Workflow Apps

Workflow Apps

Workflow apps are the userland layer above the CW kernel.

The kernel owns:

• workflow loading
• input validation
• task generation
• dispatch manifests
• result recording
• evidence gates
• candidate scoring
• verifier-gated commits
• schedules
• routine triggers
• sandbox policy validation
• report generation

Workflow apps own:

• domain-specific phases
• task prompts
• artifact definitions
• required inputs
• evidence requirements
• sandbox profile references
• compatibility metadata

App Shape

First-class apps live under:

plugins/cool-workflow/apps/<app-id>/app.json
plugins/cool-workflow/apps/<app-id>/workflow.js

Legacy workflows/*.workflow.js files remain loadable as compatibility wrappers.

An app can also run another app as a child: a task built with subWorkflow:{appId,...} plans and drives that child app and binds its report back as the task result. The child gets a deterministic run id; nesting is hard-capped in depth with a cycle guard (it refuses an appId already on the path), and the parent records one honest worker.sub-workflow cross-link audit event.

Canonical Apps

Current canonical apps include:

• architecture-review
• pr-review-fix-ci
• release-cut
• research-synthesis
• end-to-end-golden-path

Validation commands:

node scripts/cw.js app list
node scripts/cw.js app show architecture-review
node scripts/cw.js app validate apps/architecture-review/app.json
node scripts/cw.js app validate end-to-end-golden-path
npm run canonical-apps
npm run golden-path

Design Rule

CW should remain:

one kernel
many apps
stable contracts
inspectable state

Workflow apps should extend behavior without forking runtime logic.