Docyrus Automation Design
Build an automation with docyrus automation, then validate its trigger/node graph and test that it actually fires. An automation = one trigger (the event) + an ordered graph of action nodes (what runs). This skill is the design workflow; the platform's conceptual catalog of every trigger and node type lives in the docyrus-platform skill (references/automation-and-workflows.md), and the exhaustive CLI flags are available via docyrus automation … --help (command index: docyrus-cli-app). This skill ties them together and records the gotchas that only surface when you actually run the commands.
Workflow
Follow in order. An automation that hasn't been validated and test-run is not done.
- Confirm app + auth. Every automation belongs to an app.
``bash docyrus auth who --json # confirm session + tenant docyrus apps list --json # find the target appSlug / appId ` No session → stop and ask the user to run docyrus auth login`.
- Design before issuing commands. Decide: the trigger (which event; which data source it watches), then the action nodes in order, each node's type, its condition (does it run?), and its field mappings (what data it writes/sends). Sketch the graph for the user and confirm. See [references/trigger-and-node-catalog.md](references/trigger-and-node-catalog.md) to choose types.
- Create the automation + its first trigger (one atomic call — see [Create](#create-an-automation)). You must pass a
--triggerType; the automation cannot exist without one.
- Add more triggers only if the same actions should fire on multiple events (optional — see [Triggers](#triggers)).
- Add action nodes in order. Simple scalar config goes via flags; all complex config (
data, field_mapping, condition, …) goes via --data/--from-file. Sequence/branch with each node's parent. See [Action nodes](#action-nodes).
- Validate the graph — re-read the automation, its triggers, and its nodes; confirm types, conditions, and mappings landed. See [Validate](#validate).
- Test — trigger the automation for real (create/modify a record, hit the webhook, or run it manually) and confirm the actions happened; then clean up. See [Test](#test).
A full worked example (record-created → conditional notification + child-record creation) with validation and a run is in [references/workflow-examples.md](references/workflow-examples.md). Read it before your first build.
Command cheat-sheet
Selectors: --appId | --appSlug (one of), --automationId, --triggerId, --nodeId. Write commands take --data '<json>' or --from-file ./x.json; explicit flags merge over the JSON. Output: append --json (or --format json).
⚠️ automation has no slug. Automations are addressed only by --automationId (grab it from automation list/create). Enabled/disabled state is the numeric status (0–5), not a boolean. Per-trigger and per-node on/off is the active boolean.
Create an automation
docyrus automation create --appSlug crm \
--name "Notify on new deal" --triggerType recordCreated \
--sourceDataSourceId <deals-data-source-id> --json
--name and --triggerType are required. The create call inserts the automation and its first trigger in one shot. ⚠️ The create response is minimal ({id} — no status, no triggers[]). The trigger and status:1 are there; GET the automation to see them.
--triggerType must be the camelCase value (recordCreated, recordModified, recordDeleted, recurrence, appEvent, webhook, emailhook, webform, buttonActivation, manualActivation). ⚠️ automation create does NOT validate or normalize --triggerType — a wrong value like record-created is stored verbatim (no error) and the trigger silently won't fire. (Verified: kebab record-created was saved as record-created, not normalized.) The --type on create-trigger/create-node is the kebab form (record-created) and is normalized server-side to the camelCase stored value. So: camelCase for --triggerType, kebab for --type — and the danger with --triggerType is silent corruption, not a 422.
--sourceDataSourceId on create sets the automation-level sourcedatasourceid (verified) — the first trigger's own sourcedatasourceid stays null. That's fine for record triggers (they use the automation source); to set a trigger's own source explicitly, add it with create-trigger --sourceDataSourceId. --status defaults to 1 (enabled); 0–5 valid.
Triggers
A trigger is created/updated by type (kebab-case --type); it is deleted type-independently.
docyrus automation create-trigger --appSlug crm --automationId <id> \
--type record-modified --sourceDataSourceId <ds-id> \
--modifiedColumns "status,amount" --modifiedColumnsCondition any --json
docyrus automation list-triggers --appSlug crm --automationId <id> --json # derived from the automation
docyrus automation delete-trigger --appSlug crm --automationId <id> --triggerId <tid> --json
Trigger --type (kebab): record-created, record-modified, record-deleted, recurrence, app-event, webhook, emailhook, webform, button-activation, manual-activation. Per-type flags (recurrence schedule, modified-columns, webhook name, …) are in [references/trigger-and-node-catalog.md](references/trigger-and-node-catalog.md). list-triggers/get-trigger are derived client-side from the automation read — there is no separate trigger GET endpoint.
Action nodes
# scalar config via flags
docyrus automation create-node --appSlug crm --automationId <id> \
--type create-record --name "Create task" --targetDataSourceId <tasks-ds-id> --json
# complex config (mappings/data/condition) via --data
docyrus automation create-node --appSlug crm --automationId <id> \
--type send-notification --name "Ping owner" \
--data '{"data":{"subject":"New deal","message":"{{name}} created"},"condition":{...}}' --json
docyrus automation list-nodes --appSlug crm --automationId <id> --json
docyrus automation update-node --appSlug crm --automationId <id> --nodeId <nid> --type create-record --data '{...}' --json
docyrus automation delete-node --appSlug crm --automationId <id> --nodeId <nid> --json
- Every node takes a
--name. Node --type (kebab): external-action, send-email, send-notification, create-record, update-records, request-approval, request-input, http-request, data-source-query, custom-query, generate-document, ai-prompt, ai-agent, execute-script, wait-for.
