mbruhler/using-templates

Using Workflow Templates

I help you use and customize workflow templates for common automation scenarios.

When I Activate

I activate when you:

• Ask about available templates
• Want to use a workflow template
• Need to customize a template
• Ask "what templates exist?"
• Say "use the X template"

Template Locations

Templates are searched in the following locations (in order of priority):

1. Project root: ./workflows/*.flow - Project-specific templates
2. Claude root: ~/.claude/workflows/*.flow - User's global templates
3. Plugin examples: ~/.claude/plugins/repos/orchestration/examples/*.flow - Built-in examples

Project-local templates take precedence over global templates.

Built-in Example Templates

Located in examples/ directory:

• tdd-implementation.flow - Test-Driven Development
• debug-and-fix.flow - Bug investigation and fixing
• polish-news-aggregation.flow - News data aggregation
• plugin-testing.flow - Plugin testing workflow
• i18n-fix-hardcoded-strings.flow - Internationalization
• ui-component-refinement.flow - UI component improvement
• agent-system-demo.flow - Agent system demonstration

Using Templates

1. List Templates

# List project templates
ls ./workflows/*.flow 2>/dev/null

# List user's global templates
ls ~/.claude/workflows/*.flow 2>/dev/null

# List built-in examples
ls ~/.claude/plugins/repos/orchestration/examples/*.flow

2. View Template

# View from any location
cat ./workflows/my-template.flow
cat ~/.claude/workflows/my-template.flow
cat ~/.claude/plugins/repos/orchestration/examples/tdd-implementation.flow

3. Execute Template

Use /orchestration:template command (searches all locations automatically):

/orchestration:template tdd-implementation

Or reference directly with path:

Use ./workflows/my-workflow.flow
Use ~/.claude/workflows/my-workflow.flow
Use examples/tdd-implementation.flow

Customizing Templates

Parameter Substitution

Some templates have parameters:

# Template with parameter
$scanner := {base: "Explore", prompt: "{{SCAN_TYPE}}", model: "sonnet"}

Customize:

# Your version
$scanner := {base: "Explore", prompt: "Security expert", model: "sonnet"}

Modify Steps

Add or remove workflow steps:

# Original
step1 -> step2 -> step3

# Your version (added error handling)
step1 -> step2 ->
(if failed)~> handle-error ~>
(if passed)~> step3

Add Checkpoints

Insert review points:

# Original
analyze -> implement -> deploy

# Your version
analyze -> implement -> @review-implementation -> deploy

Template Structure

Templates typically have:

# Header with description
# Template: TDD Implementation
# Description: Implement features using Test-Driven Development
# Parameters: None

# Phase 1: RED
step1 -> step2

# Phase 2: GREEN
step3 -> step4

# Phase 3: REFACTOR
step5 -> step6

Saving Custom Templates

After customizing, save to your preferred location:

Project-specific templates (recommended for project workflows)

mkdir -p ./workflows
cat > ./workflows/my-project-workflow.flow << 'EOF'
# My Project Workflow
# Description: Custom automation for this project
...
EOF

User's global templates (shared across all projects)

mkdir -p ~/.claude/workflows
cat > ~/.claude/workflows/my-global-workflow.flow << 'EOF'
# My Global Workflow
# Description: Custom automation available everywhere
...
EOF

Plugin examples (for contributing back)

cat > ~/.claude/plugins/repos/orchestration/examples/my-workflow.flow << 'EOF'
# My Example Workflow
# Description: Custom automation for X
...
EOF

Guidelines:

1. Use .flow extension
2. Add descriptive header
3. Include usage instructions
4. Project templates take precedence if same name exists globally

Template Categories

Development Workflows

• TDD implementation
• Bug fixing
• Refactoring
• Code review

Testing Workflows

• Test automation
• Integration testing
• Security scanning
• Performance testing

Deployment Workflows

• CI/CD pipelines
• Staged deployment
• Rollback procedures

Data Workflows

• Data aggregation
• Data validation
• Data transformation
• Report generation

Best Practices

✅ DO:

• Start with existing template
• Customize incrementally
• Test modifications
• Save successful customizations

❌ DON'T:

• Modify original templates (copy first)
• Skip testing customizations
• Over-complicate simple templates

Template Parameters

Common parameters in templates:

| Parameter | Purpose | Example | |-----------|---------|---------| | {{TARGET}} | Target file/directory | src/components | | {{SCAN_TYPE}} | Type of scan | security, performance | | {{ENV}} | Environment | staging, production | | {{BRANCH}} | Git branch | main, develop |

Related Skills

• creating-workflows: Create new templates
• executing-workflows: Execute templates
• managing-agents: Use agents in templates

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Want to use a template? Ask me to show available templates or execute one!