Building Blocks

Building Blocks

Building blocks are pre-configured step types that simplify common operations.

Use building blocks when a workflow needs a repeatable interaction that should not be rebuilt from raw code each time. Blocks wrap common provider operations, messaging patterns, and workflow behaviors behind a typed configuration surface. That makes them easier to review, easier to validate, and safer to reuse across workflows that share the same operational pattern.

In finance workflows, blocks are useful for the parts of the process that should remain consistent: sending an approval request, posting a Slack notification, formatting an email, transforming data into a provider payload, or creating a record in an external system. Choose the most specific block that matches the job. A specific block usually gives better validation, clearer run logs, and fewer hidden assumptions than a generic code step. Use custom code only when the workflow needs logic that is not already covered by a block or provider action.

Blocks also make workflow review easier. A reviewer can see that one step sends a message, another writes to an accounting system, and another waits for approval without reading custom implementation code. That clarity matters when finance, operations, and engineering share responsibility for the same automation. Prefer predictable blocks for routine work, then reserve flexible steps for exceptional logic that has no reusable provider action yet.