- Complex objects are never flattened into flags.
data, fieldmapping, dynamicfieldmapping, condition, inputtemplate, targetdatasource_condition must be supplied through --data/--from-file. Per-type data shapes are in [references/trigger-and-node-catalog.md](references/trigger-and-node-catalog.md).
- Sequencing/branching is by
parent, not array order: set a node's parent to the UUID of the node it runs after. Root nodes (no parent) run off the trigger. A node's condition object gates whether it runs.
Critical rules
--triggerType (on automation create) is camelCase (recordCreated) and is not validated — a wrong value is stored verbatim and silently breaks the trigger (no 422). --type (on create-trigger/create-node) is kebab-case (record-created) and is normalized server-side. Don't cross them.
- Create responses are minimal.
automation create, create-trigger, and create-node echo little more than {id} — status, triggers[], node type/target/mappings come back null/empty in the create response but are persisted. Always GET/list to validate, never trust the create response's blanks.
- An automation is born with its first trigger. You cannot create a triggerless automation —
--triggerType is required on create.
- Nodes/triggers require an existing automation. Every node/trigger op first asserts the automation exists (404 otherwise). Create the automation first.
- Complex node config goes in
--data/--from-file, never flags. Flags only carry scalar ids/strings/bools.
- Graph order is
parent-linked, not insertion order. Wire parent to control sequence and branches.
- Validation failures return HTTP 422 (
"Invalid data received for parameters"), not 400. Service-layer rejections (e.g. external-action schema checks) return 400/404. (See the catalog for the external-action 400/404 rules.)
- Unknown JSON keys are NOT rejected (the API runs
whitelist:false) — a mistyped data key passes validation and is silently ignored. Spell keys exactly (snake_case top-level; some nested data objects use camelCase — see catalog).
status is an int 0–5, not a boolean. Per-trigger/per-node enable is the active boolean.
external-action needs a real actiontypeid (a coreaction of group externalAction); internal node types auto-assign their actiontype_id from the kebab --type.
agent tasks/recurring-tasks ≠ automations. Scheduling recurring work is the recurrence trigger here; the docyrus agent tasks group is unrelated (and currently non-functional).
- Validate then test, every time. Re-read the graph and fire the trigger once. Delete throwaway records/automations you create.
Validate
After authoring, confirm the graph is exactly what you intended:
docyrus automation get --appSlug <app> --automationId <id> --json — confirm name, status, sourcedatasource_id, and the embedded triggers[].
docyrus automation list-triggers --appSlug <app> --automationId <id> --json — confirm each trigger's type, watched data source, and per-type config (recurrence*, modifiedcolumns, …).
docyrus automation list-nodes --appSlug <app> --automationId <id> --json — confirm every node's name, parent (sequence), condition, data, and fieldmapping. ⚠️ Every internal node's type reads back as "action" (the generic node type) — the specific action identity is the auto-assigned actiontypeid, not the kebab --type you passed. Use get-node to confirm data/fieldmapping/targetdatasource_id landed (the create response omits them).
Detailed "what correct looks like" checklist is in [references/workflow-examples.md](references/workflow-examples.md#validation-checklist).
Test
Prove it fires:
- Record/button/manual triggers: create or modify a record in the watched data source (
docyrus ds create … ) so the trigger condition matches, then read back the side effects (the created/updated record, a notification, etc.).
- Recurrence: confirm the schedule fields; for an immediate check, also attach a
manual-activation trigger and run it, or lower the interval temporarily.
- Webhook/emailhook/webform: confirm the auto-created
tenant_webhook/webform binding exists, then post to it.
- Clean up: delete throwaway records, then
docyrus automation delete --appSlug <app> --automationId <id> for any test automation.
Full test playbook is in [references/workflow-examples.md](references/workflow-examples.md#test-playbook).
References
- [references/trigger-and-node-catalog.md](references/trigger-and-node-catalog.md) — Every trigger type and action-node type: when to use it, its scalar flags, and its
data/mapping shape (with key casing). Plus the validation/casing gotchas per type.
- [references/workflow-examples.md](references/workflow-examples.md) — End-to-end worked automation (trigger + conditional multi-node graph), the validation checklist, and the run/test playbook.
- docyrus-platform →
references/automation-and-workflows.md — the conceptual catalog (what each trigger/node means). docyrus-cli-app — CLI command index; docyrus automation … --help for exhaustive flags. For data-source-query/custom-query node payloads and field mappings, see docyrus-api-dev → references/data-source-query-guide.md and references/formula-design-guide-llm.md. For the execute-script node's in-sandbox SDK (api.query DSQL + api.ds.* CRUD, injected record/data), see [references/trigger-and-node-catalog.md](references/trigger-and-node-catalog.md#execute-script-in-sandbox-sdk); for api.query DSQL syntax see the docyrus-dsql-query-design skill.