---
title: <Workflow>
description: Root container that defines a named, cacheable workflow with implicit sequential execution of its children.
---

```tsx
import { Workflow } from "smithers-orchestrator";
```

## Props

| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `name` | `string` | **(required)** | Unique workflow name. Used in logs, CLI, and run metadata. |
| `cache` | `boolean` | `false` | Enable per-node output caching. Completed tasks are skipped on [resume](/concepts/suspend-and-resume). |
| `children` | `ReactNode` | `undefined` | [`<Task>`](/components/task) and [control-flow components](/concepts/control-flow) that make up the workflow. |

## Implicit sequencing

Direct children execute sequentially, top to bottom. A bare `<Workflow>` behaves identically to wrapping children in [`<Sequence>`](/components/sequence):

```tsx
// These two are equivalent:

<Workflow name="example">
  <Task id="first" output={outputs.first}>{/* ... */}</Task>
  <Task id="second" output={outputs.second}>{/* ... */}</Task>
</Workflow>

<Workflow name="example">
  <Sequence>
    <Task id="first" output={outputs.first}>{/* ... */}</Task>
    <Task id="second" output={outputs.second}>{/* ... */}</Task>
  </Sequence>
</Workflow>
```

An explicit [`<Sequence>`](/components/sequence) is only needed when nesting sequential groups inside [`<Parallel>`](/components/parallel) or other [control-flow components](/concepts/control-flow).

## Caching

When `cache` is enabled, the runtime checks whether a task's output row exists before executing it. If present, the task is skipped and stored output is reused. This makes workflows [resumable](/concepts/suspend-and-resume) after partial failures.

```tsx
<Workflow name="pipeline" cache>
  <Task id="expensive-step" output={outputs.expensiveStep} agent={myAgent}>
    Perform a costly analysis.
  </Task>
  <Task id="cheap-step" output={outputs.cheapStep}>
    {{ status: "done" }}
  </Task>
</Workflow>
```

## Full example

```tsx
import { createSmithers } from "smithers-orchestrator";
import { ToolLoopAgent as Agent } from "ai";
import { anthropic } from "@ai-sdk/anthropic";
import { z } from "zod";

const { Workflow, Task, smithers, outputs } = createSmithers({
  research: z.object({ findings: z.string() }),
  summary: z.object({ summary: z.string() }),
});

const researcher = new Agent({
  model: anthropic("claude-sonnet-4-20250514"),
  instructions: "You are a research assistant.",
});

export default smithers((ctx) => (
  <Workflow name="research-pipeline" cache>
    <Task id="research" output={outputs.research} agent={researcher}>
      {`Research the topic: ${ctx.input.topic}`}
    </Task>
    <Task id="summary" output={outputs.summary}>
      {{ summary: "Workflow complete." }}
    </Task>
  </Workflow>
));
```

## Rendering

`<Workflow>` renders as a `<smithers:workflow>` host element. The runtime traverses this tree to extract [`TaskDescriptor`](/reference/types) objects and build the execution plan.

## Notes

- Every workflow must have exactly one `<Workflow>` at the root.
- `name` is for identification in logs, CLI, and event streams; it need not be globally unique across files.
- Custom Drizzle tables must include `runId` and `nodeId` columns. Tasks inside [`<Loop>`](/components/loop) additionally need `iteration`. `createSmithers(...)` adds these columns automatically for schema-driven tables.