Workflows | Headlands Docs

Workflows are autonomous agents that run in the background, monitoring conditions and taking action on your behalf. They combine triggers, conditions, and actions to automate routine tasks and send timely alerts.

How Workflows Work

Every workflow follows this pattern:

TRIGGER → EVALUATE CONDITIONS → EXECUTE ACTIONS

Trigger - Something initiates the workflow (schedule, webhook, threshold, message)
Conditions - Optional rules that determine if actions should run
Actions - What happens when triggered (notifications, tasks, API calls, AI responses)

Workflow Types

Scheduled Workflows

Run on a schedule (daily, weekly, or custom cron):

Daily Farm Brief - Morning summary of weather, tasks, and alerts
Weekly Equipment Check - Maintenance reminders based on hours
Monthly Reports - Automated report generation and delivery

Threshold Workflows

Monitor data and trigger when thresholds are crossed:

Weather Alerts - Notify when frost, heat, or wind thresholds are exceeded
Equipment Alerts - Alert when service intervals are due
Inventory Alerts - Notify when supplies run low

Webhook Workflows

Triggered by external systems via HTTP:

IoT Sensors - React to sensor data from connected devices
External APIs - Integrate with third-party agricultural systems
Custom Integrations - Build your own triggers

Messaging Workflows

Triggered by incoming messages:

WhatsApp Commands - Respond to team messages
Telegram Bots - Field queries via chat
SMS Keywords - Simple mobile interactions

Creating a Workflow

From the Catalog

The fastest way to get started:

Navigate to Workflows
Click Add Workflow
Browse the catalog by category
Select a template
Configure parameters
Activate

From Scratch

For custom workflows:

Navigate to Workflows
Click Add Workflow
Choose Start from Scratch
Select a trigger type
Add conditions (optional)
Add actions
Test and activate

Trigger Types

Cron (Scheduled)

Run workflows on a schedule:

Schedule	Cron Expression	Example Use
Daily at 6am	`0 6 * * *`	Morning briefing
Weekly Monday	`0 8 * * 1`	Weekly review
Every 4 hours	`0 /4 * *`	Regular monitoring
First of month	`0 9 1 * *`	Monthly reports

Webhook

Receive HTTP POST requests:

bash

POST https://headlands.ag/api/webhooks/{workflow_id}
Content-Type: application/json
 
{
  "sensor_id": "field-station-1",
  "temperature": 28,
  "humidity": 85
}

Webhook data is available in conditions and actions as {{webhook.field_name}}.

Threshold

Monitor data sources continuously:

Weather - Temperature, wind, precipitation, humidity
Equipment - Hours, maintenance status, fuel
Inventory - Stock levels, expiration dates
Custom - Any numeric field in your data

Messaging

Respond to incoming messages:

WhatsApp - Link your WhatsApp Business account
Telegram - Connect your Telegram bot
Message content available as {{message.text}}

Conditions

Conditions determine whether actions execute after a trigger fires.

Field Conditions

Check field-level data:

IF field.current_crop = "corn"
AND field.growth_stage = "V6"

Temporal Conditions

Time-based rules:

IF day_of_week IN ["Monday", "Wednesday", "Friday"]
AND hour BETWEEN 6 AND 18

Value Conditions

Compare values using JSONPath:

IF webhook.temperature > 95
OR webhook.humidity < 20

Logic Conditions

Combine conditions:

AND - All conditions must be true
OR - Any condition can be true
NOT - Inverts a condition

Actions

What happens when a workflow executes.

