are a deploy step with no human approval upstream, an after link to a workflow with no definition file yet, a lane name that is not on the allowed list, and a command step with no side_effects. Fix the design rather than removing the safety declaration.
Will my scheduled workflow run on Windows or Linux?
Not locally. Local schedules are evaluated by a launchd job, which requires macOS. Defining and validating a workflow works without it.
How does this compare with writing workflow YAML by hand?
The skill writes the definition in the required format and checks it with the validator until it is clean, so you get a validated file rather than an untested one. You still need the LifeOS engine, which the skill depends on.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you run LifeOS and want your agent to create, validate and schedule your reminders and recurring tasks instead of writing workflow YAML by hand. Skip it if you do not have the LifeOS workflow engine, are not on macOS and need local schedules, or want automation that never touches paid model steps or outbound sends.
Download the skill