Octopus
Workflow Result in Conversation
When a workflow completes synchronously, its output JSON is returned as the start_workflow tool result. The agent then synthesises a natural language response based on the output — just as it would with any other tool result.
Result Flow
1
Agent calls start_workflow in sync mode
The agent's reasoning loop pauses at the tool call, waiting for the result.
2
Octopus polls ProcessServer for completion
Polls every 2 seconds up to
SyncTimeoutSeconds. The SSE stream shows a "Processing..." indicator.
3
Workflow output returned as tool result JSON
The workflow's final output dictionary is serialised to JSON and returned as the tool result.
4
Agent synthesises a response
The LLM receives the tool result in context and generates a natural language response for the user.
5
Result stored in episodic memory
The tool call, result, and agent response are all saved as episode messages for future recall.
Example: Successful Workflow Result
// Tool result passed to the LLM after workflow completes
{
"execution_id": "exec-abc123",
"workflow_id": "leave-approval-workflow",
"status": "Completed",
"elapsed_ms": 4250,
"outputs": {
"request_id": "LR-8821",
"status": "Submitted",
"approver": "alice.manager@company.com",
"due_date": "2024-06-17",
"submitted_at": "2024-06-15T10:00:04Z"
}
}
// Agent response (synthesised from result):
"Your leave request has been submitted successfully 🎉
Reference: LR-8821
Approver: Alice Manager (alice.manager@company.com)
Decision due: June 17, 2024
You'll receive an email notification when a decision is made."Example: Workflow Failure
// Workflow failed during execution
{
"execution_id": "exec-xyz456",
"workflow_id": "leave-approval-workflow",
"status": "Failed",
"error": {
"code": "INSUFFICIENT_LEAVE_BALANCE",
"message": "Employee EMP-1234 has only 3 annual leave days remaining; requested 5."
}
}
// Agent response:
"I wasn't able to submit your leave request. Your current annual leave balance is
only 3 days, but you requested 5 days. Would you like to adjust the dates, or
apply for a combination of annual and unpaid leave?"Async Result Retrieval
For async-mode workflows, the agent returns the execution ID to the user. The user can ask the agent to check status later:
// User follow-up: "What happened with my leave request?"
// Agent uses get_workflow_status tool (also registered by ProcessPlugin)
// get_workflow_status tool call
{ "execution_id": "exec-abc123" }
// Response:
{
"execution_id": "exec-abc123",
"status": "Completed",
"outputs": { "status": "Approved", "approved_by": "Alice Manager" }
}