Notification

Send alerts via multiple channels:

Channel	Configuration
Push	Sends to mobile/web app
Email	To specified addresses
SMS	To phone numbers (Twilio)
WhatsApp	To linked WhatsApp number
Telegram	To linked Telegram chat

Task Creation

Automatically create tasks:

Create task:
  Title: "Check field {{trigger.field_name}}"
  Description: "Temperature exceeded threshold at {{trigger.value}}°F"
  Priority: High
  Assign to: Current user

Webhook Call

Call external APIs:

POST https://api.external-system.com/alerts
Headers:
  Authorization: Bearer {{secrets.API_KEY}}
Body:
  {
    "alert": "{{trigger.description}}",
    "severity": "high"
  }

AI Response

Generate intelligent responses:

Generate AI response:
  Context: Include recent weather and field data
  Prompt: "Provide recommendations for the current conditions"
  Send via: WhatsApp

Record Update

Update data in your knowledge base:

Update equipment record:
  Equipment: Tractor 42
  Field: last_alert_date
  Value: {{now}}

Skill Execution

Run built-in skills:

Execute skill:
  Skill: withdrawal_period_calculator
  Inputs:
    drug_name: "LA-200"
    treatment_date: "{{trigger.date}}"
  Store result in: withdrawal_date

Action Chains

Actions can be chained together, with later actions using results from earlier ones:

1. Execute skill: weather_analysis
   Store as: weather_data

2. Generate AI response:
   Include: {{weather_data.recommendation}}
   Store as: ai_recommendation

3. Send notification:
   Message: {{ai_recommendation}}

Variables & Templates

Available Variables

Source	Variables
Trigger	`{{trigger.type}}`, `{{trigger.data.*}}`
Webhook	`{{webhook.*}}` (any posted field)
Message	`{{message.text}}`, `{{message.from}}`
Context	`{{now}}`, `{{today}}`, `{{user.name}}`
Previous actions	Named results from earlier actions

Template Syntax

Use Handlebars-style templates:

Good morning {{user.name}}!

Today's weather: {{weather.description}}
High: {{weather.high}}°F / Low: {{weather.low}}°F

Upcoming tasks:
{{#each tasks}}
- {{this.title}} (due {{this.due_date}})
{{/each}}

Testing Workflows

Test Run

Before activating:

Click Test on the workflow
Provide sample trigger data
Review condition evaluation
Preview action outputs
Confirm expected behavior

Execution History

Monitor running workflows:

Navigate to Executions in sidebar
Filter by workflow
View execution details:
- Trigger data
- Condition results
- Action outcomes
- Errors or warnings

Workflow Catalog

Headlands includes 40+ pre-built workflow templates:

Tier Zero (Free)

Daily Farm Brief
Weather Alert Monitor
Task Reminder
Simple WhatsApp Responder

Tier One (Professional)

Spray Window Advisor
Equipment Maintenance Scheduler
Cattle Health Monitor
Harvest Coordinator
Soil Moisture Analyst
Pest Pressure Tracker
Compliance Deadline Manager
Market Price Watcher
Irrigation Scheduler
Feed Inventory Monitor
Grazing Rotation Planner

Tier Two (Enterprise)

Custom integration templates
Multi-farm aggregators
Advanced analytics workflows
Third-party system connectors

Browse the full catalog at Workflow Catalog.

Best Practices

Start Simple

Begin with catalog templates and customize gradually. A working simple workflow beats a complex broken one.

Use Descriptive Names

Name workflows clearly:

Good: "Daily Morning Brief - 6am - Push + Email"
Bad: "Workflow 1"

Test Thoroughly

Always test with realistic data before activating. Check both true and false condition paths.

Monitor Executions

Review execution history weekly. Look for:

Unexpected failures
Excessive executions
Missing expected runs

Document Custom Workflows

Add descriptions explaining:

Why the workflow exists
What triggers it
What actions it takes
Who should be notified of issues

Troubleshooting

Workflow Not Triggering

Check that the workflow is activated (toggle on)
Verify the trigger configuration (correct time, webhook URL, etc.)
Review execution history for errors
Check condition logic isn't blocking all executions

Actions Not Executing

Verify conditions are evaluating to true
Check action configuration for errors
Ensure notification channels are configured (phone numbers, emails)
Review execution logs for specific error messages

Notifications Not Received

Confirm notification channel is set up in Settings
Check spam/junk folders for email
Verify phone numbers include country code
Ensure WhatsApp/Telegram is properly linked