Workflow Quickstart

This guide gets one useful workflow into your dashboard. You will choose how it starts, add work steps, use a persona only when an AI step needs behavior or tone, attach safe capabilities, add an output when needed, and check the run.

Open ops.tropikal.ai and sign in with your Tropikal ID.

The setup model is workflow-first:

The workflow owns the job.
A persona is optional behavior for AI steps.
Functions and capabilities are approved actions.
Runs show what happened.

2. Create the workflow

Click New workflow. The workflow opens as a canvas with one Trigger node in the middle.

Choose one trigger type:

Trigger	Use it when
Channel	The workflow starts from a place such as Website Embed, email, or Telegram.
Schedule	The workflow runs on a recurring cadence.
Manual	An owner starts the workflow from the workflow detail page.

Channel opens a Public Channels section with Public Embed, Email, and Telegram rows. Those rows show connection status in the Trigger node; click one to open its setup inspector for allowed domains, aliases, snippets, bot tokens, or allowlists. Schedule cadence, time, and timezone stay inline in the Trigger node.

Then add the workflow shape:

Configure the Trigger.
Add Work Steps for the work the workflow should perform.
Add Output for owner review, handoff, draft, or save/publish destinations.

Channel and output setup belongs on the workflow canvas. A persona controls behavior only when a step needs AI tone, style, or decision guidance.

Work Steps have three setup choices:

Work Step	Use it when
Prompt	An AI step should read the work so far and write a drafted or analyzed result.
Capability	An approved function or website capability should run.
Condition	The workflow should choose a path from workload fields.

The workflow carries the work forward from step to step. Prompt and Capability steps write useful results, and Output sends the final result to a handoff, review, saved draft, email attachment, or Website publish destination.

Use a focused job as the starting point:

Template	Use it when
Receptionist & Booking	The workflow should answer initial questions, collect booking details, and route the request for follow-up.
Customer Support	The workflow should answer product or service questions from approved material.
Lead Qualifier	The workflow should collect contact details, service interest, urgency, and preferred time.
Knowledge Base	The workflow should answer from documents, URLs, or site content.

After saving, open the workflow detail page. The slug becomes the stable handle used in dashboard routes, install snippets, and API paths.

3. Add a persona only when needed

A persona is the behavior brief for AI steps. Use one when the workflow needs a specific tone, role, decision style, or escalation rule.

You are the front desk assistant for Acme Clinic.
Answer in a calm, concise tone.
Ask for a name and phone number before booking.
If you do not know an answer, say what information is missing.
Never invent prices, policies, or appointment availability.

Put factual reference material in Knowledge instead of pasting everything into the persona. Put actions and integrations in Functions or Capabilities.

A workflow does not need a persona when it only runs functions, moves structured work forward, saves a review item, sends a notification, or publishes already reviewed content.

4. Chat-test the workflow

Open the chat panel and ask three first questions:

A normal question the workflow should answer.
A question outside scope.
A request that should trigger a next action, such as checking a resource or collecting lead details.

Adjust the persona until the workflow handles all three predictably.

5. Add knowledge

Create a knowledge source when the workflow needs reliable information from docs, policies, FAQs, pages, or approved copy. Link the source to the workflow, then ask a question whose answer appears only in that source.

Good knowledge sources are specific and current. Split unrelated policies into separate entries so you can update or remove them independently.

6. Add functions and capability steps

Use Capability work steps when the workflow must act outside a normal text response. Common first capabilities include:

Capability shape	Example use
Read-only HTTP function	Look up order status, appointment slots, or public catalog data.
Create/update function	Save a lead, create a draft, or update a CRM record after confirmation.
Website capability	Read approved site content, create a draft, or publish reviewed content.

Start read-only. Add write or publish actions after the read path is proven and the workflow has the right review step.

7. Add inputs and outputs only when useful

Website Embed, website chat, Telegram, email, calendar, Drive, and other integrations should be connected for a specific workflow, not by default. Each input or output expands what the workflow can see or do, so test again after enabling it.

Use the Trigger node with Channel when you want the workflow to start from Website Embed, email, or Telegram. The Trigger node stays compact, and deeper channel setup opens from the selected Public Channel row. Use the Output node when you want an owner handoff, review artifact, draft, email attachment, or Website publish destination.

Use Website Embed when you want the workflow to appear as a floating AI Front Desk bubble on a public website.

For public AI Front Desk workflows, confirm that the Leads view shows the transcript, summary, contact details, service interest, urgency, and preferred time after a visitor shares enough information.

8. Troubleshoot the first run

Symptom	First check
Workflow answers too generally	Add knowledge and ask a question that requires the source.
Workflow ignores instructions	Tighten the persona and remove conflicting instructions from old knowledge.
Capability does not run	Confirm the function is linked to the workflow and the user request clearly needs that capability.
Knowledge answer is missing	Reprocess the knowledge source and verify it is active for this workflow.
Website capability is denied	Check that the website is connected, synced, and allowed to use that action.
Website publish is not available	Connect and sync the website, then confirm a publish capability is ready.
Lead is incomplete	Ask for the missing contact, service, or timing detail before handoff.

Next: create a focused workflow in Create your first workflow or learn how to publish to a website from a workflow.