Build mode is where Story copilot's full capabilities come to life. In this mode, you can generate new workflows, modify existing ones, and troubleshoot issues, all through natural conversation.
What Build mode does
When you switch to Build mode, Story copilot can:
Generate complete workflows from descriptions.
Add new actions to existing stories.
Modify action configurations.
Fix errors and optimize performance.
Refactor workflows to use better patterns.
Add error handling and improve reliability.
Build mode technical behaviors
Understanding how Build mode works helps you use it more effectively.
Workflow generation
When you describe a workflow in Build mode, Story copilot doesn't just create empty action tiles. It builds complete, configured workflows ready for you to review and test.
What Story copilot configures automatically:
Formulas that reference the right data from previous actions.
Trigger conditions that match your described logic.
Action connections that follow your workflow sequence.
Initial configurations for integrations and tools.
Error handling patterns for common failure scenarios.
Change review process
Every change Story copilot makes goes through a review process:
Story copilot proposes the change and explains what it's doing.
You see a preview of the modifications.
You can accept the change, reject it, or ask for modifications.
If you reject a change, you can explain why and ask for a different approach.
Undo capability
If you accept a change and then realize it's not what you wanted, you can ask Story copilot to undo it. The story will revert to the version saved prior to those changes.
Common Build mode scenarios
Build new workflows
When creating a workflow from scratch, start with the core functionality and add features incrementally.
Example: Building an invoice processing workflow
Initial request: "Build a workflow that receives invoice PDFs via email, extracts the key data (vendor, amount, date, invoice number), and creates a record in our finance system."
Story copilot generates: Basic structure with email trigger, PDF parsing, and API call to finance system.
First refinement: "Add validation to check if the vendor exists in our approved vendor list (stored in a resource). If not, send an email to procurement for approval."
Second refinement: "For invoices over $5,000, add an approval step that sends a Slack message to the finance manager and waits for their response before creating the record."
Third refinement: "Add error handling that catches parsing failures and sends the original email to a dedicated inbox for manual processing."
Edit existing workflows
When modifying an existing story, be specific about what you want to change.
Example: Updating notification preferences
Your request: "This workflow currently sends all notifications to the #general Slack channel. I need to update it so that high-priority notifications go to #urgent-alerts and normal notifications go to #general. The priority is determined by the 'severity' field in the webhook data."
What Story copilot does:
Identifies all notification actions in the workflow
Adds a trigger action to check the severity field
Routes high-priority notifications to #urgent-alerts
Routes normal notifications to #general
Shows you the changes for review
Debug issues
When a workflow isn't working as expected, describe the problem and what you've observed.
Example: Troubleshooting intermittent failures
Your request: "This workflow is supposed to update our CRM whenever a support ticket is closed, but it's only working about 60% of the time. I've checked the logs and don't see a clear pattern. Can you help me figure out what's wrong?"
What Story copilot does:
Analyzes the workflow structure
Reviews recent execution logs
Identifies that the CRM API sometimes returns a 429 (rate limit) error
Suggests adding retry logic with exponential backoff
Proposes the specific changes needed
Write effective prompts for Build mode
The quality of what Story copilot generates depends on how you describe what you want. A good prompt includes specific outcomes, named tools, clear logic, relevant context, and any constraints.