Build mode is where Workbench for Storyboard'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, Workbench for Storyboard 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.
Manage your private template library, including saving, updating, sharing, and organizing templates.
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, Workbench for Storyboard doesn't just create empty action tiles. It builds complete, configured workflows ready for you to review and test.
What Workbench for Storyboard 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 Workbench for Storyboard makes goes through a review process:
Workbench for Storyboard 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 Workbench for Storyboard 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."
Workbench for Storyboard 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 Workbench for Storyboard does:
Identifies all notification actions in the workflow
Adds a Condition action to check the severity field
Routes high-priority notifications to a Slack channel like #urgent-alerts
Routes normal notifications to another Slack channel named #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 Workbench for Storyboard does:
Analyzes the workflow structure
Reviews recent execution logs
Identifies that the CRM API sometimes returns a
429(rate limit) errorSuggests adding retry logic with exponential backoff
Proposes the specific changes needed
Manage private templates
Workbench for Storyboard can manage your private template library directly from the storyboard. You can save actions as reusable private templates, then search, review, update, delete, share, and move templates between teams, all through conversation.
This is useful when you've built and tested an action configuration and want to make it available for reuse across your workflows or team. Rather than navigating to template management separately, you can handle it in context while you're building.
Example: Saving and sharing a configured action
You've configured an HTTP Request action that authenticates to your HR system and retrieves employee records with the right error handling and pagination logic.
Your request: "Save this action as a private template called 'HR system employee lookup.'"
Workbench for Storyboard saves the template and automatically replaces the action on your storyboard with the new template.
Follow-up: "Share that template with the IT Operations team."
When you save or update a private template from an action on your storyboard, Workbench for Storyboard automatically replaces that action with the new template. This keeps your storyboard in sync without extra manual steps.
Write effective prompts for Build mode
The quality of what Workbench for Storyboard generates depends on how you describe what you want. A good prompt includes specific outcomes, named tools, clear logic, relevant context, and any constraints.