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Actions are the core building blocks of ServFlow workflows. They perform discrete operations such as fetching data from a database, calling external APIs, running AI agents, or transforming values. Every workflow consists of an entry point, one or more actions, and a response.

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How Actions Work

When a workflow executes, actions run in sequence based on the routing you define. Each action:
  1. Receives input — Data from the request or previous action results
  2. Executes its operation — Fetches data, calls an API, transforms values, etc.
  3. Stores its result — Output is saved and accessible to subsequent steps
  4. Routes to the next step — Either next (on success) or fail (on error)
You reference action results using the {{ .action_id }} syntax. For example, if an action with ID get_user returns user data, access the email field with {{ .get_user.email }}.

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Creating Actions in the Dashboard

The ServFlow dashboard provides a visual interface for adding and configuring actions.

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Adding an Action

  1. Click the + button below an existing node in the workflow canvas
  2. Select Actions from the node type options
  3. Browse the available actions in the sidebar and select one
Available actions list in the ServFlow dashboard sidebar

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Configuring an Action

Selecting an action opens the configuration panel on the left side of the screen. Each action type has specific fields to configure.
Action configuration panel showing AI Agent settings
Use {{ .Variable }} syntax in input fields to reference dynamic content from previous actions or request parameters. See Dynamic Content for details.

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Action Outputs

Actions have output handles for defining the flow:
  • Next — Routes on successful completion
  • Fail — Routes when an error occurs
  • Tools — Additional outputs for specific action types (e.g., AI Agent tools)
Drag connections from these handles to other actions, conditionals, or response nodes.

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Creating Actions in YAML

Actions can also be defined in YAML configuration files. This approach is preferred for version control, CI/CD pipelines, and production deployments in Headless Mode.
See the YAML Quickstart for a complete tutorial on building workflows with YAML.

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Action Structure

Every action follows this structure: 
actions:
  action_id:
    type: action_type
    config:
      # type-specific configuration
    next: action.next_step
    fail: response.error

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Common Fields

FieldTypeRequiredDescription
typestringYesThe action type identifier (e.g., fetch, http, agent)
configobjectNoType-specific configuration options
nextstringNoStep to execute on success
failstringNoStep to execute on failure

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Chaining Actions

Use the next and fail fields to define execution paths. The routing syntax follows the pattern type.identifier:
  • action.other_action — Route to another action
  • conditional.check_value — Route to a conditional branch
  • response.success — Route to a response
actions:
  get_user:
    type: fetch
    config:
      integrationID: my_database
      table: users
      filters:
        - field: id
          operator: eq
          value: "{{ param \"user_id\" }}"
      single: true
    next: action.send_welcome

  send_welcome:
    type: email
    config:
      recipientEmail: "{{ .get_user.email }}"
      subject: "Welcome!"
      content: "Hello {{ .get_user.name }}, welcome to our platform."
    next: response.success

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Next Steps

Available Actions

Browse all available action types by category.

Conditionals

Add branching logic to your workflows.

Responses

Define how your workflow returns data.

Dynamic Content

Use templates to reference dynamic values.