Copy and Customize Any Workflow

Learn how to copy public workflows, understand provenance tracking, work with variables, and master flow control with toggles and sequences.

Copy and Customize Any Workflow

One of FlowDot's most powerful features is the ability to copy any public workflow and make it your own. This deep-dive tutorial covers copying, customization, and advanced editor techniques.

What You'll Learn

Part 1: Copying Workflows

Finding Public Workflows

  1. Click the FlowDot logo (top left) to go to the Search page
  2. Browse by category or search for keywords
  3. Click any workflow to see details

Copying a Workflow

When viewing a public workflow you don't own:

  1. Click Edit in the dashboard
  2. You'll see: "This workflow belongs to someone else"
  3. Click Copy to My Workflows
  4. The workflow is now yours to edit!

Note: Shared keys from the original designer are not copied. You'll need to provide your own.

Part 2: Understanding Provenance

FlowDot tracks the history of copied workflows.

Viewing Provenance

  1. Open your copied workflow
  2. Click Settings (gear icon)
  3. Look for the Provenance section

You'll see a chain like:

Original: FlowDot Official
  └→ Copied by: YourUsername (this workflow)

Why Provenance Matters

Part 3: Working with Variables

Variables let you store and reuse values throughout a workflow.

The Set Variable Node

  1. Open Variables category
  2. Drag Set Variable onto the canvas
  3. Configure:
    • Variable Name: e.g., city_name
    • Value: Connect an input or set directly

Using Variables in Text

Reference variables with single curly braces:

The weather in {city_name} is {temperature} degrees.

Variable vs User API Key Syntax

Syntax Type Example
{variable} Workflow variable {city_name}
{{api_key}} User API key {{open_weather_key}}

Part 4: Flow Control

Sequence Dependencies

Sometimes nodes must run in a specific order.

The Problem: Variables need to be set before they're used.

The Solution: Sequence dependencies (dotted lines)

  1. Right-click a node > Properties
  2. Find Sequence After
  3. Select the node that must complete first
  4. A dotted line shows the dependency

Example:

[Set State Variable] -----> [Set City Variable] -----> [HTTP Request]
        (1)          dotted         (2)          dotted       (3)

The HTTP Request waits for both variables to be set.

The Toggle Node

Toggles let you enable/disable parts of your workflow.

  1. Open Flow Control category
  2. Drag a Toggle node onto the canvas
  3. Connect input on left, output on right
  4. Set the toggle On or Off

When On: Data passes through When Off: Data is blocked

Use Cases:

Part 5: Cleaning Up Workflows

Copied workflows often have extra nodes you don't need.

Removing Unnecessary Nodes

  1. Select the node
  2. Press Delete or Backspace
  3. Connections are automatically removed

Common Nodes to Remove After Copying

Node Why Remove
Shared Keys You'll use your own keys
Notice/Thought Bubble Designer notes, not needed
Debug Outputs Only useful during development

Reorganizing the Canvas

  1. Select multiple nodes: Shift+Click or drag a selection box
  2. Move them together
  3. Keep data flowing left-to-right
  4. Group related nodes together

Part 6: Customization Walkthrough

Let's walk through customizing a weather workflow:

Original Workflow

[City Input] -> [Set City Variable] -> [Build URL] -> [HTTP Request] -> [LLM Summary] -> [Output]
                [State Input] -> [Set State Variable] --^

Customization Steps

  1. Remove Shared Keys node (we'll use our own)

  2. Update the Key Requirements node:

    • Header: "You need this key"
    • Key: open_weather_key
    • Link: openweathermap.org
    • Info: "Free tier available"

  3. Simplify the URL construction:

    • Instead of multiple Set Variable nodes
    • Use direct reference: q={{city}},{{state}}&appid={{open_weather_key}}

  4. Add your personal touch:

    • Change the LLM system prompt
    • Adjust output formatting
    • Add additional processing

  5. Test thoroughly:

    • Run with different inputs
    • Check error handling
    • Verify all paths work

  6. Save your version:

    • Give it a new name
    • Update the description
    • Optionally make it public

Pro Tips

Debugging Workflows

  1. Click any node to see its current output
  2. Add Text Output nodes temporarily to inspect values
  3. Use the Toggle to isolate sections
  4. Check execution history for past results

Performance Optimization

  1. Minimize LLM calls - they're the slowest
  2. Use Simple tier for preprocessing
  3. Batch operations when possible
  4. Cache results with variables

Sharing Your Customizations

Once your workflow works well:

  1. Update the description to explain your changes
  2. Add a Key Requirements node if needed
  3. Set visibility to Public
  4. Share the link with the community!

Summary

Copying and customizing workflows lets you:

Key techniques:

Next, learn about the AI Agent and how to give it access to your workflows!

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